There have been some very disturbing news stories popping up lately regarding "Do-It-Yourself" Botox and fillers. People are buying illegally sold facial injectable kits over the internet. After watching online demonstrations on YouTube, they are injecting themselves with unknown substances - often with disastrous results. To watch a segment produced by ABC's 20/20 click here:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=9255880
Definitely not a risk worth taking! Improperly performed injections can go very wrong, very fast. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to do your research and make sure you are being treated by a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who is an experienced Botox and filler injector!
Question:
Is Botox used for smokers' lip lines?
Answer:
A 31 year-old patient, with a 13 year smoking history, has noticed fine lines around her eyes and mouth over the past couple of years. The wrinkles are most bothersome when she smiles and is thinking of treating these lines with Botox.
It is important to realize: SMOKING WILL AGE YOU QUICKLY!!!
Experience has taught me to use a 4-step approach to best address these bothersome smile lines:
- Botox to treat the dynamic (moving) muscle underneath the skin of the eyelid.
- Laser skin resurfacing to build up collagen and tighten the surround skin.
- Filler may occasionally be necessary in the transition zone between your lower lid and cheek.
- Some patients may also benefit from skin tightening through procedures like Thermage
Not everyone needs all 4 parts of this puzzle to repair their problem. For some, Botox Cosmetic treatment may be the perfect stand-alone anti-aging treatment. To best determine what services could best benefit you, we invite you to our Sterling Heights Medical Spa for a FREE consultation.
If you mention this blog you will save $100 per syringe of any filler through May 31, 2009.
The wrinkle battle has begun: Long Standing Allergan Botox versus Medicis' Dysport. The wrinkle rival Dysport received FDA approval on April 30, 2009; it has been used for years in foreign countries. Will this be the Coke and Pepsi battle of youth? Time will tell. Allergan which has had Botox for years also produces Juvederm which competes with Medicis' Restylane. Both cosmetic surgeons and their clients will argue the virtues of each product. The ultimate winner should be the consumer as greater competiton should allow increased competition and greater offers and rebates.
Question:
Should I have wrinkles after my Botox treatment?
Answer:
A Botox patient asks the following: I had Botox injected into my crow's feet 5 days ago. It's certainly done the job on the deep lines I had around the corners of my eyes. However, I'm sure my eyes now look extra wrinkly underneath, which isn't what I intended. Does this happen a lot and is there a remedy for it?
As a very experienced provider of Botox Cosmetic, I certainly understand your concern after having Botox injected around your crow's feet. My first thought is: Sit tight -- 5 days is too early to tell the exact effect that has taken.
At this stage, some of this crepiness of the lower eyelid skin can be related to swelling from the injection itself - which will impove over the next few days.
I have found that Botox works its best 21- 30 days after injection, and this is the best time to have your doctor re-evaluate your concerns (Of course you can always call your cosmetic surgeon sooner.)
My next comment is, unfortunately, due to budget concerns by patients, or due to a lack of understanding of how Botox works, patients occasionally choose to have a smaller dosage than is neccessary to treat their cosmetic concerns. An experienced injector should be able to put together a solid treatment plan - which is then up to you to accept, modify, and discuss.
This said, patients do occasionally notice other lines from nearby muscles fibers after Botox is injected. You may end up needing a touch up of Botox to treat your lower lid area. As an Ocular Plastic Surgeon, I know that treating this area can be difficult, so choose a Cosmetic Surgeon with a lot of experience.
Most patients love their Botox results... this is typical about 1 month after using Botox to reduce the appearance of crow's feet wrinkles:
Finally, Botox Cosmetic is a temporary treatment - most patients love it and choose to repeat treatment 3-6 months down the road. If you don't, however, you'll be no better or worse off than you were before having Botox... so try not to stress yourself out over this.
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