Botulinum Toxin injections are an approved and licensed treatment to temporarily improve the appearance of both moderate to severe frown lines between the brows and crow’s feet lines in adults.

 

Toxin blocks the transition of chemical messages sent from the nerve to cause the muscle to contract. Without these messages, the muscle stays in a resting state until the ‘messengers’ recover. This recovery takes approximately 8 to 12 weeks on average.

 

Your Consultation

Your practitioner will take a detailed medical history and an assessment of your needs and expectations to ensure this is an appropriate treatment for you. 

*This must be a nurse, doctor or dentist with specialised training, qualified to prescribe.

 

You will be asked to complete a detailed confidential medical questionnaire and sign a consent form.

 

• Botulinum toxin cannot be given to pregnant or breast feeding women.

• Not suitable for patients with certain neurological disorders.

• Not suitable if you are currently taking certain medicines.

• If you have previously experienced adverse reactions to any botulinum toxin treatment.

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With any injectable treatment:

Treatment is not recommended if you are suffering from any skin infection in or near the treatment area or are unwell in any way (even a cold).

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• Caution will be taken if you are taking any medicines which affect bleeding, such as aspirin or warfarin.

• If you are currently or have recently completed a course of Roacutane (acne treatment) in the last 18 months.

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Caution

• If you are planning to attend a special event when a bruise, should it occur, would be unacceptable to you.

• If you are planning to attend an important event and any adverse event described would be unacceptable to you, discuss with your clinician in advance of having treatment.

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You can then go ahead and arrange an appointment to have your procedure – you have the right to change your mind at any time.

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Your Procedure

• Your procedure involves a series of small injections as advised by your practitioner

• You may feel a small prick and mild stinging

• You’ll look like yourself – you won’t notice any immediate instant effect on the day

• It takes approximately 10 minutes.

 

Aftercare

• Alcohol should be avoided the day before and after treatment as it can increase risk of bruising.

• Vigorous exercise, sun exposure, sun beds, sauna should be avoided for 48 hours, or as advised by your clinician, after treatment.

• You will be advised to keep the target muscles active for a few hours and to avoid extremes of heat or cold, vigorous exercise, lying down or leaning over for 4-6 hours.

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If you are at all concerned about symptoms you were not expecting or not happy with, please contact the practitioner for advice. If necessary, an appointment will be made for you to be seen. 

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Side effects include, but are not limited to:

• Bruising

• Swelling at injection sites

• Redness at injection sites

• Asymmetry of expression

• Drooping of the brow, or eyelid

• Headache or a sensation of ‘tightness’ or ‘heaviness’

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Adverse events are uncommon, usually occur within a few days of treatment and are expected to be temporary, usually resolving spontaneously within weeks. Your practitioner will provide aftercare advice designed to minimise risk and promote speedy recovery from any expected side effects.

 

After treatment it is expected that you will start to see an improvement within 2 or 3 days. The full result may be judged at 2-3 weeks. You may be invited to attend a review appointment at 2-3 weeks where the success of the treatment may be assessed and adjustments to your personal treatment plan made, if necessary.

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It may not ‘completely freeze’ the expression, particularly if extreme effort is exerted to make an expression. Botulinum toxin is not suitable for lines present without expression (static lines), your practitioner will advise you.

There may be only a partial reduction in movement this very much depends on
the amount administered and location of product placement – this is not a one size fits all treatment and may be tailored to suit your individual requirements and expected treatment outcomes – discuss this with your clinician at the time of consultation. 

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Science

A well-studied treatment

It is one of the most extensively studied medical aesthetic treatments and is approved for cosmetic use in 78 countries.* It has a record of experience that aesthetic specialists know and trust. And, the safety and efficacy has been evaluated in both Allergan sponsored clinical trials as well as in 417 peer-reviewed articles in scientific and medical journals.

 

Derived from sources that exist in nature 

It contains tiny amounts of a highly purified botulinum toxin protein refined from the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Formulations, potency, and approved doses vary among botulinum toxin products, which means that one product cannot take the place of another. Those are a few reasons why there is no such thing as a “generic” form of BOTOX® There have been no studies to support that other products are Unit-to-Unit equivalent to BOTOX®. 

 

A treatment experienced by millions of people 

Approximately 10.9 million vials of BOTOX® have been sold in the United States since 2002, and millions of people have already made BOTOX® a part of what they do for themselves. Today, BOTOX® is the #1 selling product of its kind in the world.†

 

†Data collected through June 2014. 

 

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