BOTOX® is one of the world’s most well-known brand names. That’s quite remarkable for an injectable that was first intended to address involuntary eyelid spasms. Although BOTOX® has been around for decades, it became the star of the aesthetic industry in 2002 — that was the year the FDA approved the use of BOTOX® for treating wrinkles and lines on the upper third of the face.
We offer BOTOX® at Primary Aesthetic Skin Care.
request an appointmentBOTOX® Patient Testimonials
“I am so lucky to have found this place! The location is clean, the staff is friendly, and there is plenty of parking. I came for Botox injections in my forehead and Margherita did an amazing job! She was very attentive when listening to my goals, my prior experiences, and discussing my after care. I felt that I could be honest with her, and she would be honest back regarding the plan that was best for me. Although I want to maintain a youthful look, I do not want any services I receive to be obvious to the outside world. She made me feel comfortable that the services I was receiving would be subtle yet effective, which was my goal! I also did not feel that I was pressured into getting additional services or spend additional money that I was prepared for. This will be my go-to place from now on!”
– Alisa M.
What Is BOTOX?
BOTOX® is made primarily from the botulinum toxin type A, the same bacteria that cause botulism. That sounds scary but it’s not. Back in the 1950s scientists discovered that when the botulinum toxin was injected into a muscle in very minute amounts it stopped that muscle from contracting. That research led to BOTOX®. Various experimental uses of BOTOX® for stopping muscle spasms came next. In fact, the first actual FDA approval of BOTOX® was for the treatment of involuntary eyelid spasms.
Of course, the world beyond the research realm heard of BOTOX® in 2002 when the FDA approved the neurotoxin for aesthetic treatment of wrinkles and lines on the upper third of the face. Since that approval, year in and year out BOTOX® has been the most popular cosmetic procedure, surgical or non-surgical, around the world.
In the succeeding years, BOTOX® has also been approved by the FDA for various other uses: treating migraine headaches, temporomandibular joint disorder, excessive sweating, overactive bladder, among others. From erasing wrinkles to stopping incontinence, BOTOX® has proven to be a remarkable product.
How Does BOTOX® Work?
BOTOX® works by blocking the nerve messages sent from a muscle to the brain. It blocks the acetylcholine transmitter that sends the message to the brain. The brain never receives the message to contract the muscle, so it stays relaxed. You can see how this would help with involuntary eyelid spasms.
It also helps prevent certain wrinkles from forming because they are caused by muscle contractions under the skin.
These are known as dynamic wrinkles, and they form when we make common expressions such as showing surprise and frowning. Go ahead, make a frown and you’ll feel the muscles around your eyes, between your brows, and on your forehead contract. Over time, making these expressions thousands and thousands of times, wrinkles begin to form on the surface skin. These are crow’s feet around the eyes, the 11s between the brows, and forehead lines.
When BOTOX® is injected into the muscle that creates the wrinkle, it keeps the muscle from contracting, so the wrinkle on the surface skin is erased. That’s the magic of BOTOX® and why it has such a cult-like following.
On What Areas Can BOTOX® Be Used?
BOTOX® only works on dynamic wrinkles. That’s why the FDA approved it for use on the upper third of the face, the expressive area. The original FDA aesthetic approval was for frown lines between the brows (the dreaded 11s) and for forehead lines. BOTOX® was used off-label to address crow’s feet, but that usage became official in 2011 when the FDA approved Botox® to treat moderate to severe crow’s feet.
Would I Be A Good Candidate For BOTOX?
This depends on the location of the wrinkles you seek to erase. If your wrinkles are caused by muscle contractions, such as frown lines, BOTOX® is the perfect way to erase or seriously decrease their appearance.
However, if your wrinkles show themselves at all times, such as parentheses lines around your mouth, barcode lines above your lips, smile lines from your nose down to the corners of your mouth, and the like, BOTOX® has no effect on them. They are not due to muscle contractions, but to sun damage, declining collagen production, even personal habits such as smoking.
These are called static wrinkles, and they show themselves at all times. If you want to get rid of your static wrinkles, you need dermal fillers such as Juvéderm, Restylane, or Radiesse, all of which we offer at Primary Aesthetic Skin Care.
