Botox for Dummies
A quick guide on Botox with frequently asked questions
Elite Medical & Aesthetics offers natural results for Botox in Centennial, Colorado and South Denver, including Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Parker & Lone Tree. Learn more about us or check out pricing on our services page.
What is Botox?
Botox and similar medications (Xeomin, Dysport) are made from Botulinum toxin and stop communication between the nerve and the muscle; which diminishes fine lines and wrinkles.
If you look in the mirror and raise your brows you may notice lines on your forehead. When the muscle is hindered after Botox the lines are decreased or may go away all together.
What is Allergan Botox?
Botox is simply the brand name of botulinum toxin made by the pharmaceutical company Allergan. Xeomin is the brand name made by the company Merz and Dysport is made by Galderma but all are botulinum toxin and work the same as above. It’s kind of like Advil and Ibuprofen; Advil is the brand name (like Botox) and ibuprofen is the drug name (like botulinum toxin).
What is Botox used for?
Botox has many different cosmetic (to change appearance) indications as well as medical (to treat a medical problem) indications.
A few examples of cosmetic indications are: to treat wrinkles in between the brows, the forehead, around the eyes, around the nose, and around the mouth.
A few examples of medical indications include: to treat migraine headaches, to stop excessive underarm sweating, and to stop eyelid spasm.
Does Botox hurt?
Everything is done to minimize pain during injection and most people find the pain associated with injections to be very mild. An experienced injector will have techniques to reduce pain but most of the time you will feel a slight prick of the needle and then sometimes a pressure or burn when the medication is injected.
Obviously everyone’s tolerance is different but we find that after people see their results they find the pain more and more tolerable and even come to find it painless over time.
Will people know I had Botox?
If done correctly chances are no one will know unless they have a very trained eye or inject Botox themselves. They will more likely notice that you look nice or look younger but will not be able to pinpoint exactly what is different.
How long does Botox last?
It varies for each person and for the site injected but the average is 3 months. Areas with a lot of movement, like around the eyes and mouth, may only last 2 months. Whereas areas that move less, like the forehead, may last 3-4 months. The more consistent the Botox is done the longer it lasts each time as the muscle is weakened with each session.
What is a frozen face?
A “frozen face” is where someone has had Botox all over their face and is unable to make normal facial expressions. We have seen this on the media but it is very rare for the average person that gets Botox. Even if someone has had Botox between their eyes, on their forehead, around the eyes and the mouth is still allows some movement when done correctly and looks very natural.
To prevent a “frozen” appearance go to an injector that is open to using smaller doses to start or who knows how to give a natural result.
What are the bad side effects of Botox?
When used cosmetically in healthy people side effects are pretty mild but include pain at the injection site, redness, swelling, asymmetrical results, heavy brows, dropped brows, or very rarely a droopy eyelid.
Make sure to tell your injecting provider if you have any medical conditions, allergies, or if you are taking any medication to minimize side effects.
Can Botox cause acne?
Most people actually see an improvement in their skin and their pores after Botox. Botox shrinks the pores and also makes the skin appear smooth. Very rarely an individual might break out after Botox but it is most likely a sensitivity reaction from the cleanser used (alcohol or chlorhexidine) than from the Botox itself.
What are the ingredients in Botox?
Botulinum toxin, sodium chloride, and human albumin (a large protein found in our blood).
The ingredient of human albumin is often why you are asked if you have an allergy to eggs or if you have ever had a reaction to a vaccine as the components are similar.
Can you become resistant to Botox?
A large study cited on UpToDate of over 2200 people found that only 0.0049% developed anti-bodies against Botox and only 0.0013% developed true resistance. So the short answer is that yes it is possible but highly unlikely.
If you have tried Botox and have not had a good result chances are that it could be the dosage or injection technique. You could also try a different form such as Xeomin since it has a lower risk for resistance.
Can Vegans get Botox?
Technically Botox is not vegan because of the human albumin. However, the albumin is from a donor that willingly donated blood products so it depends on the individuals personal or religious beliefs on whether this would be ok for them.
