It’s Not Magic – It’s Botox

You stress, You squint into the harsh sun. You concentrate. And over time those expressions leave their mark on your face making you look older, tired and stressed.

But now there’s Botox. A simple, non-surgical procedure that can dramatically reduce even your toughest wrinkle within days. Whilst Botox is used clinically in over 20 medical conditions including Cerebral Palsy and Essential tremor, it is in the cosmetic field that its use has seen greatest expansion. Botox is a natural, purified protein that relaxes wrinkle causing muscles creating a smoothed, rejuvenated and more youthful appearance.

It’s a simple non-surgical procedure that smoothes the deep, persistent facial lines that develop over time. One ten minute treatment – a few tiny injections – relaxes the muscles that cause those lines to form and keeps them relaxed for 3 to 6 months. The results are often quite dramatic and apparent within days. For many, Botox temporarily erases those lines.

Botox is incredibly safe. It has been approved for Cosmetic used by both the US FDA and the TGA here in Australia. It has been widely tested with 12 years of safe and effective use in hundreds of thousands of patients world wide for various medical uses.

Botox interferes in a reversible way with the excessive stimulation of the muscles of facial expression. This relaxes that worried brow or those deep crows’ feet and gives the face a brighter and more relaxed look. Like any cosmetic procedure Botox can be done poorly.

Over use of the material can create an unnatural look which is unattractive. Conversely insufficient dose whilst cheaper will give a transient improvement only and probably insufficient at that. When used with judgment Botox can soften deep frown lines and accentuate the arch of the brow and then show the eyes.

Deep creases on the forehead can also be softened. More recent uses of Botox have extended to the lower part of the face where they can be used to soften wrinkles around the mouth and deep furrows at the corners of the mouth. An unhappy down turned expression can be gently elevated to create a happier impression.

Another popular use of Botox has been for hyperhidrosis, a condition where profuse sweating from the arm pits creates an embarrassing and uncomfortable circumstance for the sufferer. Botox directly injected into the arm pits ‘switches off’ these over active sweat glands and leaves the user dry and comfortable. Interestingly use of Botox for cosmetic reasons around the brow has been discovered to decrease the frequency of migraine headaches.

This coincidental discovery has lead to further expansion of the medical indications for Botox. Reassuringly all affects of Botox are reversible. The overactive muscles are only temporarily weakened and cessation of Botox therapy will lead to return of full function. Botox also only works on the specific areas treated so other muscles like those used to raise the eyebrows, are not affected so a natural expression is maintained.

It will not “freeze” your facial expressions. It soften them and works where you want it to. So it’s really up to you. You can choose to live with wrinkles or you can chose to live without them.

About Dr Scamp
Dr. Terrence Scamp is a graduate of the University of Queensland, (1980) and underwent his internship at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Two years after graduation he moved into surgical training and obtained experience in vascular, orthopedic, neurosurgery and general surgery. He commenced his specialized training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1986 at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, moving to Prince Alexandra Hospital in 1987 for a further year of training in plastic surgery. In 1988, he commenced three and a half years of International training in Scotland, Bristol, Harley Street London, Belgium, Slovenia, Germany and the U. S.A. www.esteemclinic.com.au