BOTOX® Treatment
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a prescription medicine. Botox or Botulinum toxin is a naturally highly refined purified protein derived from neurotoxins produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. There are absolutely no live bacteria in Botulinum toxin. Treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic, a skin tightening treatment, is a simple minimally invasive, nonsurgical procedure used to elevate facial areas and to temporarily relax hyper-dynamic muscles, reduce hyperactive lines, smooth frown lines, horizontal forehead lines, and crow’s feet. Only BOTOX® is FDA approved to temporarily make moderate to severe frown lines, crow’s feet lines, and forehead lines look better in adults.
What Can I Expect During My Botox Session At Primary Aesthetic Skin Care?
BOTOX® was deemed the original “lunchtime procedure” because it takes just 10-15 minutes for your injections. Elena Ginsberg handles all of our BOTOX® sessions because her extensive knowledge of facial anatomy and experience with this neuromodulator is important. She injects the BOTOX® with a very short, thin needle, and it is not injected to great depth.
For that reason, patients don’t ask for topical numbing prior to their injections. They equate the feeling of each injection to that of a pinprick. Once your injections are complete, you can get right back to work or your other normal activities.
Is There Recovery After BOTOX Injections?
BOTOX® has been injected millions of times around the world and it has proven to be safe and effective. Every year since its aesthetic debut in 2002, BOTOX® injections have been the most popular cosmetic procedure worldwide.
Patients may have some slight redness and swelling at the injection sites, but this usually passes in just a few hours. Some patients can have a slight headache for a day or two.
For the first 24 hours after your BOTOX® session at Primary Aesthetic, you should not rub your injection sites. This can make the BOTOX® migrate to an unwanted muscle.
Duration Of Effects And BOTOX® Treatment Intervals
In many instances, clients tell us they feel the effects of BOTOX® right away, it is especially true of first-time clients. During the next 1-2 days, effects start to appear, peaking at around 1-4 weeks. During this time, we ask clients to return or call our cosmetic medical spa around days 10-12 for a touch-up if needed. This peak is steady then starts to decline at 3-4 months.
Most commonly, re-treatment is between 4-6 months. However, after receiving repeated treatments, the effects usually last longer, in some cases, 6 months and longer between repeated treatments.
How Many Injections Will I Need?
BOTOX®, like all injectables, is priced by the unit. How much you use will be dictated on the areas you are addressing. Plus, there is some variance in how large and strong the patient’s targeted muscles are. Here are a couple of rough guidelines.
- Glabellar lines (the 11s) usually take from 20-35 units of BOTOX®.
- Frontalis muscles that create forehead lines usually need from 6-20 units.
- Crow’s feet need from 6-15 units.
Again, this isn’t meant as a definitive measurement, as every patient can be a little different.
Is There Anything I Cannot Do Before Having BOTOX Injections?
There isn’t any preparation necessary for BOTOX® injections. And there isn’t any downtime afterward.
Will My Face Look Unnatural After BOTOX Injections?
BOTOX® works by relaxing muscle contractions that form wrinkles on the surface skin above. It doesn’t fill space or add volume. It simply stops the contractions and the wrinkles don’t form. Our patients feel BOTOX® delivers natural-looking, effective results.
Is There A Substitute For BOTOX?
There are currently three other neuromodulators that use the botulinum toxin to erase wrinkles. They are all very similar. At Primary Aesthetic Skin Care, we use BOTOX® because it remains the aesthetic industry leader and we believe in it and our patients love the results it delivers.
What Are The Potential Side Effects?
Therapeutic doses of BOTOX® are extremely small, therefore, making systemic side effects unlikely. However, if they do occur, in most cases, they are minor and clear up on their own without treatment within a few weeks or less.
The most common side effects include bruising, temporary headache and nausea. We recommend stopping the use of blood-thinning agents and alcohol 7-10 days before treatment if possible.
Are BOTOX Injections Painful?
As mentioned above, Elena Ginsberg injects BOTOX® with a very tiny needle, and it is not injected into great depth. Our patients equate the feeling of each injection to that of a pinprick, and they don’t request any topical numbing. Of course, if you would prefer to have numbing, we can apply that prior to your session, but it will take 30-40 minutes to take effect.
Contact Us
Primary Aesthetic Skin Care is conveniently located in Bedford, NY in Westchester County. We proudly provide patients from Bedford, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Rye, Scarsdale, and White Plains NY and Greenwich, Stamford and Ridgefield CT and surrounding areas with BOTOX® treatment. Contact us at (914) 234-8670 or fill out our Contact Us form here.