Botox®
For Softening Wrinkles
and Fine Lines
Botox®
For Softening Wrinkles and Fine Lines
For those who frown a lot or have a lot of worry lines, Botox® injections are ideal solutions for these people. It is safe, effective and can sometimes heal tension headaches.
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Botox® is the most commonly known injection that improves the appearance of worry lines, frown lines, laugh lines, crow’s feet and other dynamic wrinkles. Botox® blocks impulses from the nerve to the tiny facial muscles, a process known as cosmetic denervation, and relaxes the muscles so they do not contract. After treatment, the overlying skin remains smooth and unwrinkled, while the untreated facial muscles contract normally, allowing facial expression to be unaffected.
What Is Botex Injectable?
Botox® injectable is a purified non-animal protein derived from the bacterium clostridium botulinum. When expertly injected into select face and neck muscles, it induces temporary relaxation of the muscles, which helps to soften unattractive animation lines and minimize any depressive or “pulled-down” appearance. The facial muscles implicated in this downward effect can negatively affect the vertical positioning of the soft tissue of the brow, cheek, and jowl line.
What Is The Treatment Like?
Cosmetic denervation with Botox® is a simple and safe procedure. Using a tiny micro-needle, a very small amount of Botox® is injected, very precisely, into several locations on the face. No sedation or local anesthetic is required since the micro-needle minimizes pain and discomfort.
Are Botox® Treatments Safe?
Botox® injections have been used safely and effectively for over ten years to treat many opthalmological and neurological disorders. Temporary bruising is the most common side effect. In some cases, Botox® can migrate and cause a temporary weakness of nearby muscles. In rare cases, there can be a drooping of an eyelid or asymmetry of facial expression. The risk of any side effects depends on the muscles injected and your doctor will discuss all potential side effects before your treatment. Since the effects of Botox® are completely reversible, any side effects are temporary lasting only a few weeks.
How Long Does Botox Injectable Take?
Generally, a Botox injectable treatment takes about 15 minutes.
Who is a Botox Injectable Candidate?
Virtually anyone with animated muscles that causes unattractive lines, wrinkles or cause an area of the face to look pulled down can be treated with Botox injectable. These include lip lines, cheeks, jowls, neck, and even chest lines.
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The most common areas for Botox treatment (and those that Health Canada has approved treatment for) are the forehead glabellar area, crow’s feet around the sides of the eyes, and the worry lines which occur horizontally across the forehead.
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Perhaps most importantly, Botox injectable is not recommended for those with unrealistic expectations. It is important to understand that Botox injectable is not intended to eliminate all animation lines, but rather soften specific lines significantly. Typically, an 80%+ softening of animation lines can be achieved.
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For those without intense depressor or “pulling down” activity in the face, Botox injectable is unlikely to provide a significant elevation of facial soft tissue. However, those with strong depressors commonly see a compensatory elevation of the brow, cheek, and neck, and a “lift effect”.
Benefits of Botox Injectable
Minimize Migraines
When administered near a selected muscle, Botox injectable makes its way to the muscle and is absorbed into the nerve, which is directly responsible for the contraction of that muscle. There, it produces a temporary, localized blockage of muscle contraction function, smoothing out any fine lines or wrinkles triggered by the muscle.
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Heal Your Skin
Over time your skin cannot repair itself due to excessive wear and tear from the movement of your facial muscles. By using Botox injectable, you give your skin a chance to heal and repair. During the 3-6 months that Botox injectable stays in your system, the skin has an opportunity to improve without the stress from underlying muscles.
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No Downtime
Not only can you apply makeup immediately after treatment, but this non-surgical anti-wrinkle treatment also has virtually no downtime. Most patients fit a treatment in with their day-to-day activities!
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Preventative Botox Injectable
Preventative Botox injectable is used by those in their 20s and 30s to counteract wrinkles and fine lines from developing or injected during the initial stages of fine lines and wrinkles to minimize them. Many doctors recommend it as a preemptive solution to visible signs of aging.
Botox Injectable Risks
Like all procedures, Botox injectable comes with the risk of potential complications. Dr. Poon
has been performing Botox injections in Toronto for over 20 years, and the risk of a significant complication is very minimal. Although Dr. Poon has not seen most of the risks listed below, these rare Botox injectable risks have been reported and many, such as eyebrow asymmetry can be adjusted or fixed:
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Pain, swelling or bruising at the injection site
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Headache or flu-like symptoms
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Droopy eyelid or uneven brows
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Crooked smile or drooling
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Eye dryness or excessive tearing
How to Prepare Botox Injectable Treatment
A week before you get Botox injections in Toronto, stop taking anti-inflammatory medications, ginkgo Biloba, ginseng, flax oil, cod liver oil, fish oil, vitamin A, vitamin E and other essential fatty acids as they can heighten any bruising risk. Avoid drinking excessive alcohol for 1 week.
What to Expect After a Botox Injectable Treatment
There is very little discomfort and, in most cases, little to no bruising caused by Botox injectables. You can apply makeup immediately afterward and return to regular activities immediately and heavy exertion after 3 hours. All medical procedures have some degree of risk, and there may be complications. However, fortunately, in qualified hands, these complications are very rare.
What to Expect After a Botox Injectable Treatment
Botox injectable blocks the release of a chemical called acetylcholine from the motor nerve ending, which serves the targeted and intended muscle(s) being treated. Acetylcholine is necessary for the muscle to contract once you consciously or subconsciously wish to activate the muscle. It takes 3 hours to bind to the targeted receptors on the muscle, at which point you begin to see the expressive ability of that muscle-weakening after about 3 days.
