Botox Cosmetic and Dysport
Injectable neuromodulators, such as Botox Cosmetic and Dysport is often an appropriate option to treat wrinkles in motion. These wrinkles or facial lines occur when your muscles are contracting and may soften or disappear when the muscle is relaxed. Over time, with repeated movement of these muscles, wrinkles can become permanent – wrinkles at rest.
Botox Cosmetic and Dysport is a purified protein that is injected by a trained medical professional into a facial muscle to cause it to relax. It has been used for over 20 years for the treatment of many medical conditions, and was approved by Health Canada in 2001 for wrinkle therapy. The injection of Botox Cosmetic and Dysport into targeted muscles can lead to softening or elimination of wrinkles in motion and sometimes the prevention of some wrinkles at rest.
Botox Cosmetic and Dysport is approved for the treatment of glabellar lines and crow’s feet. Glabellar lines are the vertical lines many people have between the eyebrows when they frown or squint. Crow’s feet are the lines that occur beside your eyes when you smile. Botox Cosmetic and Dysport is also used with great safety and success in many other areas:
- Forehead lines: the lines that appear when you raise up your eyebrows
- Bunny lines: the lines that occur on the bridge of your nose when you “scrunch” up your nose
- Mentalis: the dimpled appearance or “orange peel” that can occur when you contract your central chin muscle
- Lip lines/ “smokers’ lines”: the lines that occur around your mouth and lips
- Brow lift: a treatment to raise the outer part of your eyebrow which creates a more open-eye appearance
What to Expect
At Medical Aesthetics of Muskoka, all clients receive a thorough assessment to discuss an ideal treatment plan. Dr. Kents will ensure that the specific areas of concern are targeted, allowing the remainder of the facial muscles to remain active. Treatments take around 15 minutes. Following a treatment, you are required to keep your face upright for 4 hours and avoid strenuous activity for the remainder of the day.
Side effects for Botox Cosmetic and Dysport may include temporary bruising or swelling at the injection sites, mild headache, brow heaviness or eyelid droop. Clients with neurologic conditions and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding cannot receive Botox Cosmetic and Dysport.
The effects of Botox Cosmetic and Dysport can begin as early as 3-5 days after treatment. You will notice the maximum effect 2 weeks after treatment. These treatments result in softening the expression lines and provide a smoother facial appearance and a more relaxed and refreshed look. The treatment effects last 3-5 months and will wear off gradually. Retreatment can occur once you start to notice the muscle action returning. If you allow the treatment to completely fade away, you will return to your pre-treatment appearance – Botox Cosmetic® does not cause your wrinkles to worsen.