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Botox

Erase Smile Lines with Botox® in West Los angeles, CA

Life is filled with countless reasons to laugh, smile, and occasionally scowl. These little expressions seem harmless, but over time, the repetitive motions can wrinkle and age your skin. Wrinkles caused by facial expressions are called dynamic wrinkles, and they are often one of the first types of facial wrinkles to appear. Smooth dynamic wrinkles away with Botox®, a powerful injectable treatment that relaxes specific facial muscles. Botox is one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatments here in West Los Angeles, and is a favorite of red-carpet celebrities, YouTube stars, and music icons, as well as everyday men and women that want to look their best. Get a solid foundation for your understanding of Botox by reading more below. Ask your specific questions about this non-surgical injectable treatment by scheduling a consultation or calling us at (310) 893-8726.

Botox Basics: What You Need to Know

Botox is a neuromodulator, a compound that interferes with the communication between nerve cells. When Botox is injected into facial muscles, it relaxes them by halting the communication from the nerves to contract. For expression wrinkles, this essentially stops the muscle movement that is pushing and pulling the skin to create the wrinkle. In time, the skin will smooth and the wrinkle will fade.

Results from this treatment are temporary. We typically recommend re-treatment every 3-4 months to retain results. After your first treatment, it will take a couple of days for the Botox to start working and for existing wrinkles to fade. The good news is, several Botox treatments tend to train the muscle to stop flexing. With the skin creasing less, the wrinkle loses depth.

Can I Still Make Facial Expressions After Botox?

Botox stops some muscle contractions that cause wrinkles, but it doesn’t entirely stop facial expressions. Depending upon which area is treated, you will still be able to smile, laugh, and make countless other facial expressions. Some expressions will be minimized, but it can be tastefully done so your face will not look frozen or expressionless. The key difference between your appearance pre-Botox and post-treatment is the wrinkling. After Botox there should be a significant reduction in wrinkling of that particular area. The end result, your skin will look smoother and younger when you smile, frown, look surprised, and/or are simply relaxed. The bottom line, the key to natural-looking Botox results is a skilled provider. Always work with a board-certified plastic surgeon supervised nurse or nurse practitioner for all your non-surgical cosmetic treatments.

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What to Expect from Botox Treatment in West Los Angeles, CA

Botox is a non-surgical, injectable treatment administered at our office location in one of our treatment rooms. There is no need for an operating suite or anesthesia for this treatment. We start with a consultation. Our specialists believe in personalized care. One of our supervised nurse practitioners will talk with you about Botox, quickly review your medical history to make sure the treatment is safe for you, and answer any questions you may have. We often recommend complementary procedures to help you find effective solutions to your most pressing facial concerns. Our nurse practitioners are all highly qualified and view each individual consultation as unique for every patient. No two people are alike! They will listen to your concerns and work with you to select effective treatments for your goals and lifestyle. For many of our patients, Botox is often the first essential step in their anti-aging plan. Our nurses will carefully choose injection sites on the face for your Botox injections. Most patients will receive several quick injections, across multiple injection sites. The process is quick, usually over in about 5 minutes or less.

Is Botox painful? Although the absolute smallest sharpest needle is used, you may still feel the prick of the injections, but it is over very quickly and most patients tolerate it very well. For those patients that are a bit needle-phobic, topical numbing cream or icing can be extremely helpful.

After treatment, you can leave our office as soon as you are ready. If you need to head back to work, you will be able to, although there may be a bit of redness at the injection sites on some patients that typically resolves after about 20 minutes. Activity restrictions are minimal. We ask patients to avoid laying down or rubbing the injection sites for the first 3 – 4 hours. You will also want to skip the gym for 4 hours. Otherwise, return to your regular daily schedule with no downtime. Bruising is not that common but does occur, especially in sensitive patients. Serious side effects are very rare, (e.g. eyelid droop or flattening of an eyebrow arch) Detailed recovery instructions will be provided and we are always available if you have any questions or concerns.

What Wrinkles Can Botox Treat?

Botox is best for dynamic wrinkles, the wrinkles created by facial movements and expressions. If a wrinkle forms when you smile, squint, or scowl, Botox is likely an effective treatment option to smooth that wrinkle out.

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We regularly use Botox to treat:

  • Forehead lines
  • Chin dimples
  • Crow’s feet
  • Frown lines
  • Uneven smile
  • Wide jaw bone muscles

If a wrinkle isn’t caused by muscle movement, it won’t respond to Botox. These wrinkles are best treated using other treatment options, like a soft tissue dermal filler or in more advanced cases a surgical procedure may be necessary.

Is Botox Safe?

Botox is one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the world and has been for many years. In 2018, more than 7.4 million botulinum toxin treatments, a category that includes Botox, were performed in the U.S. Since first receiving its FDA approval in 2002, Botox has held an impressive safety record, across millions of yearly treatments. Although Botox is very safe, it isn’t always a good fit. We’ll talk about medical history to ensure this treatment is a safe choice for you.

What Other Procedures Pair Well with Botox?

Botox stands on its own two feet, providing stunning wrinkle-smoothing results for both men and women. Like many of our cosmetic treatments, it pairs well with other procedures too. In addition to Botox, we may recommend one of the following treatments to enhance your treatment results:

Botox is our top pick for smoothing dynamic wrinkles without surgery. For other wrinkles, including lines and creases caused by sun damage or sagging skin, dermal fillers are an excellent option. A hyaluronic acid filler, like Juvederm®, can smooth wrinkles, restore lost facial volume, and enhance the lips. Botox paired with a filler may rejuvenate the whole face, without surgery or downtime needed.

Various minimally invasive lasers, intense pulse light, and radio-frequency treatments are available nowadays that can be done with local anesthesia and return to work within a day or so. These treatments are technologically improving every years and significantly enhance the anti-aging facial plan of the 21st Century.

Our facelift patients find Botox both extends and enhances their results. A facelift removes excess skin and elevates the supportive facial muscles/tissues. Botox joins the rejuvenation party by relaxing facial muscles that cause wrinkling. A facelift primarily addresses mid and lower face aging, and Botox works best on the upper face, especially around the eyes, forehead and the eyebrows.

Ask us for personalized recommendations if you want to pair your Botox treatment with a complementary procedure. Schedule your non-surgical Botox treatment at our beautiful Medspa in Los Angeles, CA by contacting us at (310) 893-8726.