Does BOTOX® Cosmetic Really Work?

Question:
Does BOTOX® Cosmetic Really Work?

Answer:
BOTOX Cosmetic is the “crack cocaine” of cosmetic surgery. BOTOX Cosmetic is just so very attractive because it works so very well. It has also been a great thing for our patients because with BOTOX Cosmetic, most people can see the results within a short period of time and sometimes overnight, occasionally it takes as long as a week. We can in many cases erase many years of age from a person’s face. Our new injection technique involves smaller needles than have been available before. These needles are less painful. We can produce nice quality brow lifting, as well as upturning of a person’s mouth and removal of "crow’s feet" and lines under the eye. Additionally, many people can get an improvement in the smoker’s lines around the mouth or the wrinkles around the mouth that a person gets as they mature.

Unfortunately, small doses of BOTOX Cosmetic just are not as effective and you should receive about 45 units of BOTOX, minimum. The results sometimes are disappointing if you get less. BOTOX Cosmetic costs between $8 and $15 a unit at the MD's office. It certainly is important who you have injecting your BOTOX, because inexperienced or un-knowledgeable BOTOX injectors can produce effects that can look like Mr. Spock and/or effects that can drop the eyebrow into the eyes and make for a very unattractive look. Generally speaking, the best BOTOX practitioners put very little BOTOX Cosmetic into the forehead these days, and focus more on other areas.

It is also important to note that BOTOX is not an effective long-term solution. Near Fresno, face lift cosmetic surgery or other procedures such as brow lift are the "gold standard" for smoothing out problems such as crow's feet and brow furrows in a more permanent way, so be sure to discuss your options with your surgeon beforehand. Visit my Pasadena cosmetic surgery website for detailed information on all non invasive procedures.