Botox®
Albuquerque residents looking for a trusted Botox® provider can find what they’re looking for at Western Dermatology Consultants. Botox® is a cosmetic treatment available to guests who want to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles—specifically between their eyebrows and to the sides of their eyes. All of our nurse injectors work under the direct supervision of our board-certified dermatologists and receive ongoing training on the latest techniques available.
Such skill and care is important, as Botox® Cosmetic is an injectable that targets precise muscles to prevent them from contracting and causing moderate to deep wrinkles, such as the annoying glabellar lines that appear just above the nose and between the eyebrows.
Contact Us
Our spa in Albuquerque offers free consultations, so visitors can be sure their questions are answered. Call 505-855-9267 to learn more about Botox® and other treatments available to residents in Santa Fe and beyond.
What is Botox®?
Simply put, Botox® is the brand name of an injectable made from purified protein. Specifically, it contains the botulinum toxin, which is a versatile substance used for everything from smoothing out wrinkled foreheads—as with Botox® Cosmetic available at our spa—to treating medical conditions. Doctors choose it for hyperhidrosis, for example, because the injections can prevent excessive underarm sweating.
Figure 1 – As we make facial expressions, our brain directs our nerves to send movement signals to muscles beneath the skin to contract. This contraction of the muscles is what leads to forming wrinkles on the surface of the skin. Over time, the constant repetition of contracting facial muscles lead to formation of permanent fine lines and wrinkles.
Figure 2 – Botox® temporarily prevents the formation of wrinkles by reducing the muscles’ ability to contract through blocking nerve signals that cause muscle contractions. This greatly diminishes or eliminates fine lines and wrinkles from showing on the surface of the skin.
It does all of this by keeping signals from reaching their targets in the body. When the brain sends a message to underarm glands to begin to produce sweat, for instance, Botox® prevents that message from ever making it to those glands. Similarly, when the brain sends a message for muscles to contract as part of a facial expression—say, a scowl—that message doesn’t arrive at key muscles that contribute to forehead wrinkles.
The makers of the prescription injectable can boast more than four decades of study that have gone into ensuring its safety and efficacy. In fact, Botox® was used in a medical setting for years before it gained FDA approval and popularity as a cosmetic.
Its development was influenced by roughly 2,500 studies, all of which helped it to get approved for a variety of uses—and new applications continue to be discovered and approved.
It is certainly popular as a cosmetic. In the 12 years since its cosmetic approval in 2002, there have been about 11 million Botox® injections. It regularly tops lists of globally popular procedures for men and women alike.
What Causes Wrinkles?
One reason Botox® is so popular may be because the wrinkles it treats are so universally visible, appearing on the upper half of the face, near the eyes, which tend to draw focus. Each scowl and frown, each squint and laugh etches wrinkles into the skin moved by contracting muscles. Over time, as the countless daily expressions add up and aging skin loses its pliability, the wrinkles become more and more noticeable.
This is because your skin is much more than a thin covering for your body. It’s made up of layers, each composed of a variety of elements that fulfill roles vital to maintaining health and beauty. Unfortunately, some of those elements diminish as we get older, decreasing our skin’s resiliency and vibrancy.
A loss of key natural moisturizers and more creates skin that can’t “bounce back” as effectively to its resting state after being pushed into a new position. What begin as thin lines may deepen into moderate—or even severe—wrinkles visible even when the forehead is at rest.
Such wrinkles that develop on the face are what Botox® is approved to address. These are crow’s feet that radiate from the corners of the eyes and furrows that crop up between the eyebrows. Botox® works by preventing specific muscles from contracting, giving the overlying skin a break and keeping wrinkles from appearing where they’re not wanted.
Botox® can also be used under the eyes, for TMJ or shaping the masseter muscle, giving the neck and shoulders an elongated appearance with trapezius injections, and even helping with underarm sweating and migraines.
Where In the Face is Botox® Applied?
Our nurse injectors don’t simply apply Botox® Cosmetic to the general area where unwanted wrinkles appear. Injections must be made with precision, targeting specific muscles that fold the skin into telltale creases and lines when they contract.
For crow’s feet, the muscles are known as the orbicularis oculi. There’s one to the side of either eye to control the eyelid closing, and injections are made into three areas in each of the two muscles.
Figure 3 – People across the United States know that BOTOX® is FDA approved for reducing the appearance of forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet, which is why it has become such a widespread and popular minimally invasive cosmetic option. Experienced and knowledgeable medical professionals and skin experts can also use it to treat a variety of other cosmetic concerns on the face, from the forehead to the chin, and even the neck. Want to learn more about these uses for BOTOX®? Albuquerque’s Western Dermatology Consultants can walk any patient through the injectable’s ability to help smooth out wrinkles known as bunny lines on the nose, reduce the appearance of vertical lip lines between the top of the mouth and the nose, even out a dimpled chin, and soften neck bands caused by loose muscles below the chin. BOTOX® can also help to reduce the severity of a naturally downturned mouth by relaxing the corners for a lift, and can accomplish a similar effect on the eyebrows by giving them a raised, more alert appearance. BOTOX® has proven to be a very versatile cosmetic for patients looking to avoid surgery, but who still want to make temporary cosmetic changes to their face.
