BOTOX® Cosmetic
Posted on September 26, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Probably no one watching me now hasn’t heard of Botox. Botox is a purified protein that we use to weaken muscles in the face, and usually these are muscles that are causing frown lines or other deep lines such as crow’s feet lines around the eyes. I’m on the national education faculty for Botox and have been using it for about 8 years. Botox actually has been used in the United States for over 20 years, and was first used for some complex eyelid twitching that patients may have had. Now we use it for cosmetic purposes to give a more refreshed, relaxed look. And when a patient comes in to discuss Botox with me I will usually show them a video and then explain to them which muscles we’re going to be treating. And I do it very conservatively, especially the first time I see a patient, because I don’t want an overly frozen type of look. We want that natural appearance, much more fresh, without lines, and then I see the patients back in a couple of weeks when the Botox has really taken effect nicely. And if I need to do a little dose adjustment at that time we’ll do it, and then we set that dosage for the patient so that on subsequent visits we know exactly what they’re gonna need.