More About Botox

How Botox Works
When injected in small doses into specific muscles, Botox blocks the chemical signals that cause muscles to contract. When the muscles can’t tighten, the skin flattens and appears smoother and less wrinkled. Botox targets one of the underlying causes of frown lines and crow’s feet—the repeated muscle contractions from frowning and squinting over the years. When injected Botox will temporarily reduce muscle activity. You will begin to notice a visible smoothing of your crow’s feet lines and frown lines between your brows. 

The Anatomy of the Wrinkle
Is it just aging? Too much sun? Too much stress? In general, how skin ages and wrinkles is a complex process. It isn’t just about cellular changes, collagen depletion, hormone loss, damage caused by free radicals, and so on; it’s a combination of many factors. The lines that appear between your brows (glabellar lines) actually result from muscle movement and the passage of time. You may have heard the expression “wearing your emotions on your sleeve,” but in reality, you wear them on your face. If you’re angry or annoyed, for example, you knit your brows together. Underneath your skin, your facial muscles contract, cause a pleating of the overlying skin, and then, as anyone can see, you’re frowning. After years of crinkling and wrinkling, those glabellar lines start to linger longer and can become more pronounced. For women, whose faces tend to be more animated than men’s, and whose skin is typically more delicate, these lines may appear exaggerated and more permanent. Fortunately, there is a way to temporarily reduce moderate to severe lines between your brows (glabellar), in your forehead (frontallis), and around your eyes (“crows feet”).
Treatment with Botox can visibly smooth and soften moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. An improvement can be seen within days and may last up to 4 months, although results may vary. In clinical trials, nearly 90% of men and women surveyed rated the improvement in the appearance of frown lines between their brows as moderate to better 1 month after treatment
Who is Botox for?
Botox is for people who want to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. Treatment areas may include: Frown lines between the eyebrows and on the bridge of the nose Forehead creases Fine lines (“crows feet”) at the corners of the eyes Not all facial wrinkles benefit from Botox injections, however. Botox won’t reverse wrinkling caused by sun damage. Also, it’s less effective treating the lines around your mouth because muscles in this area are needed for eating and talking. Your skin type, skin thickness and degree of wrinkling all play a role in determining whether these injections are effective for you.
Who should avoid Botox injections?
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not get botulinum toxin. If you have a neurological disorder, such as multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis, talk to your doctor first, since you may be at increased risk of serious side effects. People with psychiatric disorders related to body image may not be good candidates for cosmetic procedures, including Botox. The same goes for people who are allergic to albumin (a protein found in milk and egg whites), which is used in the manufacture of Botox, as should anyone who has an infection at the injection site. It should also be used with caution in people with certain types of glaucoma or respiratory diseases, or who take medications that affect nerve transmission to muscles. How are Botox injections performed? A thin needle is used to inject tiny amounts of Botox into specific muscles. By carefully choosing the muscles to treat, weakens only the wrinkle-producing muscles to preserve your natural facial expressions. The number of injections needed depends on many factors, including your facial features, the extent of the wrinkling and the specific area being treated. For example, crow’s-feet usually require two to five injections. Furrows in your forehead could take eight or more injections. Botox injections take about 10 to 20 minutes. You may experience mild pain with the injections, but most people find the discomfort tolerable. The procedure requires no anesthesia.
What can you expect after the procedure?
Botox injections require no downtime; you can resume your normal daily activities immediately. You may have headaches for a few hours after the treatment. You may use ice and Tylenol (acetaminophen) if you experience any discomfort.
After Care Includes:
Do not rub the treated area for 3-4 hours
Do not lie down for 4 hours
No exercise for 12 hours
You’ll notice results within a few days, but the full effect takes about two weeks.
Results aren’t permanent, however, so to maintain your look, you need follow-up injections every 2-4 months.

Xeomin (for those who have not achieved the results they are looking for with Botox)
What is Xeomin
Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medication injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults. Xeomin contains botulinum toxin type A, a protein purified from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Xeomin does not contain albumin (Botox does), this makes Xeomin an excellent choice for those with milk or egg allergies/sensitivities
How does Xeomin work?
Xeomim works similarly to Botox. When you squint or frown, the muscles between your eyebrows contract, causing the skin to furrow and fold. Over time, as your skin ages and loses some of its elasticity, these repeated contractions can cause persistent frown lines. Botulinum toxin type A – the active ingredient in Xeomin – acts on nerve endings in muscles to prevent muscle fibers from contracting. By reducing these contractions, Xeomin can temporarily reduce the lines between your eyebrows.
Is Xeomin right for me?
If you are an adult with moderate to severe glabellar lines, XEOMIN® may be right for you. Talk to your doctor to discuss the benefits and risks of treatment. Do not take XEOMIN® if you are allergic to botulinum toxin or any of the other ingredients in XEOMIN®. You should also not take XEOMIN® if you have had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product or have a skin infection at the planned injection site. Before receiving treatment with XEOMIN®, you should tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including whether you have a disease that affects your muscles and nerves, have allergies to any botulinum toxin product, or have experienced any side effect from any other botulinum toxin in the past. In addition, tell your doctor about your medical history and all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last four months or in the past. Be sure your doctor knows exactly which product(s) you received and when you received them. What to expect from Xeomin
Similar to Botox, Xeomin injections require no downtime; you can resume your normal daily activities immediately. You may have headaches for a few hours after the treatment. You may use ice and Tylenol (acetaminophen) if you experience any discomfort.
After Care Includes:
Do not rub the treated area for 3-4 hours
Do not lie down for 4 hours
No exercise for 12 hours Y
ou’ll notice results within a few days, but the full effect takes about two weeks. Results aren’t permanent, however, so to maintain your look, you need follow-up injections every 2-4 months. You may begin to see visible smoothing as early as 3-4 days after injection. The median first onset of effect was less than a week. The maximum effect occurred at 30 days. The typical duration of effect was up to 3 months in clinical trials but may last significantly longer or shorter in individual patients.
Xeomin Cost
The cost of Xeomin is $10 per unit