For glabellar lines, there are multiple muscles that come into play: the procerus muscle and the corrugator muscle. Injections will be made into four areas in the corrugator, which gets its name from the Latin word for causing wrinkles. One Botox® injection goes into the procerus. In all, there are five points to be targeted in the forehead.
Do not simply go with the first result after searching “Botox® near me!” The Western Dermatology Consultants team is highly trained, and the injectors are supervised to ensure that Botox® is administered safely and effectively. The precision not only prioritizes patient health, but also maximizes the aesthetic benefit by preserving surrounding muscle action to allow for a continued range of expressions.
Despite the emphasis on precision, the injection process alone can take as little as 10 minutes to complete. Patients have been known to schedule lunchtime appointments, then directly return to work or other activities.
Will Botox® Hurt?
Many patients describe the injection itself as similar to having their skin pinched, which is a common sensation related to procedures involving needles. Some patients concerned about the injection request that the skin at the injection site be numbed with ice or a topical medication before receiving the treatment. This can be discussed and arranged at the consultation or at any point prior to the injection.
What Does Botox® Cost in Albuquerque?
No two patients are alike, so no two treatment sessions will be exactly the same. Whether a guest seeking Botox® is from nearby Santa Fe or a far-off region, the board-certified dermatologists at Western Dermatology will work to tailor a specific plan and discuss Botox® costs accordingly.
The cosmetic can continue to keep wrinkle-forming muscles from contracting for months. Since the effects of Botox® fade over time, many people opt to get semi-regular injections in order to maintain the smooth look of unlined skin.
Know that the maker of Botox® Cosmetic offers a Brilliant Distinctions program that offers points and rewards that can be put toward future treatments for this and more of the company’s cosmetics, including the dermal fillers Juvéderm® and Juvéderm Voluma™ XC and the eyelash-lengthening Latisse®.
How Long Do the Effects of Botox® Last?
Patients should begin to see a reduction in the appearance of their wrinkles within 24 to 48 hours of receiving their Botox® injection. Allergan, the cosmetic’s manufacturer, states that results can last up to four months, though some patients have reported enjoying its benefits for longer. Its exact duration depends on a variety of factors, but anyone who receives the injections can expect several months minimum of smoothed-out lines and a refreshed appearance.
As the effects fade and wrinkles gradually return, patients can discuss a new round of injections so that they can maintain their unlined look.
Post-Treatment Care
Botox® is considered to be a minimally invasive cosmetic because it is far less invasive than surgery. Since the treatment involves only injections and requires no incisions or sutures, there is no necessary recovery period for healing. Patients should be aware of certain side effects to watch for, but can generally resume their everyday activities on the same day as their Botox® session.
Botox® is FDA approved for treating forehead wrinkles and crow’s feet, and has been safely applied many millions of times throughout the world. Minor side effects may include headache, dry eyes, tiredness, and blurred vision. Anyone interested in learning more about potential side effects, as well as what to watch for in terms of more serious side effects, can talk to the doctors at Western Dermatology Consultants.
Beyond Botox®
Botox® works well to reduce the appearance of wrinkles on specific areas of the face, but there may be other regions a patient wants addressed in order to achieve a refreshed, rejuvenated, youthful look. Dermal fillers such as Restylane®, Juvéderm®, and Perlane® can complement a Botox® injection by correcting other moderate to severe facial wrinkles and adding volume to places that have sunken or thinned. Talk to the Western Dermatology Consultants staff about developing a treatment plan that creates an overall harmonious balance.
Also be aware that Botox® addresses wrinkles only, so it doesn’t impact blemishes or problems with skin tone. Patients seeking to erase sun or age spots, even out redness, minimize the appearance of scars, or clear their complexion should consider a laser or light treatment, chemical peel, microdermabrasion, or something similar.
Various treatments available at the Spa @ WDC can be combined to deliver polished, smooth, radiant skin that can help a patient to look years younger.
If you’re considering a botulinum toxin-based cosmetic aside from Botox®, such as Dysport®, you should know that the units are not interchangeable. Each is a unique brand, and you can learn the differences between them at your consultation.
What Else Can Botox® Do?
As noted above, Botox® is effective at combatting hyperhidrosis in addition to serving as a popular cosmetic. The injectable is also routinely used by medical doctors in relieving neck pain from a condition known as cervical dystonia, managing migraine symptoms, controlling eyelid spasms, treating overactive bladders, and helping strabismus sufferers’ eyes to align.
While Western Dermatology Consultants offers Botox® only for cosmetic uses, these other applications available elsewhere speak to the injectable’s safety, efficacy, and utility.
Contact Us
Scheduling a consultation at Western Dermatology Consultants in Albuquerque for Botox® is easy. Call 505-855-9267, or make an appointment online.
One Last Note on Botox®
A trained specialist—like those we have on staff—knows how to blend precision and speed. A typical Botox® session goes by quickly, but the injections will nevertheless be targeted for maximum aesthetic impact to each individual.
Faces are important. We understand that very well at Western Dermatology, which is why we offer a product we believe in as safe, effective, and designed to deliver the results our clients are looking for in their search for a smooth, wrinkle-free forehead.