Frequently Asked Questions About Botox

Although the results are visible, Botox treatment will not radically change your facial appearance or make you look unnatural.

The intention is for your face to look smoother, younger and more relaxed.

The result depends to a large extent on how deep your lines are. Very fine wrinkles may disappear completely, whereas deeper lines tend to be ‘softened’.

You will start to see results 3 days after treatment with the main effect apparent after 7-12 days.

Although it varies from patient to patient, the results usually last for three to four months and fade gradually. Regular maintenance treatment every 3-4 months helps to prevent recurrence of the lines/wrinkles. You may find that treated lines and wrinkles become less deep, and you can leave longer intervals between treatments.

Botox has been used in the field of medical and cosmetic treatment for over 20 years and is considered a very safe medication with a long safety track-record. Medically, it is used extensively to relieve facial spasms, treat watery eyes, induce a droopy eyelid to protect the eye and to treat migraines. There have been no reported long-term ill effects from the use of botulinum toxin injections.

I have used it for over 10 years for cosmetic and medical reasons without any safety issues.

However, you should not have Botox if pregnant, breast-feeding or have inflammation or infection near the injection sites.

Complications in the hands of a trained and experienced practitioner are extremely rare.

Some bruising may occur but this risk is minimised by applying firm pressure immediately after the injections. It is, however, important to let me know if you have a bleeding disorder, or if you are using anti-coagulants e.g. warfarin, aspirin or arthritis medications such as ibuprofen.

Treatment of the forehead and between the eyebrows can cause an unwanted drop or peaking of the eyebrow. Certain patients are more likely to develop this problem; an experienced practitioner should determine whether you are at particular risk, and adopt a modified injection approach to minimise this risk.

For the first 24 hours only, I advise against:

1. Any massage to the injected areas to prevent spread of the Botox
2. Swimming
3. Make-up directly to the treatment area