Botox Cosmetic

A: BOTOX is an amazingly safe wrinkle treatment. It’s precise, predictable, and people love it — and you can tell your aunt it’s definitely NOT botulism. It’s a natural biologic, a highly purified protein that, when administered, stops the signal that normally tells muscles to contract — so they stay relaxed.

However, just like every medical procedure, the injector is the key to safety and results. At AlluraDerm, Dr. Lam is the #1 injector in New Mexico and he was an anesthesiologist who was training residents in one of the largest anesthesiology training programs in the country. You are in the best of hands! Contact us for a consultation.

A: Unlike those wrinkle creams you tried, BOTOX keeps its promises and really does work like a Magic Eraser on lines and wrinkles. BOTOX injections have been used worldwide for more than 20 years. And in our many years of medical practice, we have yet to experience anything as effective and consistent in erasing frown lines, forehead wrinkles, and crow’s feet. Contact us for a consultation.

A: BOTOX is a surprisingly affordable wrinkle treatment. You can easily soften those crow’s feet you hate for up to 4 months for less than $1 a day! BOTOX cost is quite low – our typical patients are treated in all of the three areas (i.e. crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead wrinkles) about every 3–4 months for less than $4.50 a day. Coffee or wrinkles? You choose! Contact us for a consultation.

A: BOTOX has many brands that are cheaper than BOTOX. BOTOX can also be bought in unofficial markets, which may or may not be legitimate BOTOX. Official BOTOX must be delivered to an official BOTOX account. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell if BOTOX is genuine or diluted, which will reduce the price.

It is best practice to go to a reputable injector since there will be no issues with the product, sterility or technique. Your face deserves the best! Contact us for a consultation.

A: BOTOX is a medical injection procedure. Although BOTOX is generally safe, it is not for everyone. The providers at AlluraDerm are able to determine who is a candidate for treatment and provide one-on-one consultations to determine if BOTOX is right for every patient we see.

Since everyone has different anatomy, BOTOX may not be a suitable solution for everyone or every area of concern. Even though we perform more BOTOX cosmetics than anyone in the state, we have turned patients away for medical safety reasons.

BOTOX cosmetic injections are usually safe with few side effects which are short-lived. For example, there may be injection site swelling, mild tenderness, injection spot redness, and itching. These typically do not last more than a few hours. Bruising is not common but can usually be covered by makeup and resolves in days. Rarely, some may experience flu-like symptoms.

In the nation, the complication rate of headache is 9%, eyelid drooping is 3%, eyebrow drooping is 2% and eyelids swelling is 1%. Because of our proprietary injection techniques, the complication rate is significantly less than the national average.

Severe and dangerous complications including difficulty breathing and cardiac arrest have been reported in the product information. These are rare and have not occurred in our practice since 2007. Dr. Lam is a trained anesthesiologist with the skills and equipment to handle such a situation if it ever arises. However, as the #1 injector of BOTOX in the state, his knowledge and skill set ensure that such an event never occurs.

A: The vertical lines between your brows — the 11s — are caused by contractions of your glabella muscles.

While cellular changes, depletion of collagen, hormone loss, and free radical damage cause your skin to age and wrinkle, the lingering contractions of your glabella muscles (caused by decades of squinting, concentrating, and frowning) are the major contributor to those stubborn lines between your eyes.

Over the years, wrinkling and crinkling can take their toll on your face, leaving permanent marks that make you look older than you are. Fortunately, modern technology has enabled doctors to be able to erase years from your face with little to no downtime. One of the most effective treatments for deep frown lines and crow’s feet is BOTOX.

A: BOTOX is a highly purified form of protein, botulinum Type A. The protein is produced by the bacteria clostridium botulinum and stabilized by a small amount of human albumin (protein) and frozen.

The BOTOX protein has a bigger 100kd subunit which is important for bringing the smaller 50kd subunit into the nerve. This smaller subunit stops the neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) packets that are floating in your nerves from docking (SNAP-25 of the SNARE complex) and releasing the neurotransmitter to the muscle.

Since the message to contract a muscle is not transmitted, the muscle does not contract and the mechanical stress on the skin is reduced. Since the skin has a capacity to regenerate depending on the health of the skin, healing of the wrinkle or potential wrinkle can occur.

Clostridium Botulinum is found naturally in many places and normally do not cause anyone to become sick. However, under certain conditions e.g. when there is low oxygen, sugar, acid, and salt, the bacteria spores can produce a large number of toxins that can make people sick. This extremely rare sickness is collectively known as Botulism.

