Botox

What is Botox?

Botulinum toxin is produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. The injection of this neurotoxin, commonly known as BOTOX®, is an extremely safe and effective method to reduce lines and wrinkles and rejuvenate the aging face. When a small amount of BOTOX® is injected into a muscle, it blocks nerve signals that tell your muscles to contract. The result is that it temporarily weakens or paralyzes the facial muscles, which in effect smooths or eliminates wrinkles in the skin. Getting BOTOX® injections takes just a few minutes in our Woodbury office on Long Island, NY.

Botox Before & After

The effects are temporary and last 3-6 months. BOTOX® injections can be done quickly, require no recovery time, and are not as complicated as many other cosmetic procedures for the face.

Uses for Botox Cosmetic

Botulinum toxin has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating frown lines in adults younger than 65. BOTOX® injections also are frequently used to reduce other wrinkles on the face and neck, such as crow’s feet, brow furrows, and forehead lines. Botulinum toxin is also approved by the FDA to treat a wide range of problems, such as chronic migraine headaches, eye muscle disorders, and muscle stiffness.

Dr. Schlessinger offers a non-surgical browlift using Botox® to create an eyebrow arch that diminishes forehead lines while preserving natural expression. Known as the “Schlessinger Arch,” it has become one of our most requested lunchtime procedures. BOTOX® may also be useful for the treatment of migraine headaches, excessive sweating, and eye & neck muscle spasms. Dr. Schlessinger is a member of the prestigious BOTOX® Cosmetic Physicians Network.

Schlessinger Eye & Face also offers additional botulinum toxins like Dysport®, Jeuveau®, and Xeomin®.

Who Is An Ideal Candidate for Botox?

Botox only works its magic on the type of wrinkle caused by muscle contractions under the skin. These are known as “dynamic wrinkles.” Dynamic wrinkles occur on the upper third of the face, the expressive area. If you make various expressions, such as showing surprise, frowning, or squinting, you engage muscles around your eyes, brows, and forehead. Over time and hundreds of thousands of contractions, wrinkles begin to form on the surface skin above the muscle. Declining collagen production and thinning of the skin with age also play a part.

When Botox is injected into a muscle it temporarily paralyzes the muscle, stopping it from contracting. So, when the muscle is involved in creating a dynamic wrinkle the wrinkle doesn’t form because the muscle beneath it doesn’t contract. If you make a frown, you can feel the muscles engage on your upper face.

Botox erases dynamic wrinkles. These are crow’s feet at the outside of the eyes, frown lines between your brows, and forehead lines. So, if these are the wrinkles you’re seeking to get rid of, then you’re an ideal candidate for a Botox session at Schlessinger Eye & Face.

When should I start receiving Botox injections?

This is a completely personal decision. When it first debuted for cosmetic use, most people assumed Botox was only right for people in their late 30s or 40s. But more and more people in their 20s and early 30s now come to Dr. Schlessinger because they want to erase the initial signs of aging around their eyes and on their forehead. The right time for you is when you are fed up with your crow’s feet, your 11s, and those lines on your forehead.

What Should I Expect During a Botox Session?

Dr. Schlessinger handles all of the Botox injections. This is important because inexperienced injectors can inject Botox into the wrong muscle, creating problems such as a droopy eyelid. Dr. Schlessinger’s board certification and extensive surgical experience and overall knowledge of facial anatomy ensure that won’t happen to you.

Dr. Schlessinger injects Botox with a very fine needle, and it is not injected to great depth. Because of that most patients don’t feel any need for topical numbing. Botox sessions take just 10-15 minutes. They make for a perfect “lunchtime procedure” because they take little time, and you can return to work afterward.

How many Botox injections are needed to see results?

Botox is priced by the unit, not by the injection. A single session is all you need to see the results you seek. Depending on what areas you want to address, Dr. Schlessinger will inject Botox in various different muscles. The amount he uses is the cost you will pay.

What To Expect After Botox

It can take 3 to 4 days before you notice an effect from the BOTOX®. The full effect may take up to 1 week. Results may last from 3 to 4 months on average but sometimes up to 6 months. After that, you will begin to slowly see the wrinkles return.

Is Botox painful?

As mentioned above, Botox is injected with a very fine needle. Plus, unlike some dermal fillers, Botox is not injected deeply; it only has to access the targeted muscles. Most of our patients from Woodbury and the surrounding areas equate the feeling of Botox injections to that of a pinprick. These aren’t painful treatments.

Is Botox safe?

Botox was first approved by the FDA to treat involuntary eyelid spasms. Since that time, it has been approved for numerous other uses — everything from treating migraine headaches to TMJ to excessive sweating. Prior to its 2002 approval for cosmetic use, Botox received extensive testing by the FDA and numerous independent labs. Through all of these approvals, Botox has proven to be safe and very effective.

If you doubt that, simply ask the millions of people who swear by Botox. After all, every year since its debut for cosmetic treatment of wrinkles, Botox has been the world’s most popular cosmetic procedure, surgical and non-surgical.

Side Effects of Botox Injections

The typical side effects are possible redness and slight swelling at the injection sites. This usually passes within a day. Some patients can develop a mild headache after their injections, but these are also short lived. There is a slight risk of allergic reaction.

The main risk with Botox is having an inexperienced injector. When an injector only has cursory knowledge of facial anatomy and the underlying musculature, there is a good chance the person may inject Botox into an unintended muscle. This can lead to problems such as a droopy eyelid. That’s why you want an oculofacial plastic surgeon, like Dr. Schlessinger, providing your Botox injections, not your dentist or someone at the nail salon.

One thing is important. For the first 24 hours after you have Botox injected, you need to be sure to not rub the injection sites. Doing so can make the Botox migrate to an unwanted muscle.