Botulinum Toxin

Botulinum toxin, commonly referred to as Botox® in the cosmetic industry, is an injectable material that temporarily diminishes frown lines, wrinkles, and forehead creases. Medical uses of the product include the treatment of neck spasms, wandering eyes, overactive bladder, eye twitching, chronic migraines, and excessive sweating. Botulinum toxin, a purified substance derived from bacteria, blocks nerve signals responsible for muscle contraction, making muscles unable to contract without nerve signals. Botox® was the first drug to use botulinum toxin. Later it was adopted by Dysport ®, Xeomin ®, Jeuveau ®, and Myobloc ®. They are not interchangeable because each is slightly different in terms of dosage units.

What is Botulinum Toxin?
Types of Botulinum Toxins
Why Botulinum Toxin?
What Conditions Are The Botulinum Toxin a Solution to?
Steps to getting your procedure
Cost of Botulinum Toxin
Why Yes Doctor for Botulinum Toxin
Frequently Asked Questions
Doctors that perform Botulinum Toxin procedures
Yes Doctor’s Plastic Surgery Procedure Botulinum Toxin

What is Botulinum Toxin?

Botulinum toxin, referred to as Botox® in the aesthetic industry, is a purified injectable substance derived from bacteria. It temporarily smoothes out facial wrinkles and fine lines through its nerve-blocking property. Since muscle contraction cannot occur without nerve signals, botulinum toxin temporarily prevents the muscles from moving and helps correct the signs of ageing.  

Besides its cosmetic uses, Botox® has been used medically for decades for the treatment of lazy eye (amblyopia), neck spasms (cervical dystonia), OAB (overactive bladder), eye twitching (blepharospasm), and excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis). 

Botulinum toxin is a simple procedure to many, but actually, it's both an art and a science. If done by a professional and experienced healthcare provider, it offers extraordinary results. An experienced and board-certified aesthetician knows exactly where to inject the chemical out of 43 facial muscles, assuring optimum and natural-looking results.  

The procedure uses a very thin needle to inject the botulinum toxin. Your aesthetician carefully pinpoints only the wrinkle-producing muscles. It helps achieve optimized results and preserve natural expressions. 

Botox® was the first brand to administer botulinum toxin injections for its cosmetic use. Later, many brand names emerged with slightly different dosage units, giving the same end results — the improved appearance of skin and diminished fine lines. Other brand names for botulinum toxin injections are Dysport®, Xeomin®, Myobloc®, and Jeuveau®. 

What to expect

Before the procedure

Topical numbing cream, ice or vibration anaesthesia is given before the procedure to numb the muscles being treated. Any of these methods are used to reduce discomfort during the treatment.  

During the procedure 

Very often, the Botox injection is administered in a doctor's office. The procedure doesn't require general anaesthesia. The doctor administers small amounts of botulinum toxin through an injection into the treatment area. The quantity of botulinum toxin injected depends on certain factors, including the problem's severity and the treatment area's size.  

After the procedure 

There is no downtime for botulinum toxin injections. You can restart your routine activities immediately after the treatment. However, it would be best if you did not rub the treated area after the procedure because it causes the toxin to spread inside the muscles and leads to unwanted results. The results appear one to three days after the treatment and last for about three or more months. To maintain long-lasting results, you should consult your doctor for follow-ups.

Types of Botulinum Toxins

  • Which Botulinum Toxin is Right for You?

    Botulinum toxin is a fantastic product to reverse the signs of ageing and give you a more youthful appearance. Each brand of botulinum toxin does the same job, whatever the name is given. Poor wrinkle management and undesirable results pertain to the the doctor’s lack of experience and their purposeful use of very tiny dosages to keep the price low. When a skilled and experienced practitioner uses any Botulinum toxin brands and administers the correct dosage, you will have a straight, symmetrical, natural look and long-lasting and highly pleasing results. 

    Botox® vs Xeomin® vs, Dysport® vs Jeuveau®: all are made with the same core ingredient. The difference lies in their specific formulation — Botox® uses onabotulinumtoxinA, Jeuveau® uses botulinum toxin type A, Xeomin® uses incobotulinumtoxinA, and Dysport® uses abobotulinumtoxinA. All these products produce nice and firm results lasting anywhere between 3 to 6 months, depending on each person's unique body chemistry. However, all these products have subtle nuances — they are all measured in different units. For example, Dysport® is slightly less potent, so more units of Dysport® are administered to get the desired effect. Read on to learn the slight variations among the products:

  • Botox®

    It goes without saying that Botox® is immensely popular in giving natural-looking results and rewinding the ageing clock. 

