Botox®
A Treatment for Frown Lines
When you frown for any reason, you gather the tissue between your eyebrows into a fold. In some of us, this causes a chronic furrow. This produces a frustrated, discouraged, angry look on your face.
Now you can eliminate these frown lines without surgery and without scars, through a simple treatment using Botox® Cosmetic.
What is BOTOX®?
BOTOX® is the pharmaceutical company trade name of Botulinum Toxin Type A, a purified toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. By using very small doses of BOTOX®, injected directly into a specific facial muscle, the action of that muscle will be relaxed. Therefore, the problem that muscle causes, like a twitch, spasm or frown line, will be stopped.
BOTOX® is FDA approved in the United States for cosmetic treatments.
Where is BOTOX® injected?
The frown line between the eyebrows is caused by the action of a muscle called the corrugator. You can feel this thickening just below the inside of your eyebrows, when you purposefully make yourself frown. Injecting BOTOX® directly into this corrugator muscle stops your ability to draw your eyebrows together when you frown. Once the muscle is treated, it cannot contract, and the frown line gradually fades away.
How long does BOTOX® last?
A treatment takes only a few minutes and the BOTOX® takes effect in three to four days. Gradually over three to five months the results will fade, and the muscle action will return. When the frown line starts to reappear, a simple repeat treatment is all that is necessary to maintain the desired result.
Can BOTOX® be used for other wrinkles?
Cosmetic surgeons have used BOTOX® for the treatment of crow's feet, forehead wrinkles, lip lines, and neck folds.
BOTOX® for Eyebrow Elevation: An exciting new use of BOTOX® is for the aesthetic arching or flaring of the eyebrows in women. By placing BOTOX® in specific sites along the eyebrows, a pleasant elevation, arching or flaring of the eyebrows can be achieved, depending on the patient’s preference. Like other treatment areas, the effects of BOTOX® will be temporary and will need to be repeated every few months.
Who can perform BOTOX® treatments?
This treatment should be done only by a physician trained in the use of BOTOX®. Dr. Michalak is an expert in BOTOX® treatment and has been offering BOTOX® to his patients safely for many years. You can trust his experience in giving you the best possible results with minimal risk.
How has BOTOX® been tested?
BOTOX® has been used since 1980 for the treatment of strabismus (lazy eye), and blepharospasm (uncontrolled eye blinking). The use of BOTOX® for forehead wrinkles was pioneered in 1989 by Dr. Carruthers of Vancouver. A major study of this technique was completed in 1995, and a review published in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Several additional studies documenting the safety and efficacy of BOTOX® have been published. As of May 2002, The FDA has approved the use of BOTOX® for cosmetic purposes.
Does Botox have any side effects?
The side effects of BOTOX® are related to the local injection of the solution. There will be a slight discomfort from the tiny needle entering the skin, and a small chance of a bruise at the site of the injection. There are no reports of damage to the eye, with injections to the eyelid. There have been no permanent side effects from the use of BOTOX®.
Approximately 1% of patients will develop a slight lowering or ptosis of one eyelid. This is temporary and may not even be noticed by the patient. The experience of the doctor providing this treatment can limit the risk of these side effects.
Botox in Issaquah, WA
Contact our Issaquah cosmetic dermatology office for more information on BOTOX® Cosmetic and other injectable treatments at Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology of Issaquah. Please dial 425-391-2500 extension 7 for Genie, our cosmetic patient coordinator.
