INTRODUCTION
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If you are looking for a safe way to eliminate worry lines
and wrinkles then Botox® Cosmetic could be the non-invasive
solution you have been looking for. Choosing BOTOX Cosmetic
to treat wrinkles is a choice more and more men and women
are making. BOTOX® Cosmetic is a simple, non-surgical,
physician-administered treatment that can temporarily smooth
moderate to severe facial wrinkles such as eye creases,
forehead lines and frowning furrows in people from 18 to 65
years of age. BOTOX therapy is a safe and effective way to
reduce the appearance of fine to severe lines and wrinkles
and can help you achieve a younger look in just a few days.
If you are looking for a safe way to eliminate worry lines
and wrinkles then Botox® Cosmetic could be the non-invasive
solution you have been looking for. Botox® Cosmetic is
botulinum toxin type A, nature’s most potent blocker of
nerve impulses. BOTOX® Cosmetic diminishes or eliminates the
appearance of dynamic wrinkles because it paralyzes the
underlying muscle causing the wrinkle. When injected
directly into the muscle, the purified Botulinum toxin type
A prevents the muscle from contracting by blocking the
transmission of nerve impulses to the muscle. Because the
muscle cannot contract, the wrinkle cannot form and it
gradually diminishes.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is mainly used to treat dynamic wrinkles in
the upper third of the face. However, many physicians use it
to cosmetically treat other areas of the face and neck.
Moreover, BOTOX® Cosmetic has also been used to treat
migraine headaches and excessive underarm sweating.
FDA APPROVAL
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What does FDA approval mean?
In the United States, prescription drugs and biologics are
required to undergo rigorous laboratory, animal, and human
clinical testing before they can be put on the market. The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews the results of
these studies to:
- Verify the identity, potency, purity, and stability of
the "ingredients," and
- Demonstrate that the drug is safe and effective for its
intended use.
First approved by the Food and Drug Administration in
1990 for treating eye muscle spasms, botox showed its
cosmetic potential almost immediately, when used for
ophthalmologic problems, patients noticed their wrinkles
softening. The toxin that could block nerve impulses to
temporarily paralyze certain misfiring eye muscles, could
also disable those muscles that form "crow's feet" around
the eyes, wrinkle lines on the forehead and frown lines
between the eyebrows.
BOTOX® Cosmetic was approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) in 2002 for the temporary treatment of
moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people
ages 18 to 65, and almost 3.3 million procedures were
performed in 2005 alone.
Ten years later, botox is one of the most popular cosmetic
medical procedures in the United States. Botox can iron out
wrinkles earned over years of facial movements, such as
smiling and frowning, concentrating and squinting. In
addition to the most popular complaints furrows between the
eyebrows, crow's feet and forehead lines.
Get started today!
CAUSE OF WRINKLES
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Lines and wrinkles are created when your facial muscles
contract and over time, furrows may remain along the facial
expression lines. Sun exposure, aging and smoking also
contribute to these lines. After years of crinkling and
wrinkling, these 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.
BOTOX® Cosmetic provides a quick and effective remedy for
the facial lines and wrinkles that age, stress, worry, and
environmental factors.
Lines and wrinkles develop, at least in part, from the
action of facial muscles on the overlying skin. After years,
furrows may remain along these facial expression lines even
without any active facial muscle expression. This is
especially true of lines of the forehead and between the
eyebrows. These lines give people a tired, angry or sad
appearance – even when they aren't necessarily experiencing
those emotions. Other lines, such as crow's feet, may make
us appear older than our chronological age.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is capable of preventing these unwanted
facial expression lines and wrinkles.
There are two categories of facial wrinkles:
Static and dynamic.
Static wrinkles are visible when your face is at rest.
Static wrinkles occur during the aging process because of
the loss of elastic tissue. Dynamic wrinkles appear
temporarily when a muscle contracts during facial expression
(i.e. smiling, frowning). Dynamic wrinkles are commonly
found in areas of facial expression like the forehead (worry
lines), between the eye brows (glabellar lines), and around
the eyes (crow’s feet).
WHAT IS BOTOX COSMETIC?