The CDC recognizes 5 types of Botulism:

-Food: Eating homemade foods that have been contaminated with botulinum toxin especially improperly preserved, fermented, or canned food.

-Wound: Cuts in the skin and contaminated with the spores of the bacteria and poor wound healing resulting in conditions that are toxin.

-Infant Intestinal: Spores get into the infant’s intestine and produce toxin

-Adult Intestinal: Spores get into an adult’s intestine and produce toxin

-Iatrogenic: Botulinum protein injected therapeutically for medical or cosmetic conditions. The majority of these cases are off-label or non-FDA use of the BOTOX type injection for cerebral palsy children.

A: BOTOX cosmetic is a protein that is injected to reduce muscle movement, which will help heal the existing wrinkles caused by muscle movement and prevent wrinkles from forming.

Typical areas include the vertical lines between your eyes when you furrow your brows or frown, crow’s feet radiating from the corners of your eyes when you smile, and horizontal lines on your forehead when you raise your eyebrows.

Juvederm and Restylane are not muscle relaxants, although they have been used to treat lines and wrinkles in the same area as BOTOX or more commonly in other areas. Juvederm is the market leader for skin fillers in the U.S.A.

Although Restylane came into the market before Juvederm, it has trailed in popularity because of the superior results that the Juvederm collection of fillers has achieved. Both fillers are made from hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar molecule in your body.

Juvederm collection of fillers is excellent for filling in volume loss to restore volume, create contours and lift, and soften folds. Other hyaluronic acid-based fillers include Belotero and Versa. They typically do not last as long and do not have the same outcome as the Juvederm collection of fillers.

Fillers (hyaluronic acid and non-hyaluronic acid-based) including Juvederm and Restylane, Sculptra, Radiesse, and fat were used in the past to treat the lines between the eyes, even though it was not FDA approved for that area.

Unfortunately, in 2015 a collective report of 98 cases of reported irreversible blindness occurred worldwide when fillers were used, especially when injected in the glabella (lines between the eyes) and nose.

Although this has never happened at AlluraDerm MD Med Spa, as emerging Key Opinion Leaders in aesthetics, we have chosen not to inject fillers to treat areas where BOTOX treatments are safe and effective, such as the glabella area.

Non-hyaluronic-acid-based fillers like Sculptra, Artefill, Bellafill, and Radiesse do not have any non-surgical mechanism to dissolve or remove the filler if it causes a problem such as a compression or blockage of blood vessels or lymphatics or nerves; or if it is not aesthetically pleasing.

They are also pro-inflammatory and as such have a higher propensity to create lumps and nodules that may not be aesthetically pleasing. As such, we do not utilize them.

However, Juvederm collection of fillers are safe and excellent deep folds or smile lines known as the nasolabial folds, frown shadows or frown lines by the mouth known as the marionette lines and creating lift and contours of the cheek and restoration or enhancement of the lips. Click here to find out more about the Juvederm collection of fillers.

A: BOTOX is a protein produced by Clostridium botulinum that relaxes muscles. It is very safe and was initially used for medical reasons before cosmetic use.

In the 1970s, it was used to treat cross-eyes by injecting BOTOX into the muscles outside the eyeball inside the eye socket. In the 1980s, it was used to treat eyelids spasm or blepharospasm, and in the 1990s, it was used to treat severe neck and shoulder contractions known as cervical dystonia.

By 2002, BOTOX cosmetic was FDA approved for the glabella area to treat the frown lines between the eyes. By 2004, it was approved to treat a medical condition called axilla hyperhidrosis or excessively sweaty underarms. In 2010, it was FDA approved to treat chronic migraine headaches refractory to conventional medications.

In 2013, BOTOX was FDA approved to treat crows’ feet (wrinkles radiating from the corners of the eyes upon smiling). In the same year, it was FDA approved to treat incontinence due to bladder muscle spasms.

In 2016, it was FDA approved to treat upper and lower limb spasticity in adults, and in 2017 it was FDA approved to treat the horizontal lines on the forehead.

A: Yes, BOTOX has been approved to treat excessive underarm sweating since 2004. As such, we have been helping our patients every summer since 2007. Fortunately, for hyperhidrosis in the armpits, the treatment can last as long as 6 months.

Other areas of excessive sweating like hands and feet are not FDA-approved for BOTOX treatments and we do not perform them.