Botox® and Dysport® are the two products available in the US for cosmetic use of botulinum toxin. They are approved for treating the frown lines between the eyes. These products are also used "off label" for treating other areas like the horizontal forehead lines, Crow's feet lines, bunny lines, lines above the lips, neck lines, migraines, and TMJ. Although they are derived from a toxin, these products are very safe when administered by properly trained medical personnel

About Botox® Treatments

Movie Stars and the very wealthy have had access to Botox® Cosmetics treatments since the early 1990’s. Actors know that erasing wrinkles with Botox® and fillers can give them the edge when auditioning for the part that may have been lost to a younger performer. Business women and men, use Botox® to gain an advantage in the cutthroat world of deals and negotiations. Now every day people are getting Botox® treatments to look good and feel better about themselves. If you have ever wondered if Botox® treatment is right for you, now is your chance to try it out.

What is Botox?
Botulinum toxin is a naturally occurring protein produced by a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. This toxin has been historically known to cause a serious form of food poisoning. As with many substances that are considered “poisons” in large doses, the purified form of Botulinum toxin is now being used as a “miraculous” treatment for many medical conditions including the cosmetic treatment of frown lines and wrinkles.
How does Botox® work?
Botulinum toxin weakens the muscle that it is injected into. We take advantage of this unusual property of the toxin to treat a variety of conditions. By weakening the muscles that cause spasms in the legs, Botox® treatment can allow some children afflicted with cerebral palsy to walk. Other conditions treated with Botox® include: Strabismus (cross eye), facial spasms, neck spasms, excessive sweating, headaches, pain management and of course, wrinkles and frown lines.

By weakening the specific facial muscles that cause wrinkling, horizontal forehead lines, vertical frown lines and crow’s feet wrinkles can seem to magically disappear within a few days after treatment.

Is Botox® Safe?
Because it is derived from a toxin, people are naturally concerned about the risks and side effects of Botox®. When used in high doses to treat children with muscle spasms, the toxin can sometimes diffuse into the diaphragm muscles which are used for breathing. All the reported serious adverse events were in children and occurred with doses much higher than would ever be used in cosmetic procedures. There have been no Serious adverse reactions reported with the cosmetic use of Botox®.

Most of us have seen pictures of the “frozen face” after Botox® treatment. This was actually pretty common years ago, but is rarely seen today when the treatment is administered by properly trained medical personnel. In the early days, doctors used to guess at the dose required to treat their patients. Now, the dosing and dilution of the product is standardized with specific guidelines for treating different areas of the face. The key is to have the procedure done by properly trained and experienced practitioners.

Are the treatments painful?
A very fine needle is used for injection, and the product is injected just below the surface of the skin. Most people tolerate the treatments very well.

How long does the treatment last?
Botox® treatments typically last 3 to 4 months. After multiple treatments, some people find that they can get the same effect with lower doses and are able to spread out the time between treatments.

How much does it cost?

We charge by the unit. Our price is $15 a unit for Botox and $5 a unit for Dysport. The number of units required depends on the size and strength of the muscles being treated. Men tend to require more product than women because of larger muscle size. For best results Botox® treatments should not be considered a one time process. Just like haircuts, regular maintenance is required. We can put you on a treatment regimen once every 4 months to keep the wrinkles away for good. Please call our office to schedule a free consultation

Dysport® is now available for the same cosmetic indications as Botox®. Dysport has the advantage of a slightly faster onset of action and longer duration of action. According to the package inserts, Botox® treatments will last 3-4 month and Dysport will last 4 months. Individual results vary.