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What is
Botox?
Botox is a brand name for
the purified form of a
plant bacterium called
botulinum toxin type A,
which is produced by the
bacteria, clostridium
botulinum. In large
doses it is a potentially
lethal toxin. Vegans
should note that, I
believe the bacteria is
fed on meat during the
fermentation
process.
How
long has Botox been
used?
Botox has been used for
various conditions for
over 15 years in 60
countries.
How
does Botox work?
When we laugh or frown,
the brain sends a signal
to the muscles to make the
expression lines appear in
the face. Botox
blocks the signals from
the nerve to the facial
muscles to stop them
contracting, leaving the
skin looking smooth.
Botox is not a
wrinkle remover; it can
only work on expression
lines that are controlled
by muscles. It will work
on the specific muscles
that have been injected
leaving the surrounding
muscles to work normally.
It cannot make the lines
disappear completely but
it will make an
improvement to areas being
treated.
The
Procedure.
The
Botox powder is
supplied to the surgeon
who reconstitutes it in a
saline solution. It is
then injected using a
disposable syringe with a
fine needle.
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How
Long Does Botox
Take? - The
surgeon will ask some
questions about your
medical history and
make sure you have
realistic expectations
of the outcome. You
may also be asked to
sign a consent and
disclaimer form. The
whole procedure
usually takes 15
minutes but no more
than half an
hour.
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Selecting the
sites for Botox - The
surgeon will sometimes
mark with a pen the
areas that need
injecting. Some will
use an EMG machine to
tell them the correct
place to inject, while
others will go
straight ahead and
inject the sites that
they have already
agreed with the
patient.
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Injecting the
sites with Botox- You will
be asked to frown hard
so the surgeon can see
the areas to treat.
They will then inject
the sites (some
patients say this
resembles an ant
sting) and each site
is injected very
precisely. Anaesthetic
is not generally
required but some
surgeons will apply
Emla cream to numb the
area first, or put ice
on before and
after.
Can I go straight back
to work?
Normal activities can
resume immediately but
read the aftercare
instructions
carefully.
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Botox
before and after pictures |
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Female 40
Frowning
before and
after |
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Female 32
Frowning
before and
after |
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Female 42
Crows feet
before and
after |
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These are
some of
the before
and after
photographs
of
patients
treated
with
Botox. It
works
particularly
well on
the
vertical
lines
above the
nose.
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Botox
before and after pictures |
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Female 35
Crows feet
before and
after |
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Female 40
Forehead lines
before and
after |
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Male 40
Forehead lines
before and
after
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Botox can also
give a good
result for men
but a larger
dose is
usually needed
because of the
size of the
muscles.
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Mix and Match
Treatments |
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The
picture
left
shows the
same woman
after
laser
treatment.
You will
notice the
fine lines
and some
wrinkles
have gone
but this
has now
left her
with
bigger
expression
lines.
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My
own eyes
were left
like these
as can be
seen in my
photo
diary but
with Botox
treatment
the lines
have now
gone.
Some
surgeons
will treat
the eye
area with
Botox
prior to
laser
treatment
to give a
better
overall
effect.
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Botox and fillers?
After correction of my
crow's-feet with Botox
following laser treatment,
I decided to work on the
lower half of my face. I
had Botox in the chin to
help correct the position
of the muscle that I
messed up in a riding
accident in 1990. Once
this was straightened, I
could see the lines left
at the side of my mouth
and nose. These are
currently being treated
with Artecoll, with the
first session in August
2000.
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Many non-surgical
treatments can be carried
out together as they can
complement each other
depending on what you are
trying to achieve.
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Referring to Professor
Nicholas Lowe's book "Skin
Secrets"
and having Botox
at least two weeks before
a filler can double the
life of the effect of the
temporary filler.
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How
long does a Botox
treatment last?
The effects can last for 3
to 5 months or sometimes
longer depending on the
individual. If you like
the effects, you will need
repeat treatments 2 to 3
times per year. Clinical
trials have shown that
over time the duration of
the effect increases,
resulting in less
treatments being needed to
maintain the
result.
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Other
uses? |
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Botox was originally
used for eye spasms
called blepharospasm
and it was noticed
that while treating
the patients with
this condition,
their crow's-feet
began to
disappear.
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To correct crossed
eyes in
children.
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To help muscle
disorders.
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Botox is used in cases
of bad sweating, a
condition called
hyperhidrosis.
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Necks can also be
treated with Botox.
The risks involved are
that Botox may spread
to the swallowing
muscles and this could
cause choking. It is
unlikely with the
doses used but the
surgeon should discuss
this point with
you.
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Aftercare
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It usually takes 2 to
3 days to begin to
working, with the full
effect coming at 7
days.
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Use lots of facial
expressions to work
the Botox into the
muscles for the first
day.
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Do not massage or rub
the area as this can
cause the toxin to
spread beyond the
treated area.
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Do not lie down for
four hours after the
injections.
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Other Information.
According to the American
Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery, Botox is
the fastest growing
cosmetic procedure and is
the second most common
procedure after face
peels. |
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Risks.
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During Pregnancy. It
is not recommended
that pregnant women
and those breast
feeding use Botox, as
there are insufficient
trials to show that it
does not harm the
baby.
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Eyelid droop is rare
and can last for up to
4 weeks.
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Double vision is also
rare and can also last
for up to 6 months
until the effects have
worn off. With a
skilled surgeon, this
is unlikely to
happen.
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Bruising of the
injection site. Taking
Arnica can reduce
this.
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Avoid
Botox if there
is an existing
drooping of the
eyelid.
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Always disclose
current medication at
every appointment,
particularly
antibiotics.
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Always declare muscle
disorders.
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Possible
Disadvantages. |
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According to Professor
Lowe in his book Skin
Secrets, a very small
percentage of patients
are resistant to
Botox. Probably
because they have
unknowingly had a
slight bout of
botulism leaving them
with antibodies to
it.
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Some patients will
have to go back for a
top-up treatment if
the treatment has not
worked. It is better
to start with a
smaller amount and
then increase to a
larger dose, than to
give too high a dose
in the first
instance.
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Possible
Advantages.
It
is thought that Botox
can help reduce headaches
but this has not yet been
proved. |
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Costs
range
from £175 provincially and
£200 in London. Charges
can be made for each
individual injection or
for a site, which may need three
injections. Ask exactly
what you are getting for
your money before the
treatment starts. |
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Surgeons
are trained in the basic
uses of Botox for cosmetic
purposes. These are
usually the brow and
crow's-feet. The advanced
course will include the
chin and neck. The more
Botox treatments the
surgeon undertakes, the
more skilled they will
become. Ask the
surgeon how long he has
been treating with Botox
and if there is anyone you
can speak to about their
treatment. |
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Beware of cut-price
treatments: the Botox
could have been watered
down and the results will
not last as long.
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Linda Briggs has information on
surgeons who have been
trained to use Botox
and have been using it with
good results for
years.
Contact
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