Botox

Muscle Relaxers for Wrinkles

Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are all injectable muscle relaxers used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. They are highly effective and are the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure performed. Below we will answer some of the most common questions about treatments.

How is the procedure performed?

Treatments are done with a very small needle that is placed just below the surface of the skin into the facial muscles. Your initial visit usually takes 20-30 minutes in order to answer questions and properly assess your face to assure optimal results. Future visits usually take about 10 minutes.

What are the side effects of the treatment?

Overall the treatments are very well tolerated. Patients will experience a small amount of pain. Additionally there may be some mild bleeding and even a small chance of bruising. Headaches are also common although they tend to be mild and do not last very long.

 

How long does a treatment last?

 

Results typically begin to appear about 7 days after treatment. On average, results will last about 3 months as the medicine slowly wears off and the muscles regain their function. 

 

What areas are treated?

 

Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are not used on all parts of the face. Their main purpose is to reduce wrinkles. They do not add volume to the lips, cheeks, or other areas. In general, they are only used on the upper face including the forehead, glabella (space between the eyebrows), and the crow's feet. They are very rarely used on the lower face since muscles of the lower face are crucial for talking, smiling, eating, and drinking. When used on the lower face, they are only injected into very specific locations in small amounts. 

What are the differences between the brands of muscle relaxers?

Botox was the first to be discovered and thus has the brand name recognition. Dysport and Xeomin are similar products that behave in the same way as Botox. All of them work to paralyze the muscles which leads to noticeable reductions in wrinkles. For most patients, all three brands work the same and provide similar results. Some patients respond better to one brand over the other (this means many patients get better results from Dysport or Xeomin than they do from Botox). There is no way to predict which brand will work best, so in general you can start with any of the brands and would only need to switch if you aren't getting the desired results. 

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