Botox Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows in people 18 to 65 years of age for a short period of time (temporary). Botox Cosmetic has an established record of experience that your doctor knows and trusts - it's precise and predictable. Your doctor decides precisely how to administer Botox Cosmetic for best results.
During your consultation, your doctor will discuss any contraindications that may apply. Having a treatment with Botox Cosmetic is one way to temporarily treat moderate to severe frown lines between the brows. Only you and your doctor can decide if Botox Cosmetic is the one for you.
Botox Cosmetic is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to improve the look of the “11s,” the moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines). With a few tiny injections, Botox Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) blocks nerve impulses to the injected muscles, reducing their contractions. This reduced muscle activity helps smooth the appearance of stubborn frown lines between the brows.
Frown lines are caused by overactive facial muscles. Fillers mask the wrinkle by adding volume around the muscle with intradermal injections. Botox Cosmetic is intramuscular, blocking the chemicals that cause facial muscles to contract, thereby relaxing them. While there are many options available for fillers, Botox Cosmetic is the only product of its type that affects the muscles that cause these wrinkles.
Be sure to discuss any medical conditions with your doctor during your initial consultation.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal products. Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, anti-inflammatories, vitamin E, gingko biloba and St. John's Wort for a week before the treatment to reduce the potential for bruising or swelling. Using Botox or Botox Cosmetic with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received Botox or Botox Cosmetic in the past.
During your consultation, your doctor will ask you about your goals to determine where to administer Botox Cosmetic. To do this, your doctor may examine your ability to move certain muscles in your brow area. The location, size, and use of the muscles that create furrow between your brows can vary among individuals. Ask the doctor any questions you may have about your expectations for treatment, and discuss treatment goals and finalize a customized treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Botox Cosmetic is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning that clinical data on its safety and effectiveness were reviewed by the FDA prior to approval.
Botox is approved to treat 20 different conditions in more than 75 countries worldwide and has been approved in the US for more than 17 years to treat a variety of medical conditions, The same formulation was approved in 2002 as Botox Cosmetic for the temporary treatment of the stubborn vertical lines between the eyebrows, often referred to as the “11's” in people ages 18 to 65.
Following treatment with Botox Cosmetic, some patients have reported minimal bruising around the injection-site area. The most common side effects following injection include headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop, and nausea. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection.
Patients with certain neurological disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects. Serious allergic reactions have been rarely reported. If you think you’re having an allergic reaction or other unusual symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, speaking, or breathing, call your doctor immediately. Ask your physician if you have any unanswered questions, and tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. You may also report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Botox Cosmetic is quick and minimally invasive. Your doctor makes a few tiny injections into the muscles that cause moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. Your doctor will determine exactly where to administer the injections to achieve the best results. No anesthesia is required. However, your doctor may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream prior to injecting. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. Discomfort is usually minimal and brief - most patients compare the sensation to a bug bite. Most patients are in and out of the physician’s office without downtime following Botox Cosmetic treatment. You may resume normal activity immediately.
Within 24 to 48 hours, you should start to notice a softening in the appearance of the stubborn frown lines between your brows. In clinical trials, a majority of patients were able to see significant improvement at 7 days, continuing for up to a month. By day 30 in a patient clinical study, 89% of patients judged the severity of their frown lines between their eyes as moderate or better. Visible results have been shown to last up to 4 months. Individual results may vary; talk to your doctor about what you can expect.
If you're pleased with your Botox Cosmetic treatment, you might want to consider a regular treatment schedule to help maintain your results.
You can receive injections with Botox Cosmetic every 3 to 4 months to help you maintain the results as long as you don't have any serious allergic reactions or other significant side effects. Your physician’s office may offer treatment reminders to keep you on track.
If you discontinue treatment, the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows will gradually return to look like they did before treatment.
No downtime is needed - you're ready to get on with your day! However, you should not lie down for two hours after the treatment or rub or massage the treated area as this may move the Botox. Also, do not exercise excessively the day of the treatment. Your physician will give you additional specific aftercare instructions at the time of your treatment, if needed.
Treatments such as Botox Cosmetic can enhance the way you look. Botox Cosmetic is often used to relax the dominant frown muscles between the eyebrows, allowing the 2 vertical lines between the brows, often referred to as the “11's”, to temporarily diminish in appearance. In fact, a National Women's Health Resource Center survey found that for those women who were treated with or considering esthetic-injectable treatments, more than half (52%) reported that treatments were appealing to them to obtain a “natural and refreshed” look.
When administered by an experienced physician, you can still smile, frown, and look surprised without those lines - also known as the “11's” - between your brows. Esthetic-injectable treatments such as Botox Cosmetic are technique-sensitive procedures so make sure to visit a well-trained esthetic-specialty physician for your treatment and discuss the optimal results you would like to achieve.
Visible results have been shown to last up to four months. Your own results may vary - be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about what you can expect and when to schedule your next appointment.
The Brilliant Distinctions® Points Program allows you to earn points for each eligible treatment you receive from your physician. These points are redeemable for savings on future treatments, as well as select Allergan® products and ongoing opportunities for other valuable rewards. Please check the program website or ask your physician to learn more about what treatments you can earn points on once you activate into the program.
