You have heard of Botox Cosmetic and its ability to treat facial lines and underarm sweating, but you’re not sure if this treatment is right for you. The answers to these frequently asked questions should help you decide.
What is Botox?
Botox is an FDA-approved treatment—the first and only of its kind—designed to temporarily treat facial lines that appear when you smile, squint, frown, and raise your eyebrows. It also treats severe underarm sweating to help patients boost their self-confidence and live more productive lives. Botox has been clinically studied for over 15 years, with nearly 500 peer-reviewed articles published in scientific and medical journals that demonstrate its safety and efficacy.
How does Botox work?
Over the years, repeated facial muscle contractions gradually cause lines and wrinkles to appear. Botox works beneath the surface of the skin to reduce muscle activity that causes frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead wrinkles. You’ll still look like yourself, and you’ll be able to make expressions without restriction—your facial lines will simply appear less pronounced.
When used for underarm sweating, Botox blocks the chemical signals that stimulate sweat glands, restricting the amount of perspiration they produce.
What does Botox treatment involve?
Botox is an injection that takes about 10 minutes to administer. No anesthesia is required, but you may request ice or numbing cream to make the process as comfortable as possible. Three to five injections are needed in each treatment area to ensure optimal results.
How long is the recovery time?
Not only is the treatment process quick, but there is also no downtime to recover from Botox treatment. This means you can resume your usual activities right away, making it easy to visit a dermatologist on your lunch break for this cosmetic procedure.
Be aware that minor swelling, bruising, and tenderness may occur at the injection site. These side effects are temporary and will fade in a day or two.
When do results appear, and how long do they last?
Most patients report seeing initial results within just 24 to 48 hours. Improvements continue for the next 30 days, and the results last for up to four months. (For underarm sweating, results become apparent within four weeks.)
If you discontinue treatment, moderate to severe frown lines or excessive underarm sweating will eventually return. To maintain your youthful appearance or dry underarms, you may choose to have Botox injections once every three to four months.
What are the possible side effects of Botox?
Botox is incredibly safe. In a vast majority of cases, only minor swelling, bruising, and tenderness occurs. However, eyelid drooping happens in about 3 percent of cases, eyelid swelling affects 1 percent of patients, and eyebrow drooping occurs 1 percent of the time. Other rare and possibly harmful side effects include difficulty swallowing, eye problems, headaches, neck pain, and allergic reactions.
If you’re interested in learning more about Botox Cosmetic, please schedule a consultation at Arlington Dermatology in Rolling Meadows, IL by calling (847) 725-0824 today.