    Developed and produced by Allergan — a global pharmaceutical company, Botox® is a protein derived from botulinum toxin Type A. It is injected directly into the muscles to temporarily stop neurological signals that cause muscle contraction. Exposure to large dosages can lead to muscle paralysis or can even be fatal. However, small controlled dosages gently relax muscles in the target area and significantly reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Moreover, the product is FDA-approved and is used to treat medical conditions like neck spasms, eye twitching, lazy eye, chronic migraines, and excessive sweating.

  • Xeomin®

    Prepared by Merz Pharmaceuticals, Xeomin® is approved by FDA, US, for treating cervical dystonia, muscle spasticity, eyelid spasms, and chronic drooling (sialorrhea). Moreover, Xeomin® has enormous benefits that suit your skin care needs. It helps treat frown lines between the eyebrows and crow's feet and removes unnecessary proteins that give you smoother-looking skin, treatment after treatment.  

    Overdosage may cause serious effects that can even be life-threatening. Sometimes, the accidental spread of its ingredients away from the injection site causes muscle weakness, double or blurred vision, loss or change of voice, and trouble breathing or swallowing.

  • Dysport®

    A registered trademark of Ipsen Biopharm Limited — Dysport® is approved for treating muscle spasms in Europe, Asia, and the States. Even though the core ingredient of Dysport® is the same as the other botulinum toxin products but the potency units of Dysport® are specific to its preparation and assay method. They are not interchangeable with other products of botulinum toxin. Therefore, Dysport®'s units of biological activity cannot be converted into or compared with any other botulinum toxin product prepared and assayed with another method.  

    Dysport® is commonly used to treat fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead. Besides its cosmetic uses, Dysport® is indicated for treating cervical dystonia in adults and spasticity in people two years and older. 

    Overdosage may result in generalized muscle weakness, ptosis, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, and urinary incontinence.

  • Jeuveau®

    Designed by Evolus, Jeuveau® is an injectable medicine used to treat muscle spasms by blocking nerve signals responsible for muscular contractions. Hence, used to relax the muscles underneath the skin and treat frown lines (muscles between eyebrows), crow's feet (wrinkles beside eyes), and horizontal forehead lines. Doctors may use it for areas other than the face, but that is an off-label use. 

    Jeuveau® uses Hi-Pure™ technology and gives natural-looking results. Its dosage units are not the same as any other botulinum toxin product. Using Jeuveau® while having certain medical conditions like muscle or nerve conditions, difficulty breathing or swallowing, heart problems, bleeding, drooping eyelids, pregnancy or lactation, or a history of facial surgery can lead to severe consequences. Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions if you plan on getting Jeuveau® shots.

    Itmay be suitable if you are new to botulinum toxin and want to start with a cheaper option.

Why Botulinum Toxin?

Injectable botulinum toxin has innumerable cosmetic and medical uses. It is a neuromuscular blocking agent that produces dose-dependent and focal weakening of the muscles involved in expressions that make you look angry, tired, disapproving, or aging, especially when you are not. Ideal candidates for the botulinum toxins are adults aged between 40 to 60 whose facial wrinkles get prominent due to habitual facial contraction over time. Its cosmetic uses include treating vertical lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines), squint lines at the corner of the eyes, horizontal lines on the forehead, nasolabial folds around the mouth, and thick muscular bands around the neck (turkey neck). 

Before their cosmetic use, botulinum toxins were long used as an antidote for various muscle contraction issues like urinary incontinence, neck spasms, wandering eyes, or migraines. The reason for their sudden popularity among people is their safety record, no downtime, and quick results. However, overdosage poses serious threats to health or even life. Choosing an experienced practitioner and using a conservative dosage is essential to obtain optimal results. 

  • Smoothen out skin
  • Reduced pain and discomfort
  • Increased quality of life
  • Long Lasting results
  • FDA approved

What Conditions Are The Botulinum Toxin a Solution to?

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin derived from clostridium botulinum (a bacterium) that was known to cause paralysis in the muscles. It led to the discovery of pharmaceutical products we use today with botulinum toxin as the core ingredient. Botulinum toxin injections are noted mainly as a non-invasive way to remove fine lines, crow's feet, thick jawlines, thick neck muscles, gummy smiles, lip lines, and skin creases because of their nerve-blocking property. Since muscles cannot contract without nerve signals, botulinum toxin temporarily stops muscle contraction and results in smooth and youthful-looking skin. Botox®, Xeomin®, Jeuveau®, and Dysport® are commonly known types of botulinum toxin, while Botox® is the pioneer of the botulinum family. All brands offer the same results but are not interchangeable because they differ slightly in their formulation and dosage amounts. All the products provide numerous cosmetic benefits like removing fine lines, wrinkles, etc. However, Botox® offers a few additional medical benefits like treating chronic migraines, strabismus (crossed eyes), spasticity (muscle stiffness), severe underarm sweating, spasm of eyelids, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, and cervical dystonia. Besides its cosmetic benefits, Xeomin® is medically used to treat urinary incontinence, cervical dystonia, upper limb spasticity, and chronic drooling. In comparison, cervical dystonia and spasticity can be treated by Dysport® too:

