Botox | The Gillian Institute

BOTOX it is the most popular treatment for fine lines and wrinkles with little to no downtime. Botox, which is FDA approved, relaxes repetitive facial muscle contractions to reduce and prevent the development of lines and wrinkles.

Botox is the gold standard for preventing the signs of facial aging. A combination of convenience and efficacy, Botox treatments are an injectable anti-wrinkle solution that can stop aging in its tracks.

The Botox Party Events will also highlight a Dermal Filler Injectable Special as well. Call today to schedule your appointment!

What is Botox?

Botox treats facial wrinkles in the forehead, between the eyes, fine lines around the mouth and in the “crows feet” areas. Botulinum toxin, or Botox, works by relaxing the muscles of facial expression. Once the resting tone of the treated muscle is weakened, the pull of the muscle relaxes and the overlying skin flattens. This approach is different from other local treatments for the aging face. By physiologically weakening the muscles, as with Botox, wrinkles are removed automatically. Results are noted within 1-2 days following the injection and the full effect of the Botox injection is noted after 2 weeks.

The uses of Botox are expanding. Since Dr. Short is a member and trainer of the National Education Faculty for Botox, she has performed an assortment of advanced uses of Botox. Botox has been found to be very effective in upturning the lateral eyebrows to achieve a non-surgical brow lift. Botox can be used to reduce the paper like crinkles under the eyes and creases around the chin.

Botox can also increase the longevity of the dermal filler (injectable) to the lips, nasolabial folds, perioral folds, and frownlines. Other effective treatment options for Botox, which are less well known, are to treat the “bunny” lines on the side of the nose, correction of lip asymmetries, vertical and horizontal neck lines and folds, decreasing the gum line with smiling, upturning of the nasal tip, vertical lip lines and the oral commissures. Botox can also be used in combination with dermal fillers (injectables) to decrease the appearance of lines and wrinkles. This combination therapy may be used in the frown lines, lines and wrinkles around the mouth and upper lip commonly referred to as “smoker’s lines.”

When certain muscles in your face contract, the repeated motion creates wrinkles and frown lines. Many people find that these wrinkles make their faces look older. Botox is a natural protein that can be used to prevent muscle contractions. People often get injections in their foreheads and in the crinkly skin around their eyes. Wrinkles can’t form if the responsible muscles are prevented from contracting. The procedure is only temporary, however. Botox injections wear off after three to four months. However, there’s a chance that the lines on the patient’s face will be less pronounced. Repeated Botox treatments can weaken the muscle, resulting in less forceful contractions.

Botox Benefits

Botox is a fast, effective way to reduce the lines on your face. It’s not a surgical procedure, which is why it’s popular among patients who want to change their appearance but don’t want to spend a lot of time recovering. If you’re a patient at the Gillian Institute a staff member will inject you with a botulinum toxin. This will prevent the affected muscles from contracting. Your results can last up to four months. Botox doesn’t produce as dramatic effects as plastic surgery does, which makes it a perfect option for people who want to look younger but don’t want to appear radically different.

Ideal Botox Candidates

Botox injections are an excellent option for men and women who want fewer lines on their faces but aren’t interested in cosmetic surgery. Botox can temporarily repair problems ranging from heavy frown lines to crow’s feet. Botox gives patients a younger-looking face.

It’s a quick, temporary way to alter your appearance.

Treatable Areas

Dr. Kimberly Short will help you craft a personalized treatment plan. Maybe you’re unhappy with a particular area prematurely aged perhaps you feel as though your whole face appears prematurely aged. Whatever your desire, Dr. Short will let you know if Botox is the right option for you.

BOTOX FOR HORIZONTAL FOREHEAD LINES

Forehead lines develop when your muscles contract to lift your eyebrows. Some people are prone to using these muscles often. Botox injections can reduce the lines without damaging the muscles. The patient will appear more youthful yet will still look natural. Cosmetic procedures are private, a lot of people don’t want everyone in their lives to know their medical history. People who receive Botox injections can share their experience or they can remain quiet and keep it to themselves.

BOTOX FOR CROW’S FEET

The orbicularis muscles are in charge of opening and closing your eyelids. They contract when you laugh, smile, blink, squint, and sleep. Because the muscles are often put to use, the skin at the corner of the eyes tends to fold and wrinkle as people age. Botox injections can smooth the lines and soften the harsh appearance. It’s important to see an expert because while most patients want to look younger, they don’t want to look unnatural.

People associate smiling with having crinkly skin near the eyes.

BOTOX FOR FROWN LINES BETWEEN THE BROWS

This the most common area of the face for patients to treat.

