Maybe you heard a friend talk about her experience with BOTOX® Cosmetic—and you think your friend looks great—but before you get treated, you’d like to know more about it first.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a non-surgical, physician-administered aesthetic treatment for moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people ages 18 to 65. BOTOX® Cosmetic works by reducing the contractions of the muscles that cause those persistent frown lines that have developed over time.
In this section you can learn why skin ages and what causes wrinkles. Find out what to expect at the doctor's office, from the moment you step in the door to after the injections, and read about the injection process itself. Other questions you have about BOTOX® Cosmetic may be answered in FAQs and How Often Is Treatment Recommended?
Also, be sure to visit our Before and After Photo Gallery. You may have seen what BOTOX® Cosmetic did for a friend; now see what it has done for other men and women too!
Why Skin Ages?
One day you looked in the mirror and studied those lines that furrowed your brow, and you wondered: Where did they come from? Take a look at men and women who've had BOTOX® Cosmetic treatments, and see for yourself!
Is it just aging? Too much sun? Too much stress? In general, how skin ages and wrinkles is a complex process. It isn't just about cellular changes, collagen depletion, hormone loss, damage caused by free radicals, and so on; it's a combination of many factors.
The Anatomy of the Wrinkle
The lines that appear between your brows (glabellar lines) actually result from muscle movement and the passage of time. You may have heard the expression "wearing your emotions on your sleeve," but in reality you wear them on your face. If you're angry or annoyed, for example, you knit your brows together. Underneath your skin, your facial muscles contract, cause a pleating of the overlying skin, and then, as anyone can see, you're frowning.
After years of crinkling and wrinkling, those glabellar lines start to linger longer and can become more pronounced. For women, whose faces tend to be more animated than men's, and whose skin is typically more delicate, these lines may appear exaggerated and more permanent.
Fortunately, there is a way to temporarily reduce moderate to severe glabellar lines. Treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic can visibly smooth and soften moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. An improvement can be seen within days and may last up to 4 months, although results may vary. In clinical trials, nearly 90% of men and women surveyed rated the improvement in the appearance of frown lines between their brows as moderate to better 1 month after treatment.
Talk to your doctor about whether BOTOX® Cosmetic is right for you. (You can use the find a doctor tool to search for an experienced member of the BOTOX® Cosmetic Physicians' Network in your area.)
What to expect at the doctor's office
Before you try and schedule your first BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment consultation, you probably have some questions, such as: How long will it take? How long will the results last? Will it hurt? Will I still be able to make facial expressions?
Here's what you might expect at the doctor's office from the moment you arrive until your procedure is done. (Please note that although this experience is typical, the routine at your doctor's office may be different.)
The day of your appointment. Allow time before your appointment for filling out forms and for consulting with the doctor or a member of his or her staff. If it's your initial visit, you may first meet with your doctor personally or a staff member. Many doctors have on-staff licensed aestheticians or nurses who are trained in skin care and skin care procedures who can answer many of your questions.
You may also be asked about your expectations for treatment and if you have any allergies or any condition that wouldn't make you a good candidate for BOTOX® Cosmetic. (See the full prescribing information for more details.)
Before the procedure. You'll probably be seated in a reclining chair, much like you find in a dentist's office. No anesthesia is required, although your doctor may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream.
The procedure. Your doctor will determine where to administer the injections by examining your ability to move certain muscles in your brow area. The entire BOTOX® Cosmetic injection procedure takes approximately 10 minutes.
After the procedure. There's no recovery time needed. You're ready to get on with your day! The most common side effects following injection include temporary eyelid droop and nausea. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection. Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.
Seeing results. Within days, you may notice an improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary.
The injection process
The beauty of a BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment is that it's a simple, 10-minute, non-surgical process. A few tiny injections, and within days there can be a noticeable improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between the brows that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary. And there’s no recovery time. You can even do it on your lunch break.
Your doctor will administer several tiny injections of BOTOX® Cosmetic directly into the muscles that cause those moderate to severe frown lines between the brows.
