About botulinum toxin

The cosmetic form of Botulinum Toxin is often known among people as Botox. It is a popular injectable that temporarily eliminates or reduces facial wrinkles and fine lines. The most common areas of application are frown lines, forehead wrinkles, and crow's feet around the eyes. However many other areas such as thick bands in the neck, thick jaw muscles, lip lines and gummy smiles are also applied.

Botulinum toxin can be used to

• Smooth crow's feet, forehead furrows, frown lines, lip lines and bunny lines

• Diminish neck bands

• Improve the appearance of skin dimpling of the chin

• Lift the corners of the mouth

• Soften a square jawline

• Correct a gummy smile

Candidates for botulinum toxin

Smiling, frowning, squinting and even chewing—basically any facial movement—can eventually lead to one of the most common signs of aging – wrinkles. They can make you appear tired or even angry when you are not. One of the quickest and safest remedies to remove wrinkles is an injection of botulinum toxin type A.

The risks of botulinum toxin injection

You may resume normal activities immediately.

One note of caution: Don't rub or massage the treated areas after the wrinkle treatment because it can cause the botulinum toxin to migrate to another area of your face. If this happens, you could have temporary facial weakness or drooping.

Although generally safe, botulinum toxin side effects and complications can include:

• Bruising and pain at the injection site

• Flu-like symptoms

• Headache

• Nausea

• Redness

• Temporary facial weakness or drooping

It is very unlikely that the toxin will spread beyond the area of application and cause botulism-like signs and symptoms such as breathing problems, difficulty swallowing, muscle weakness and slurred speech.

The procedure of a botulinum toxin injection

Although botulinum toxin injections may seem like a simple procedure, in reality, it is a medical interventional procedure that should only be performed by experienced healthcare professionals. 

There are 43 basic muscles in the human face. For this reason, it is critical that the healthcare professional who will inject botulinum toxin accurately and precisely determine the application points in order to optimize the procedure.

A very fine needle is used to inject the minimum amount of botulinum toxin into the designated muscles. Your specialist will only weaken the muscles that cause wrinkles, by carefully selecting the muscles to be treated and preserving your natural facial expression.

Botulinum toxin injection procedures are usually completed in less than 15 minutes.

The number of injections you need varies, depending on your facial features and the size of your wrinkles. Crow's feet, for example, usually require two to three injections. The furrows above your eyebrow may take five or more.

Recovery after botulinum toxin injections

This procedure does not require local or general anesthesia. There is no downtime or recovery time for botulinum toxin injections.

You can resume your daily activities immediately.

A warning: do not rub or massage the treated areas after Botulinum Toxin injection as this may cause the botulinum toxin to migrate to another area of your face. If this happens, you may have temporary facial weakness or drooping.

You may notice the positive effects of the application within a few days, but it may take up to a week to see the full effect. The expected effect generally lasts for three to four months.