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BOTOX® Cosmetic is a simple, non-surgical,
physician-administered treatment that can temporarily smooth
moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people
from 18 to 65 years of age. It is the only treatment of its
type approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
One 10-minute treatment—a few tiny injections—and within
days there's a noticeable improvement in moderate to severe
frown lines between the brows, which can last up to 4
months. Results may vary.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a purified protein produced by the
Clostridium botulinum bacterium, which reduces the activity
of the muscles that cause those facial expression lines on
your face.
Botox® is a trade name for botulinum toxin A. In this way,
Botox® is related to botulism. Botulism is a form of food
poisoning that occurs when someone eats something containing
a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
Botulinum toxin A is one of the neurotoxins, that cause
paralysis of muscles, produced by Clostridium botulinum.
This same paralyzing action is used to stop unwanted
movements of face muscles. The dosage used is hundreds of
times less than what would cause botulism.
BOTOX® injection treatments were approved by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) for cosmetic use in April
2002. (It has been approved for the treatment of several
medical conditions since 1989.) BOTOX® is a trade name for
botulinum toxin A.
Botox has been used for medical purposes for more than 20
years, primarily for ophthalmologic and neurologic muscular
diseases, for which it is FDA approved. More recently, it
has been used for the cosmetic reduction of facial
expression lines. It is considered safe and effective when
properly used.
Physicians have been utilizing BOTOX® Cosmetic for years as
a cosmetic treatment for correcting visible signs of stress
and aging. One 10-minute treatment, involving a few tiny
injections, and within days there's a noticeable improvement
which can last up to 4 months.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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BOTOX® Cosmetic acts by producing muscle relaxation at
treated sites. It does this by inhibiting contraction of the
targeted muscles, causing them to relax. The strategic
relaxation of certain facial muscles leads to decreased
wrinkling of the overlying skin.
Prominent facial expression lines, especially horizontal
lines on the forehead, vertical lines between the eye brows,
and crow's feet are most dramatically improved with
treatment.
Unlike filler materials, BOTOX® Cosmetic treats the
underlying cause of the facial expression lines. Filler
materials, such as collagen, only plump up the skin.
Although fillers reduce the appearance of lines when there
is no facial expression, the moment the person does smile or
frown, the lines reappear. BOTOX® Cosmetic actually prevents
the unwanted lines from appearing with facial expression,
and often even at rest.
The BOTOX® Cosmetic enters the nerve endings and blocks the
release of acetylcholine, a chemical that causes muscles to
contract. The paralysis takes 1 to 5 days to occur and peaks
in two to four weeks. Results last from three to six months.
The effect gradually wears off, allowing the dynamic wrinkle
to return. Thus, follow up treatments are necessary to
maintain the desired result. Repeat treatments may lead to
improved results as the muscle causing the wrinkles becomes
less responsive over time, a process called chemical
denervation
WHERE IS BOTOX COSMETIC USED?
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BOTOX® Cosmetic injections are best on the upper third of
the face. Forehead lines, furrows between the eyebrows, and
lines around the eyes (crow's feet) respond favorably to
BOTOX® Cosmetic. Botox is not only for the upper part of the
face, it is also used to reduce wrinkles around the mouth,
chin, and neck. It may also be used to decrease excessive
sweating of arm pits, palms, and feet and reduce migraine
headaches, neck, and back pain.
Please remember, BOTOX® Cosmetic injections are temporary.
The effect wears off in about four to six months. If
desired, the injection may be repeated, and modified to
achieve a different result each time.
HOW IS TREATMENT PERFORMED AND HOW MANY TREATMENTS ARE
REQUIRED?
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A small quantity of solution is injected directly into the
muscles that are the cause of the prominent furrowing or
expression lines. Typically several injections are given
with each treatment, and one or two treatments are usually
effective in achieving the muscle relaxation required to
eliminate the unwanted expression lines.
Because the needle is so fine and only a small amount of
liquid is used, the pain associated with the injections is
minimal. Most patients compare the sensation to a bug bite.