Your doctor will determine where to administer the injections by examining your ability to move certain muscles in your brow area. The location, size, and use of the muscles that create a furrowed brow vary markedly among individuals.
No anesthesia is required, although your doctor may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream prior to injecting. Discomfort is usually minimal and brief.
You can expect to be in and out of the physician’s office without downtime. You may see a marked improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows within days. Improvement may continue for as long as a month, and could last up to 4 months.
How often is treatment recomended?
If you're pleased with the results of a BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment, you'll probably want to get on a treatment schedule so you can keep on being pleased.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a non-surgical, physician-administered aesthetic treatment that can temporarily reduce the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows for up to 4 months. Within days, you may see a noticeable improvement. Results may vary. You can receive injections with BOTOX® Cosmetic up to every 4 months to help you maintain the results.
If you discontinue treatment, the frown lines between your brows gradually will look like they did before treatment.
Don't wait for a special occasion to use BOTOX® Cosmetic. Talk to your doctor about a BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment now.
BOTOX® Cosmetic is a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. It is a nonsurgical, physician-administered treatment that can temporarily reduce moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people 18 to 65 years of age. During treatment, very low doses of BOTOX® Cosmetic are administered via a few tiny injections directly into the muscles that cause those stubborn lines. The treatment is usually done in about 10 minutes, and no recovery time is needed. Within days, you may see an improvement that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary.
Those moderate to severe frown lines between your brows form over time as the result of muscle activity. BOTOX® Cosmetic is injected directly into the muscles between your brows. It works by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses to the injected muscles; this reduces the activity of the muscles that cause those persistent lines to form.
When will I see results from a BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment?
Within days, you may see a marked improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. Lines continue to improve for up to a month, and results can last for up to 4 months. In clinical trials, nearly 90% of men and women rated the improvement in their appearance as moderate to better 1 month after treatment. Results may vary.
Results from treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic can last for up to 4 months. If you discontinue treatment, the frown lines between your brows gradually will look like they did before treatment.
Any authorized healthcare professional can administer BOTOX® Cosmetic, but dermatologists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat doctors), or other physicians specializing in cosmetic procedures are generally more experienced. One of these physicians can help you decide if BOTOX® Cosmetic is right for you.
To make the selection process easier, you may want to consider choosing a doctor from the BOTOX® Cosmetic Physicians' Network. Members of the Network have medical practices that focus on facial aesthetics, as well as detailed knowledge of facial anatomy and experience injecting BOTOX® Cosmetic. Their practices also offer other facial aesthetic treatments.
Discomfort is usually minimal and brief. Prior to injecting, your physician may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. Many people are in and out of the physician’s office without downtime following BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment.
BOTOX® Cosmetic should not be used in the presence of infection at the proposed injection site(s) and in individuals with known hypersensitivity to any ingredient in the formulation. Patients with neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.
The most common side effects following injection include temporary eyelid droop and nausea. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection. Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.
Will my facial expressions continue to look natural?
Although the results are visible, a treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic will not radically change your facial appearance or make you look as if you "had work done." The muscle activity that causes frown lines between the brows is simply reduced, so you can still frown or look surprised without the wrinkles and creases between your brows.
When considering your facial aesthetic options, BOTOX® Cosmetic is quite affordable. According to an American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery survey, BOTOX® Cosmetic is one of the low-entry-cost facial aesthetic procedures in the United States. Like other appearance-related investments, such as hair coloring and cuts, teeth whitening, and chemical peels, the cost must be weighed relative to your expectations. Consult your doctor for further information.
To get the best results, it's important to go to a doctor who is experienced in administering BOTOX® Cosmetic. You may want to consider choosing a doctor from the BOTOX® Cosmetic Physicians' Network. Members of the Network have medical practices that focus on facial aesthetics, as well as detailed knowledge of facial anatomy and experience injecting BOTOX® Cosmetic.