  • Neck spasms

    Neck spasms, though not life-threatening, can have a negative impact on one's quality of life. Botulinum toxin is a medication specifically approved for neck spasms, as it has the ability to block nerves. Furthermore, the muscles which are treated with Botulinum toxin are less likely to get injured while practicing physiotherapy. This is because it can help to condition the body, thus reducing the risk of making the current situation worse with physical exercises.

  • Excessive sweating

    Botulinum toxin treats excessive sweating in the armpits, hands, and feet. BTX selectively blocks the sweat glands, resulting in a regular dry appearance. The procedure is carried out in an outpatient clinic, and no specific aftercare is required. It has minimal side effects, and the beneficial results stay for 6 to 12 months. Clinical research reports a patient satisfaction rate of up to 98%.

  • Overactive bladder

    When behavioral and exercise therapies are futile, botulinum toxin injections help treat an overactive bladder and urinary incontinence. Botulinum toxin injections into the bladder have an established record of dramatic improvements in overactive bladders. The procedure can be done in a doctor's office with local anesthesia injected into the bladder.

  • Lazy eye

    A lazy eye is medically known as amblyopia. It happens when one or both eyes fail to maintain a strong link with the brain. It usually happens to one eye when the child cannot see clearly with the affected eye and relies more on the healthy eye. Botulinum toxin offers a temporary treatment for the lazy eyes problem, and the patient needs an injection every four months to maintain the desired results.

Steps to getting your procedure

Research-icon

Step 1

Research

Step 2

Matching with a doctor

Step 3

Getting financing

Step 4

Booking a consultation

Cost of Botulinum Toxin

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of botulinum toxin injection is $466. The price is subject to many factors like dosage units used, the severity of the frown lines and wrinkles, how aggressively you want to treat the areas of concern, the experience of the doctor, and the geographical location of the doctor's office. The average price is just a fraction of the total expenses; this price doesn't include operation room charges, preoperative and postoperative medicines, or surgeon's fees. Botulinum toxin is primarily a cosmetic procedure. Therefore, insurance companies don't cover it in their insurance plan. However, if the problem addressed by botox injections is not cosmetic in nature and is causing serious health trouble, then insurance companies may consider covering it partially or fully.

Why Yes Doctor for Botulinum Toxin

Getting financing for your dream procedure has never been easier. Yes Doctor provides end-to-end support to make your dreams come true. 

Yes Doctor offers the Buy Now, Pay Later—a payment solution to split the purchase cost into multiple easy installments and limits strains on your cash overflow. It enables you to pay your medical bills over time rather than all at once, lowering your monthly bills and letting you continue moving forward with your healthcare journey. Yes Doctor makes a safe financial bridge between you and your doctor to get appropriate healthcare right when needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, they are not permanent. The results last anywhere between 3 to 6 months. The longevity of the results depends on many factors like age, metabolism, and the area under treatment. Once the results diminish, wrinkles reappear, and the migraines and sweating start occurring again. to make the muscles accustomed to relax mode and maintain the desired results, more injections are needed. Your healthcare provider can precisely tell you how often you need to take the maintenance shots.
A careful and considerate dosage of the botulinum toxin given by an experienced healthcare provider doesn't threaten the patient's health or life overall. However, excessive dosage or more than the prescribed dosage units can create serious health issues or even be fatal. Taking botulinum toxin during pregnancy or lactation is not recommended. Moreover, rubbing the treated area after the procedure can spread the botulinum toxin inside the skin and result in undesired outcomes.
The procedure is virtually painless with a topical numbing cream or local anesthesia. as the effect of anesthesia vanishes, it causes a slight tingling sensation and pinch. The needles used for injecting botulinum toxin are very thin, comparable to the needles used by diabetic patients for their self-test. If an experienced healthcare provider performs the procedure, you may not even feel the treatment process happening. Botulinum toxin injections cause minimal bruising that too settles shortly.
Botulinum toxin causes the temporary chemical denervation of muscle tissues, causing a reduction of muscle activity locally. It has been used for decades to treat neck spasms, urinary incontinence, excessive sweating, chronic migraines, and wandering eye. Now it's more commonly known for its cosmetic uses - treating frown lines, crow's feet, smile lines, and thick muscle bands around the neck. Taking botulinum toxin more than the prescribed units harms the body. It can lead to muscle weakness, blurred vision, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or loss of bladder control.