Edmonton Dermatology | Facts About Botox
Hi everyone, this is Edmonton Dermatology Cosmetic Center. We’re here today with myself, Andrea, and this is Amanda. We are both nurses working here. Essentially today we’re gonna be talking about Botox and how it works. One of the highest consumers for Botox is actually the Vancouver Children’s Hospital for the use of cerebral palsy. So a lot of children actually go in unable to walk or move appropriately. They receive lots of Botox within their muscles to help them essentially move and be able to be children again.
So when they pretty much come out of the hospital, they’re actually able to move their arms and be able to walk with some sort of aid instead of using a wheelchair. So Amanda here today is actually going to help us understand a little bit more about Botox. So Amanda, what is Botox?
Botox is a Health Canada and FDA approved medication. It’s a purified protein used to inject into muscles in order to relax those muscle groups to help stop us from creasing our skin on the surface.
Okay. And how safe is Botox and are there any side effects with it?
Botox is incredibly safe. There’s very few reported incidents negative towards Botox. And as you previously mentioned, BBC Children’s Hospital is actually the highest consumer of Botox because of the medical benefits that have been discovered, which were purely by accident back in its inception. As far as side effects during the injection itself, a person will feel a tiny little prick of pain where the needle goes in the needle that we use is a very tiny insulin syringe, so very, very non-threatening.
You don’t typically feel any discomfort during the injection, and the only thing that you do see after an injection is a little red mark where the, the needle went in, which fades away fairly quickly within the next hour or so.
Okay. Is getting Botox treatments painful? You kind of touched on that a little bit.
No more than a pin prick or a mosquito bite would feel discomfort. We can offer a little ice pack if someone’s a little more sensitive. There’s nothing wrong with icing an area prior to injecting the Botox.
How does Botox work or help?
So Botox is a purified protein created in a sterile lab. It is a substance that is injected into a muscle group. It stops the muscle from being able to receive messages from nerves and to contract and create those deep furrows that we can with dynamic facial movement or expression. Okay.
How soon do you start seeing results?
Some people report seeing results as early as three days. I typically tell clients that you’ll see a change or an improvement seven to 14 days after your injection.
And how long does it last?
That’s very individual. Most people it’s three to four months. Some people who are high metabolizers might be short of three months. Other people might get a little bit longer than that. Okay.
Are Botox treatments expensive?
When we assess a patient for what bothers them when they look in the mirror, we hand tailor a treatment based on what’s bothering them, specifically, which muscle groups need to be treated and very individualized dosing. Okay.
What, what can patients expect after treatments
Zero downtime After a Botox treatment you might get a little red mark where the Botox injections has been placed. Rarely a person can bruise from their injection just like any other immunization or shot. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> you can go back to work. The only things that we ask is that you don’t exercise, massage the area and that you go home using and lowering your eyebrows for the next 20 to 40 minutes to work that material into the muscle groups.
Okay. Will people look frozen afterwards once it kicks in
Again? The treatments and the dosing are very individual. Yes, I do have some clients that ask for a very frozen effect. I prefer dosing very conservatively, allowing for some muscle movement so that you can still give your child the look if you have to. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>, but without freezing your face completely. Again, very individual hand tailored treatments for each person.
Are there any other uses for Botox, like other types of treatments?
There’s actually a number of treatments that Botox can be used for. Migraines is becoming a very popular, well-known treatment. Hyperhydrosis is another condition that it treats helps to prevent excessive sweating. Okay. And there’s a few other gynecological applications as well that have been new and upcoming. Okay,
Perfect. Well, thank you so much, Amanda. You’re welcome.