Frown lines are also known as glabellar lines. These are the small creases and folds that can form between your eyebrows. Patients who lead busy, stressful lives sometimes find that their faces become frozen in an angry expression. To remove this appearance, Botox is injected into the area above the brow bone, or the supraorbital ridge.

BOTOX FOR THICK BANDS ON THE NECK

Thick creases or skin folds on the neck can make you appear older. The face is where signs of aging often appear first, but the neck is almost as important. Botox injections into the platysma muscle allow the skin from the jaw to the clavicle to relax. Once the tension is removed, you’ll be left with a youthful, smooth neck.

BOTOX FOR APPEARANCE OF GUMS

Patients sometimes worry about having a “gummy” smile. Most people’s lips retract slightly when they smile. A normal amount is about 5 millimeters from the resting position. Patients who have a hypermobile upper lip display more of their gums when they smile. This makes the teeth appear smaller and gives the mouth a gummy appearance. Botox injections remove the strain from the upper lip and give the patient a more natural-looking smile. Results are highly variable and depend on the amount of gum the patient had showing, to begin with.

BOTOX FOR EXCESSIVE SWEATING

Deodorant doesn’t always work. Sometimes the body produces too much sweat for deodorant to be effective. This is called hyperhidrosis when the body’s nerve signals alert the sweat glands to produce sweat at times when it’s not necessary. Sufferers find that they begin sweating for no obvious reason. Botox injections can help. An injection made in the axillae, or armpits, can decrease the amount of sweat the body produces. If you’ve tried medication and over the counter topicals to curb your excessive sweating and it didn’t work, Botox might be a great option for you.

Botox Alternatives

For certain areas of the body, one of the best fillers is your own fat. If you have extra fat anywhere on your body, it can be harvested and reinjected somewhere else. Dr. Short will use a special needle to the harvest the fat while you’re under local anesthesia. The advantage of using your own fat is that your body won’t reject it. A disadvantage is that it’s impossible to tell in advance how much of the fat will remain and how much will be reabsorbed by your body.

Juvederm and Restylane are good choices for people who desire subtle age reduction. The compounds in these injections are made up of hyaluronic acid, the same molecules found in your skin. The injection is nearly painless and results should last up to one year. Both procedures allow patients to temporarily soften and remove severe wrinkles on the face.

Consultation

Dr. Short aims for her Botox patients to feel completely comfortable and confident with their treatment. During your private consultation, Dr. Short will answer all of your questions and discuss your personal goals. Any concern that you might have will be addressed. Dr. short will make sure that Botox is the right option for you by performing a physical examination.

If you and the doctor agree that Botox is the right choice, she will craft a personalized treatment for you.

Procedure

Botox is prepared fresh on the day of the injection. Once prepared, the medication needs to be used within 4 hours as the potency diminishes with time. Because of the short shelf life and the cost, Botox is not available every day in our office. In order for the treatment to be cost-effective more than one patient must be treated on the same day. Very small amounts of Botox are injected into the muscles to be paralyzed using a very tiny needle. Depending on the areas being treated, 2-4 needle pricks (or more) may be required. Discomfort is minimal and last only a few minutes.

Botox treatments must be performed by an expert if you want stellar results. It’s a minor procedure, but it’s critical that it’s performed with an artistic eye for natural results.

Recovery Process

Occasionally, the tiny needle may puncture a small blood vessel during the injection and a small black and blue area may develop. Such an area can last 5-10 days and requires makeup to cover. If any of the Botulism toxins reach a facial muscle not being treated, partial weakness of that muscle may last for several months. (It is for this reason that you are requested not to massage the injected areas for 12 hours following injection.) In the event of an area of unwanted muscle weakness, the only “treatment” is to wait for the effect of the toxin to wear off.

Botox has been used safely in the treatment of muscular facial spasms for over 15 years. Botox injected in conjunction with nearby facial surgery has caused the spread of the toxin and unwanted facial weakness in at least one patient. For this reason, we will inject Botox only as an isolated facial procedure or treatment.

Results

Injection of this material into the small muscles between the brows, in the forehead, around the mouth, and at the corners of the eyes cause those specific muscles to halt their function (be paralyzed), thereby improving the appearance of wrinkles. This paralysis is temporary and re-injection is necessary within three to ten months. Options for alternative treatment include injection of a soft tissue filler or the surgical excision of the muscles, usually through a brow-lift incision.

One Botox treatment has been known to last in some patients up to 6 months. You will require additional injections to maintain the results.

Complications are rare but may include paralysis of a nearby muscle resulting in its temporary loss of function (e.g., drooping eyelid). For this reason, you should make sure that the person performing the injections understands facial anatomy!