Botox can deliver excellent results but patient education and individual patient assessment is an important part of the procedure. First-time patients who live within a reasonable distance of the practice in Drummartin are encouraged to come in for a preliminary consultation beforehand so that I can assess them properly in terms of exactly how good a result I would expect to be able to deliver and then they can go home and mull it over before coming back for the treatment.Botox Treatment for Fine Facial Lines and Wrinkles
It is important to discuss and clarify what can be achieved with Botox cosmetic injections before treatment. I feel that patients are sometimes promised miracles by people performing cosmetic procedures and then are bitterly disappointed when the treatment fails to deliver. Botox can deliver excellent results but patient education and individual patient assessment is an important part of the procedure. First-time patients who live within a reasonable distance of the practice in Drummartin are encouraged to come in for a preliminary consultation beforehand so that I can assess them properly in terms of exactly how good a result I would expect to be able to deliver and then they can go home and mull it over before coming back for the treatment. There will be some patients whose lines are not suitable for treatment. The kind of lines responding well to Botox are those which are ‘dynamic’ i.e. those lines which appear when an individual makes a smile or a frown – line which appear and disappear with movement in contrast to ‘fixed’ lines which are deeply ‘ingrained’ e.g. the lines on Chef Gordon Ramsay’s forehead – these fixed lines will not respond to Botox.
You can see for yourself an approximation of how successful Botox treatment is likely to be in your case by gently stretching your skin e.g. wrinkles at the side of the eyes (sometimes referred to as crows’ feet) will usually respond well if they disappear when you gradually stretch your skin. Generally the results range from very good to excellent but I must emphasise that Botox is not a permanent cure for facial lines.
What areas are usually treated with Botox?
The three areas most frequently treated are:
The frown area -above the nose and immediately above the inner half of each eyebrow.
‘Crows’ feet’ – these are fine lines that form at the outside around each eye.
The forehead area. Generally forehead treatments work better in the under 50’s. Also some patients who have a lot of loose skin around the upper eyelids/eyebrow area will not do well with forehead treatment and may experience a ’sagging’ of the brow -these patients are usually identified prior to treatment.
What other areas may be treated
Neck lines – slanting semi-horizontal neck lines.
Puckered’ chin area may also respond to treatment.
Vertical neck lines also may respond.
‘Smokers’ lines (from pursing the lips) around the mouth may be suitable for treatment.
It may be possible to turn up the outer corner of the mouth upwards if it has begun to droop downwards -which may make the face look ‘happier’.
In the right hands, with the right patient, and with good assessment and treatment techniques Botox it generally produces excellent results but nothing last for ever (apart, of course, from true love).
You need to know:
The effects of Botox are temporary. Maximal effects are usually seen in 8 – 9 days and will last for at least two months after a first set of injections. On the second set of injections at a particular site the effect will usually last at least three months and some patients find the effect last much longer. Generally results are very pleasing for the patient but it is important to stress good technique and careful treatment planning.
There are no reports of a serious allergic reaction to Botox when it has been administered on its own. There is one report in the medical literature of a serious allergic reaction in a situation where Botox was co-administered with another drug, a situation which should not arise in routine cosmetic usage .
Cosmetic Botox ‘binds’ in the muscles and tissues into which it is injected and does not get into the circulation. The effects wear off gradually as nerve-muscle connections regenerate once more. The toxin does not circulate in the body. The amounts used for cosmetic purposes are a tiny fraction of those used for muscle spasm in e.g. cerebral palsy and so Botox is very, very safe in the kind of dosages used in cosmetic practice.
The effects usually wear off gradually as new nerve-muscle connections develop.
In Botox for the frown area tiny percentage of patients may experience a slight drooping of the upper eyelid. This may last up to thirty days – the technical medical word for this is a ‘ptosis’. This risk of ptosis is associated with the use of a particular injection site about 1- 1.5 cm above the eyebrow in line with the mid-pupil. Very occasionally a tracking or leaking down of the Botox may occur affecting the nerve which is situated in a notch on the upper eyebrow. We always try to stay as far from this nerve as possible while still providing an effective cosmetic result . Also many injectors (including myself) now use a more highly concentrated form of Botox which means a much smaller volume of liquid is used and this further reduces the risk of ptosis.