Botox® Injections
Botox® (botulinum toxin type A) is a drug that blocks the transmission of nerve impulses and has a wide range of uses in medicine, but is most well known for softening deep lines between the eyebrows, forehead lines, and the “crows feet” of the eyelids.
The technique involves the injection of medication into the area of the furrows, thereby halting the ability to contract the muscle that causes the fold in the skin. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Botox® to treat frown lines between the eyebrows. However, most doctors use Botox® in an “off label manner” to treat the crow’s feet and horizontal wrinkles of the forehead in selected patients.
The procedure takes only a few minutes to perform. Topical numbing creams can be used at your request.
Prior to injection you should avoid using aspirin containing products, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, ginseng, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, feverfew, black cohash, horse chestnut bark, tumeric root, willow bark, doses of Vitamin E , and fish oils. These, and any other products that can increase bleeding, increase the chance of bruising or bleeding at the injection site.
Request a Consultation
If you have any questions or wish to schedule a personalized consultation with Dr. Langsdon, please contact our office.
What to Expect From Botox®
It takes 7 to 14 days for the medication to take effect and begin relaxing the muscles that cause the lines to form. The results are usually very pleasing to our patients and may last 3 to 4 months.
It is best not to rub the injection site for several hours after treatment. Also, avoid any strenuous activity for the first 24 hours after the injection. Patients should not lie down or bend over for 6 hours after the injection.
Side effects are rare, but include headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop, and nausea. Infection and bleeding are also possibilities.
Our clinic was the first in the Mid South to use Botox® for cosmetic purposes, beginning with research studies over 10 years ago. That means we have the experience and skill necessary to offer you the best result possible from your Botox® treatments. Call us today to schedule a consultation.
Dysport®
Dysport® is used to treat lines over and between the eyebrows. It blocks signals from the nerve to the muscle to help reduce muscle activity and temporarily prevent muscle contractions that cause frown lines. Dysport® can help improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines. Treatment sessions generally take 20-30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Botox in Memphis
We take great care in administering Botox® treatments to relax only those facial muscles responsible for specific lines and creases. We use the skill and experience gained through many years of Botox® administration to smooth forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet without affecting your face’s ability to show your full expressions when you laugh, smile, show interest or sympathy, or convey the range of other emotions that make you who you are. The most important factor in a successful Botox® treatment is to choose an expert for the injections. Choose someone with medical expertise, who knows facial anatomy and has the skill and sensitivity to place the injections only where needed and moderate the dosage precisely for optimal results.
We use very fine needles for Botox® injections, so most patients don’t find the treatment painful. They experience the injections as slight pricks. The treatments last only a few minutes, so any discomfort you may feel is over quickly. We can use a topical anesthetic, or numbing spray, to make the treatments more comfortable if this is a concern for you.
You may experience some mild, short-term bruising after a Botox® treatment. You can minimize the chances of this by following our pre-treatment guidelines and not taking any medications or herbal supplements that can thin the blood in the days before treatment and using ice packs after treatment.
There’s no downtime after a treatment with Botox. You can go straight back to work or resume your normal activities. You will need to avoid lying down or rubbing the treated areas for the first 4 hours after treatment to make sure the medication stays in the muscles at the injection site. You’ll also need to avoid strenuous exercise or vigorous physical work for 24 hours after treatment.
You’ll begin to see results 2 or 3 days after treatment, but they will be subtle at first. It takes 1 to 2 weeks for the medication to fully relax the treated muscles, which is when the lines and creases soften. Final results then last for about 3 months before gradually starting to fade.
If you like the results of your Botox® treatment, you can extend them by getting refresher treatments when they begin to fade, which is usually after about 3 months.
Where Botox® smooths facial lines by relaxing specific expression muscles, dermal filler injections smooth facial wrinkles and creases by adding volume to the middle layers of the skin. Dermal fillers can improve your appearance in other ways, too. They can add volume to the cheeks or hollowed areas below the eyes, for example.
Yes. Botox® treatments can be combined with other facial rejuvenation treatments. Dermal filler injections can smooth facial lines and wrinkles that aren’t caused by the contraction of expression muscles. Chemical peels, Laser skin resurfacing, and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments can smooth and refresh your complexion and correct areas of uneven pigmentation.