Named Among the Best Plastic Surgeons in Boston
Botulinum toxin (BOTOX Cosmetic) or neuromodulators are the most popular minimally invasive procedure performed in plastic surgery with more than 7 million injections each year.
For patients who have not had facial rejuvenation, this treatment is also a good place to start as the treatment is not permanent. Botox works by relaxing muscles and removing deep wrinkles on the face.
Common areas treated are the horizontal wrinkles of the forehead, vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows ("elevens"), and the corners of the eyelids ("crow's feet"). Patients with migraine headaches may also experience tremendous relief when treated with Botox.
Botox is a well-known neuromodulator, and the most common treatment performed by board-certified plastic surgeons to help make your face look fresh and beautiful.
Is it natural? Yes, Botox is natural and is the most common form of non-surgical facial rejuvenation.
When patients hear about botulinum toxin, they may be afraid and think it isn’t natural or may think about "botulism" and poison from eating tainted cans of soup. In nature, the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces a protein that causes bolulism.
Botox Cosmetic does not contain actual bacteria - it is made of very diluted amounts of this naturally occurring toxin protein. This natural and diluted protein is instilled directly into muscles and not throughout the entire body. If you have signs of advanced facial aging, you might consider evaluation by our highly skilled team at Mount Auburn Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge Massachusetts.
Using the most advanced techniques and products, they will determine if you are an appropriate candidate for facial volume enhancement or wrinkle reduction. To remove wrinkles, botulinum toxins such as Botox may be recommended.
Botox relaxes muscles of the face to remove deep wrinkles and restore a fresh and youthful appearance. Specifically, botulinum toxin works by blocking the release of acetylcholine (Ach) from the nerves that activate facial muscles. Without acetylcholine release, facial muscles treated with Botox remain soft and relaxed and wrinkles and skin become smooth and youthful.
Facial expressions of strain, worry, or frustration can be softened and facial contours can be rejuvenated safely and quickly with this treatment. Each muscle and each patient has an individual response.
Our goal is always to deliver the best Botox Boston has to offer. Therefore, at the start of your treatment plan for Botox, our team will learn your individual response and work closely with you to customize your treatment plan. The protein is injected slowly and gently into specific muscles - there are 43 muscles in the face.
The muscles are in specific locations and depth. Some muscles are considered approved by the FDA while others are considered "off-label".
The forehead or frontalis muscles are commonly treated in four to six spots. The frown lines or corrugator and procerus muscles between the eyebrows (the "elevens") are treated in three to seven spots. The corners of the eyelids or orbicularis oculi muscles ("crow's feet") are treated in three to five spots on each side. The neckbands or platysma muscles are treated in four to six spots on each side.
The effect is not immediate - Botox Cosmetic may take seven days before you start to see the effects. When properly performed, you will still have facial expressions and movement, though softened.
The treatment may last for three to six months, with an average duration of approximately three to four months. As the medicine wears off, the facial muscles will slowly become more active and the deep wrinkles of the forehead, eyebrows, and crow's feet will reappear.
Some patients return every three months to prevent wrinkles from coming back while others may wait four to six months to retreat facial muscles. Fortunately, follow-up treatments take only a few minutes once we learn your individual treatment plan.
Just a few minutes! Once we have a customized treatment plan for you, repeat treatments with Botox are relatively quick and easy. Nevertheless, the process should never be rushed and we will take the time you need for a gentle and precise treatment to ensure the best possible result.
Prejuventation prevents wrinkles and creases in the skin and can begin in your 20s and 30s. With treatments each four to six months, wrinkles and signs of aging can be delayed or prevented. It can often be easier to prevent wrinkles and skin creases from forming than to treat them.
Rejuvenation softens wrinkles and creases to help make the skin smoother when you are in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. With treatments each three to four months, creases can be improved and further wrinkling can be prevented.
The cost of treatment varies and is based on the number of units.
The goal is to use the smallest number of units necessary to obtain the desired result - relaxed facial muscles, smooth skin, fewer wrinkles, and youthful appearance all while still having some facial expression. Too much Botox can cause a frozen or emotionless appearance.
Some offices may charge "per syringe" or “per area” while we charge "per unit" because they feel that every patient deserves to know exactly how many units are used to treat each muscle. This allows transparency and consistency with each treatment you received and is also the best value for you.
Pricing "per syringe" or “per area” is problematic for a patient because it prevents you from knowing the number of units as well as potential dilution of the product. If you live in the Cambridge Mass area, consider a home visit for Botox.
Other common reasons to receive Botox include migraine headaches, hyperhidrosis (armpit sweating), masseter muscle hypertrophy, and square or masculine appearing jaw, bruxism (jaw grinding) with jaw pain, and mental depression.
Releasing the strain of muscles on the face and scalp can also help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches. Patients with frequent migraines causing disruption in school or work schedules can benefit tremendously from Botox treatments when other treatments fail. Improvement with Botox may also be an indication for surgical release.
Forehead nerves, known as the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves, can be decompressed through cosmetically favorable incisions in the upper eyelid such as those used for an eyelid lift. Eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, can also be performed simultaneously with releasing compressed nerves causing migraine headaches. This procedure can be performed under local anesthesia with limited downtime and a relatively rapid recovery.
Another common site of nerve compression is the occipital nerves on the back of the head. The occipital nerves can become compressed by the occipital arteries and muscles leading to migraine headaches. Through an incision hidden in the hair on the back of the head, Our team can release and decompress the occipital nerves to help alleviate nerve compression that may be contributing to migraine headaches. No hair is cut and patients recover rapidly and go home on the same day with this short procedure.
Patients with jaw grinding or bruxism and associated pain may find considerable relief with Botox injections into the masseter muscles or temporalis muscles or both. Reducing the strength and tension of these muscles can reduce the strain across the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the frequency of tooth grinding.
Repeated botulinum toxin injection (Botox) into the masseter muscle for patients with masseter muscle overgrowth results in the decreased thickness of the masseter muscle, mandible bone angle remodeling, and decreased mandible angle flair for patients with a square-shaped or masculine appearing jaw.
This treatment is very common in Asian countries such as Korea, China, and Japan for men and women who desire a softer or more delicate and rounded appearing face and jawline. Transgender patients who identify as female may also wish to soften the appearance of the jaw. While Botox offers a non-surgical solution, it is most helpful for mild to moderate masseter hypertrophy and mandible angle flair.
Treatments can be repeated every three to four months in the office. Patients with moderate or severe deformity may consider surgical treatment with jaw contouring, mandible angle reduction, and masseter muscle release.
Excess sweating of the armpits, hands or feet (hyperhidrosis), and muscle spasms may also benefit from Botox Cosmetic. If you wish to decrease armpit sweating during the hot Boston summer months, you might consider a treatment in the spring or summer to get through to the fall.
Despite treatment with anti-depressant medications, some patients with depression continue to feel sad, down, or angry. Many studies have found that treatment of facial wrinkles with botulinum toxins such as Botox Cosmetic also helps alleviate symptoms of depression.
The mechanism is still being investigated, though perhaps the facial feedback mechanisms of fear, anger, or sadness contribute to the benefits of Botox with Depression. Look good and perhaps feel better.
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300 Mount Auburn St. Ste 304, Cambridge, MA 02138
300 Mount Auburn St. Ste 304, Cambridge, MA 02138
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