Botox – Sydney & Canberra

Botox® is injected into the facial muscles to improve the appearance of wrinkles.

Botox celebrates its 10th anniversary!

Botox® is used to address three main conditions:

• Frown lines or worry lines
• Crow’s feet or laugh lines
• Forehead or surprise lines

Botox® requires five to ten injections per area with a very fine needle. No local anaesthetic cream is needed although a very mild discomfort may be experienced.

It takes an average of five days for the Botox® to work with visual results varying from three days to two weeks. Make-up can be applied after treatment. You are encouraged to move the muscles in the treated area in the first few hours after the treatment. This will increase the action and onset of the Botox®.

The effect will last about three to four months.

You may develop some bruising which will subside. Other side effects are rare.

Frequently Asked Questions About Botox®

1. What is Botox®?

Botox Injections are a natural, purified protein that relaxes wrinkle-causing muscles, creating a smoothed and improved appearance. Botulinum Type A Neurotoxin (Botox®) is produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. It was first used in humans for the treatment of strabismus (“crossed-eyes”) in 1978. It is now used to treat a number of medical conditions including cerebral palsy, migraine, excessive sweating, wry neck, back and facial spasms as well as the treatment of facial wrinkles.

Botox® is very safe and is a natural, purified protein derived in a controlled fashion from bacteria like other agents, such as penicillin. Botox® is the only medical product of its type with more than twenty years of safe usage involving millions of patients worldwide, comprehensive clinical trials, published studies and extensive clinical practice. Botox® is one of the most widely researched medicines in the world with twenty approved indications in more than seventy five countries.

Botox® is a simple, quick and minimally invasive treatment that delivers fast, visible results.

2. How does Botox® work?

Botulinum (Botox®) works by blocking the impulses from the nerves that control muscle movement. When injected into muscle tissue, a muscle relaxation results after about three days such that the muscles can not contract. This creates a smooth rejuvenated appearance of the overlying skin that can last anywhere from three to eight months. When used for the treatment of dynamic facial lines, the effect typically last for about ten to twelve weeks.

3. Is Botox® suitable for facial wrinkles?

Botulinum injections are used cosmetically for the treatment of facial lines and wrinkles which are caused by excessive movement of the underlying muscles. Lines and wrinkles from sagging skin will not be improved by treatment with Botulinum (Botox®). The most commonly treated areas include:

• Frown lines or worry lines between the eyebrows
• “Surprise” or forehead lines
• Crows feet or “laugh lines”
• Non surgical eyebrow lift
• Shaping the eyebrows

In these areas, excessive contraction of the muscles below the skin cause it to wrinkle and eventually “crease”. The facial expressions caused by these particular muscle actions are generally undesirable. “Crease” lines on the skin that do not disappear when stretched out will be improved, but not completely removed by Botulinum injections and may need treatment by other methods (see Juvederm and Sculptra).

Other areas where Botox® can be effective include:

• Depressed corners of the mouth
• Neck bands
• ‘Bunny’ lines on the nose – the lines seen when sniffing
• Puckering of the chin
• Lower jaw muscles.

4. When will I see results?

Botulinum (Botox®) causes muscle relaxation of the injected area three to five days after the injection. The full effects may not be seen for two weeks. Cosmos Clinic encourage all patients to return for their complimentary follow appointment after two weeks.

Under treating the forehead is a common problem. Cosmos Clinc prefer to treat the forehead conservatively because overdosing this area can lead to forehead drooping.

See Before and After link below for more results

5. How long will Botox® last?

Botulinum (Botox®) causes muscle relaxation of the injected muscles, which lasts from ten to twelve weeks. During that time, collagen remodelling repairs the damaged collagen beneath the wrinkle line and “fills in” those lines caused by the former movement of the now-paralysed muscle. This effect becomes more apparent with repeated injections and in many cases causes the lines to disappear over time.

This “filling in” effect accounts for some of the confusion surrounding how long Botox® actually “lasts”. Patients need to keep in mind that the goal is to minimise the appearance of lines caused by movement, not to have a “frozen face” or to keep the injected muscles paralysed.

Experience with thousands of patients has shown that the vast majority using Botulinum injections on a regular basis will only need treatments two or three times a year to maintain the improvement.

6. What does the injection process involve?

Small quantities of Botox® are injected into the muscle to be treated using a tiny needle similar to an acupuncture needle. Several tiny injections, approximately five to ten per area, are made. The discomfort is minimal and no anaesthetic is required, although a cold pack may sometimes be applied prior to the injections.

Cosmos Clinic use preserved saline from the USA to inject the Botox®. Preserved saline reduces the discomfort experienced when the Botox® is injected into the muscle.

Botox® injections are a simple lunchtime procedure lasting ten to thirty minutes. As there is NO DOWNTIME, patients can resume normal activity the same day, although vigorous rubbing of the injected areas should be avoided for at least eight hours. Contrary to what was formerly thought, the position of the patient during or after properly performed preparation or injection of Botox® does not influence the area or intensity of the effect.

7. What are the costs of Botox®?

Please click on the following link to see price estimates and factors that influence the cost: Botox Cost

8. Are there any possible complications?

Botox® injections are safe and effective with the vast majority of patients experiencing no complications. It is not absorbed by the blood stream and only affects the muscles injected. Botox® is totally eliminated from the muscle in a few days but the machinery required for the nerve impulse to travel to the muscle is disabled for three to four months.

No serious or long term health hazards have been attributed to the use of Botox®, even after years of use and millions of injections. However, some mild transient side effects can occur including:

Mild swelling or redness at the injection site which will settle within a few hours.

Bruising at the injection site can occur but is not common. This can be avoided by the application of ice packs prior to the injection and by carefully inspecting the area to be injected for blood vessels. The bruising settles in two to six days and can be covered with makeup. Smile lines are an area typically affected by bruising.

Occasionally, the injected muscles will not be weakened enough and touch up injections will be needed for correction after two weeks.

Drooping of the upper eyelid, which can last up to three weeks, is rare. This may be treated with eye-drops until it resolves by itself, typically after a few days.

Drooping of the forehead can occur if too much Botox® is put in this area.

9. Who should not have Botox®?

Patients with neuromuscular disorders such as myesthenia gravis should not be treated with Botulinum. True allergic reactions to Botulinum have not been observed. No side effects from Botulinum injections have been reported when pregnant or nursing women have been inadvertently treated, although safety during pregnancy or lactation has not been firmly established.

10. What is my next step?

For more information about Botox Sydney & Canberra, contact Cosmos Clininc on on 1300 138 797 or email info@cosmosclinic.com.au.

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