No sedation of local anesthetic is required; you can resume
normal activities immediately. Unfortunately, Botox
injections are a temporary solution for the treatment of
dynamic wrinkles. The effects of the injections last from
three to six months. You will need to have injections about
two to three times per year. The early clinical studies
indicate that the duration of treatment benefit improves
over time so that you should require fewer injections in the
future. Also, the duration of effect varies from person to
person and may be less effective for those over 65 years of
age. If dynamic wrinkles make you look older than you feel,
BOTOX can smooth them out and give you a more youthful and
pleasant appearance
One of the most beneficial aspects of the BOTOX® Cosmetic
treatment is that it is a NON-INVASIVE process. That means
that there is NO SURGERY required, and can be done with in
10 minutes with no recovery time needed. The process begins
with the doctor examining your ability to move certain
critical facial muscles. Once the injection sites are
determined, the doctor will administer several tiny
injections into the muscles, with most patients relating the
injections to a small pin prick. No anesthesia is required,
although, if you prefer, your doctor may numb the area with
a cold pack or anesthetic cream prior to injecting.
Discomfort is usually minimal and brief. BOTOX® Cosmetic
will work to reduce the contraction of your muscles that
result in the frown lines.
CONTRA INDICATIONS
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As with any other cosmetic treatment, only your doctor can
decide whether a treatment, including BOTOX® Cosmetic, is
right for you.
Patients are advised not to use the BOTOX® Cosmetic
treatment if they:
- are pregnant, or planning on becoming pregnant;
- have an infection where the treatment will be used;
- are allergic to any of the ingredients that are used
in the BOTOX Cosmetic including albumin.
- have any diseases that affect their nerves and
muscles e.g. Myasthenia Gravis, Eaton Lambert Syndrome.
- are breastfeeding
- Are taking certain drugs, especially blood thinners,
certain antibiotics, quinidine, Myasthenia and Alzheimer
medications.
Be sure that the doctor knows the names and purposes of
all prescription drugs, over the counter medications, and or
herbal medicines that you are currently taking.
POST
PROCEDURE
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Immediately after treatment the skin appears normal or there
may be minimal redness and swelling at the treated sites.
Occasionally, there can be mild bruising. If present, these
changes resolve within a few hours to days. The skin feels
normal and there is no unusual sensation.
Within 48 hours after treatment reduction in the muscle
activity can be noticed. About one week after treatment the
maximal benefit is attained and continues for a few months.
To minimize the chance of complications, patients are asked
to follow these instructions:
- Use the facial muscles so the botox is attracted to
the right areas — "just make funny faces for half an
hour,"
- Avoid lying down for up to four hours.
- Do not touch or massage the area for 4 hours
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
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- Bruising/soreness at injection site
- Headache (13 %)
- Upper respiratory-tract infection (3%)
- Temporary brow drooping (3%)
- Temporary eyelid drooping (1%)
- Nausea (3%)
- Dysphasia
- Neck and face pain
- Redness at injection site
The muscle weakness BOTOX® side effects typically last
about 6 months at a maximum, because BOTOX® treatments are
temporary.
It is natural to assume there is some danger with BOTOX®
injection because it is a product derived from a toxin, but
it is in fact very safe, and has been in use for many years
now.
HOW LONG DO THE EFFECTS LAST?
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The muscle relaxation with BOTOX® Cosmetic lasts for 3 to 6
months, mostly around 4 months. When the effect of BOTOX®
Cosmetic wears off or diminishes, (i.e., the muscles that
contribute to these facial expression lines again become
active and the lines gradually reappear) treatment can again
be administered.
Can BOTOX® Cosmetic cause botulism?
No! Extraordinarily small amounts of BOTOX® Cosmetic are
administered. These quantities are insufficient to cause
botulism or any related symptoms
COST
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We strive to offer the LOWEST PRICES for all cosmetic
procedures as compared to other clinics in the Los
Angeles/Orange County area. Our affordable prices and
financing plans assure that nearly everyone can have the new
look they have always wanted. Come in today for your free
consultation and you will be amazed as to how affordable we
truly are.
If you are considering BOTOX therapy, cost is likely one of
the factors you are weighing as you make your decision on
which facility to choose. While some facilities offer deeply
discounted rates for BOTOX, citing prices that may be less
than half the cost of treatments at other facilities,
consider what you may be getting at these "cut-rate" places.
While some facilities offer significantly reduced prices,
the likelihood that you are getting diluted or
"watered-down" BOTOX is a real possibility.