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The full effect of the injection occurs up to 2 weeks later, and most patients begin to see a very significant softening and smoothing out of their undesirable lines and wrinkles and significant elevation of the overlying soft tissue 1 week after Botox injection.
Botox Injectable Treatment FAQ
How Painful is it to Get a Botox Injectable Treatment?
There is no post-treatment pain following the Botox injectable procedure. Most patients can return to daily activities immediately. Topical anesthetic cream and other techniques such as ice or topical air chillers can be used to reduce the minimal discomfort associated with Botox injectable.
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How Long Does Botox Injectable Last?
Repeat Botox injectable treatments are required for long-term success, as Botox injectable is not a permanent solution. Generally, significant wrinkle smoothing and reduction will last for 3-4 months, and the benefits begin to wear off by month 4 or 5. Patients generally return to Dr. Poon for repeat treatments between 4 and 6 months, or 2-3 times per year. Lower concentrations will have less longevity. Some areas, such as the upper lip lines and other delicate facial animation regions may require smaller but more frequent Botox injections, such as every 2-3 months.
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What Are the Side Effects of Botox Injectable?
The most common side effect of Botox injectable is bruising. Our gentle technique, perfected by Dr. Poon minimizes this risk. Other undesirable side effects and complications include the dispersion of the product beyond its intended region to affect adjacent or nearby muscles negatively.
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This is most common above the eyebrow, with a dispersion of the Botox injectable over the eyebrow bone where it can weaken the eyelid levator muscle. This weakening of the eyelid muscle results in a drooping of the upper eyelid, a phenomenon called levator aponeurosis ptosis.
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Although this can last for 2-6 months, the effects can be softened somewhat with topical eye drops. Fortunately, the droopy eyelid complication is infrequent when performed by an expert, and when patients follow post-injection instructions carefully.
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After 1 week, over-elevation of one or both brows can occur and this is adjusted at no charge.
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Some Botox injectable Toronto patients complain of vague flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches, stiffness, headache and even mild nausea for 2-4 hours after the procedure. These symptoms can be treated with Tylenol or Advil and will resolve!
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What Should You Not Do After Botox?
To get the best results after a Botox injection, it’s important to do everything you can to allow the Botox to work optimally in your target muscles. It’s best to avoid rubbing or massaging your treatment site, wearing tight headwear or getting a facial for a minimum of 4 hours post-procedure. Be sure to keep upright for those first 4 hours too—this means no lying down or bending over to tie your shoes. If you’re itching to get a workout in, know that it’s best to wait 24 hours to optimize the results of your Botox treatment. Finally, always avoid excessive alcohol or blood-thinning medication to prevent post-procedure bruising.
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How Can I Make Botox Last Longer?
To help your Botox results last as long as possible, it is integral, first and foremost, that you choose a highly qualified provider. Experience, expertise and skill are all key to a successful treatment that is customized to your unique dosing and placement needs. To facilitate long-lasting results post-procedure, you should make an effort to immediately move the muscles in your treatment area to help distribute the product more evenly. To avoid product migration, do not rub your face for 24-48 hours afterwards. Finally, take UV protection seriously. Stay out of the sun as much as possible and wear a daily sunscreen of SPF 30+ to avoid the premature formation of new wrinkles.
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What Is a Good Age to Get Botox?
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no optimal age to start Botox treatments. Although many patients who undergo Botox are in their 40s and 50s, a better rule of thumb is to pay attention to the signs of aging–regardless of your actual age. It may be the right time to consider starting Botox treatments once you begin to notice the formation of your first fine lines. If you wish to stop even the faintest fine lines from becoming wrinkles, preventative Botox may be the way to go. Many experts agree that patients in their mid to late 20s and early 30s tend to be strong candidates for preventative Botox injections.
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Is Preventative Botox Worth It?
When it comes to deciding whether or not to undergo Botox treatments, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons for you. In addition to Botox’s common side effects, including pain, swelling, and bruising at the injection site, there is also the risk of ‘locked’ facial expressions resulting from the treatment’s muscle-relaxing effects. Botox is safe for most people as long as it’s administered by a highly skilled provider, such as those at SpaMedica. The cost of Botox varies depending on how many areas you treat, but most patients pay between $400 and $1500. Schedule a consultation to determine whether or not preventative Botox might be worth it for you.
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Do Wrinkles Get Worse After Botox?
While some patients see their wrinkles reemerge after the effects of Botox wear off, it’s important to understand that Botox treatments will not contribute to the worsening of your wrinkles. Once your Botox wears off, your face goes back to its pre-Botox appearance, but you will not see new lines caused by Botox. Since Botox works by preventing muscle contraction, thus stopping regular movement from occurring, it cannot deepen your dynamic wrinkles. On the contrary, regular Botox treatments can actually reprogram key facial muscles to move less often, leading to smoother skin over time with fewer treatments.
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What Are the Differences Between Fillers and Botox?
While Botox and dermal fillers are both popular injectable treatments used to treat facial wrinkles, both options are better suited to different cases. Botox is a muscle relaxer made from bacteria and is commonly used to treat wrinkles caused by the repeat animation of our most expressive facial muscles. These typically occur around the eyes and mouth and between the eyebrows. Dermal fillers are also primarily used to treat smile lines or other facial lines caused by natural effects of aging, but they can also boost volume in the lips or the cheek area. To determine the best injectable treatment for you, schedule a consultation at (416) 410-8338 today.
