16Jun
Botox Blog Part I: Facts and Myths
Posted in Botox
-This is the first of a 3-part series by Dr. Hema Sundaram. She has worked diligently to dispel the rumors associated with the use and application of Botox Injections. People of Chicago deserve to have the proper information concerning Botox and other Injectable Skin Treatments. More postings like this one will be incorporated into our weekly updates.
Enjoy-
I’ve been intending to write about Botox for some time. Of all the procedures I perform in my office, Botox is the most popular, and sometimes the most misunderstood. In 2006, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) ranked Botox number one on its Top 5 list of cosmetic procedures. But some of the men and women who consult with me about the procedure express the concern that they will end up with “face freeze” – that deer-caught-in-the headlights look that the media seems to consider synonymous with Botox treatment.
Ironically, many celebrities who are pilloried in the media for being “over-Botoxed” are actually victims of over-zealous surgical brow or face lifts, rather than Botox. When properly performed, Botox treatment smooths out your frown lines and other facial wrinkles while preserving your normal facial expressions, so you don’t look permanently surprised. A recent survey of approximately 1000 patients who had received Botox for cosmetic purposes found that 97% of them were satisfied with their results[1].
The FDA approved Botox in 2002 for the temporary treatment of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows in adults aged 18 to 65. These vertical lines are often referred to as “the 11″ because they resemble the number 11. Since its approval, Botox has been used for more than 13 million cosmetic procedures in the United States. Some are for the FDA-approved indication – to relax frown lines. Botox is also used “off label” for other wrinkles, such as forehead lines, crow’s feet, lines around the mouth, chin dimpling and lines on the neck…
Frown Lines and Forehead Lines
Frowning before and 3 weeks after Botox.
I especially enjoy employing advanced techniques to restore a youthful arch to flattened eyebrows, fade vertical pucker lines around the mouth (often referred to as “smoker’s lines” although non-smokers can develop them too) and turn up a downturned mouth (or “mouth frown”) so that its owner looks more positive and happy. I’ve developed my own technique to relax horizontal lines on the forehead without changing the shape of your eyebrows, even when you raise them. This avoids the telltale, sharp-angled brows that are a sure giveaway of having had Botox…
Crow’s Feet
Before and 2 weeks after Botox.
Margarita*, a 39-year-old graphics designer who’s been my patient for the past four years, is delighted with the results of her Botox treatment, describing it as “the best thing that’s ever happened to my face. And it’s not just women who are having Botox.
I’m treating increasingly more men these days too – like Larry, who’s 48 and works for the Federal Government. Besides Botox, I’ve also injected Perlane and Restylane into Larry’s smile lines and under-eye hollows, faded sun spots and prominent pores with Vitalize chemical peels and tightened his jawline non-invasively with StarLux infrared skin tightening. Larry’s goal is to project a youthful and energetic image in his office where, as he puts it, “a lot of my team-mates are younger, and I don’t want to look as if I’m too old to be fresh and creative”. Statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) echo what I’m seeing in my office: 300,000 men received Botox treatment for cosmetic purposes in 2006.