What is BOTOX?®

Botulinum toxin, whose trade name is BOTOX®, is a purified toxin produced by bacteria that causes weakening and temporarily relaxes muscles. It has been used for over 20 years in the treatment of muscular problems in the eyes with great success. Just recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to administer BOTOX® for the temporary improvement of facial expression lines in adult men and women.

Tiny amounts of BOTOX® are injected with a fine needle into the muscle that creates a wrinkle. Frown lines, the lines in between your eyebrows, crow feet, the lines around the eyes, and horizontal forehead lines, are the areas most commonly injected. As the muscle weakens, it relaxes, causing the wrinkles in the skin to gradually soften and often disappear.

Some people have reported slight headaches after treatments. A small bruise at the site of injection is the most common side effect. When BOTOX® is injected into the forehead, it can result in brow-muscle weakening causing a temporary lopsided appearance. This is extremely rare and usually goes away by itself.

The effects of BOTOX® usually last three to five months, at which time another injection is needed. After several treatments the effects of BOTOX® may begin to last longer, sometimes up to eight months. BOTOX® is one of the most popular cosmetic mini-treatments today. This procedure can be done on a lunch break and requires no recovery time. Overall, the vast majority of patients love this quick-fix therapy, and return for a BOTOX® boost as soon as the wrinkles begin to reappear!