Botulinum Toxin Injections Botox ®

What is Botox ®

PLEASE NOTE this information is given as a reference only. A Face To Face Consultation with your Doctor, Dentist or Registered Prescribing Nurse is mandatory, all the Professional Bodies now agree that it is essential that prior to being given a Botox Treatment you are required to undergo a Face To Face Consultation first with the prescriber. During the consultation all the options for treatment, the risks and complications of a Botox Treatment should be discussed with you in detail, this is to ensure that you are well informed and fully understand the process of consenting to the treatment.

The treatment should only be administered by a suitably qualified Medical Professional within a clean clinical environment. Please also be aware that all treatments have side effects, these can be good as well as bad and you should know what these are and how they could impact on you.

When injected Botulinum Toxin commonly referred to as Botox ® is very effective at temporarily relaxing muscles. It is the action of relaxing these facial muscles that reduces the facial lines and skin wrinkles that have been etched onto the face over the years and are commonly present as we age because of the repetitive movement of the upper face.

Please also visit our Skin Advice pages where you will find information on the Prevention of Premature Ageing.

Can Botox ® smooth my lines and wrinkles?

Yes. Botox is very effective at smoothing facial lines and wrinkles that have been caused by the repetitive movement of the upper face and we call these ’ dynamic lines and wrinkles ’ because these are primarily caused over time by facial movement. The skin on your forehead and the skin between your eyebrows and around the eyes, is laid over muscle and these muscles are moving all the time when you smile, frown and grimace. Over time it is this repeated dynamic activity that causes skin to crease eventually forming the lines and wrinkles. Subsequent relaxation of the muscle following a Botox ® injection reduces this muscle activity and it is this that helps to stop the skin forming those creases and lines, and in time the lines will appear smoother and reduce in appearance.

You may have heard many things that Botox ® injections can do, but the truth is these treatments are only licensed in the UK for their aesthetic or cosmetic application to treat just two areas of the face and that is the area between the eyebrows, known as the glabella and the crowsfeet, that is the area around the outside of the eyes. You can read more about the licensing of Botox in the UK here.

There are several brands of Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A ( BoNT-A ) injections available here in the UK and Aesthetika Clinic in Sheffield provide all the brands, but it is the brand named Botox ® that is the most commonly known to the public and referred to in the press and media, and it is Botox ® that has been endorsed by so many celebrities over the past two decades. New patients often ask us for Botox ® believing that it can ’ get rid of every wrinkle or line ’ but Botox ® cannot remove every facial line or wrinkle, because some lines and wrinkles develop for other reasons than just the repetitive dynamic movement and we refer to these lines as ’ static lines and wrinkles ‘. A Botox ® treatment will be of little or no value to you for static lines and wrinkles and you will be very disappointed with the result having wasted all your hard earned cash. There are however many other skin treatments that are effective in reducing static facial lines and smoothing wrinkles and we can discuss what has caused your wrinkles and what the best treatment option is at your Consultation.

It may be that a Botox injection is actually not the right treatment for you, if this is the case we will be honest and discuss this with you and explore other facial injectable treatments such as dermal fillers, thread lifting and skin tightening procedures. We know and the scientific evidence shows us that the overall results are often better when treatments are combined and maintained

Over the past 20 years millions of treatments have been administered to both men and women and Botox ® remains the most common non surgical or non invasive treatment performed today. It is widely available in almost every country in the world and increasingly Botox ® is used in the NHS for its many medical and therapeutic applications and it is licensed to treat small children and the elderly.

Is Botox ® treatment permanent?

No - The effects of a Botox ® treatment will eventually wear off and maintenance treatments are required about two to four times a year, we do know that you won’t need treating so frequently once you’ve undergone a period of maintenance treatments over a period of time.

Did You Know that in the UK it is Prohibited to Advertise Botox ® to the public