BOTOX® Cosmetic Makes a Big Difference
BOTOX® Cosmetic is the original injectable treatment designed to reduce wrinkles. It has consistently been the number one cosmetic treatment for more than 15 years. Originally, we treated only lines between the brows, also known as frown lines. The treatments have progressed to more customized treatments based on your anatomy and desires, treating many areas of the face and neck. Botox can correct different types of wrinkles – both static (wrinkles at rest) and dynamic wrinkles (wrinkles that occur with motion). The type of wrinkle determines the number of treatments that will be needed to see improvement. It will take several treatments to fix static wrinkles, Typically, dynamic wrinkles form around the eyes, brow, and mouth due to tension in the muscles that help a person smile, frown, grimace, or laugh. Over time, this muscle tension causes the surface level of the skin to develop creases that add lines to a person’s smooth complexion.
Botox is an excellent treatment for patients with fine to medium depth lines of the face. In particular, it can treat the following:
- Frown lines – vertical lines that show between the eyebrows, that create a harsh or mad appearance.
- Forehead lines – horizontal wrinkles that form on the upper forehead at rest or with raising the eyebrows.
- Crow’s feet – small wrinkles that form at the corner of the eyes, can be present at rest or seen as wrinkles in motion.
- Bunny lines – horizontal wrinkles that form on the upper nose nose between the eyebrows.
- Perioral wrinkles/smoker’s lines – vertical wrinkles that form on the upper and lower lip. These can also be due to chronic straw use or tension of the mouth.
- Square jawline – caused by prominent or bulging muscles.
- Marionette lines – furrows that form at the corner of the lip and give a downturned appearance.
- Orange peel skin of the chin (peau d’orange) – irregular texture of the chin with talking or mouth closure.
- Platysmal bands – vertical muscle bands in the neck
Overall, patients who receive a Botox treatment will enjoy a more rested and youthful appearance in just one visit. Rather than return for multiple procedures or deal with a long recovery time patients who choose Botox will see results within two weeks without needing to hide away for days as they heal from a surgical procedure.
View Botox® Before and After Gallery
The Benefits of BOTOX®
Facial lines may appear in areas like your forehead, between your brows, and at the corners of your eyes when you smile, frown, or make other expressions. These lines can become more prominent with increased sun exposure and natural aging. Eventually, they may remain on your face regardless of your expression. This can cause you to look older than you actually are or more tired than you actually feel.
Treatment with Botox® offers patients a variety of benefits:
- Get a more youthful and rested appearance after a single appointment. Results can be improved with regular skin treatments such as chemical peels and HydraFacial MD
- Customized treatments: Our practice makes the process simple and straightforward. Schedule your appointment through our Tox2GO app. Your treatment with Dr. Porter will be designed based on your desires and her experience.
- See improvement with no downtime. Botox® lets you return to your normal activities immediately after your visit.
Is BOTOX® The Right Option For Me?
Botox is a safe, fast, and effective solution for someone who would like wrinkles to be smoothed out, drastically reducing the signs of aging, without going under a knife. The treatment takes just 5 minutes, and patients suffer little to no downtime, making it a great option for busy professionals who want to spruce up their appearance without sacrificing their work or personal lives. That being said, not everyone qualifies for this procedure. There are a few stipulations patients must meet, including:
- Being at least 18 years old (though this usually isn’t a problem, as most patients seeking Botox treatment are older and wish to eliminate signs of aging)
- Having dynamic wrinkles, which are wrinkles that show when a person makes an expression (Botox can’t treat static wrinkles, which are wrinkles that show all the time)
- Being in overall good health to avoid treatment complications (which are rare)
The best way to know if you qualify as a candidate for Botox is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Porter.
Designing Your BOTOX® Treatment
When Botox is determined to be the treatment for you, Dr. Porter will perform a thorough examination to get a better look at your wrinkles and learn more about your expectations. In some cases, she may recommend an alternative treatment or even a combination of various treatments. Her goal is to ensure each patient leaves her office with the results they desire, and she will put together a plan of care that reflects this. Frequently, she may recommend a combination treatment of Botox, Jeuveau and/or Dysport. Her recommendations will depend on your anatomy and desired outcome. Sprinkle Botox is a frequent treatment for those that want to have fewer wrinkles while keeping natural facial movements. These treatments will not last as long but patients on this regimen will typically receive treatments every few months after during their maintenance skin care treatment (HydrafacialMD, SkinPen, Chemical Peel).
Dysport® & Jeuveau™ as Alternatives to BOTOX®
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery also offers patients Dysport® and Jeuveau™, products that act in a similar manner to Botox. In Dr. Porter’s experience, Dysport can provide a few advantages over Botox:
- It tends to have a quicker onset of action.
- Patients with extensive lines in the areas of the crow’s feet can expect excellent results.
- It does a nice job of softening crow’s feet.
- Dysport doesn’t flatten the muscle as much as Botox and keeps the skin from taking on a shiny appearance.
Jeuveau is the latest addition to the botulinum toxin products. Jeuveau acts more directly and has less spread than Botox or Dysport.
As part of your initial consultation, Dr. Porter will analyze your face and recommend which neurotoxin will be best for you. She frequently she uses a combination of Botox, Jeuveau and Dysport so that she can target wrinkles as effectively as possible.
CCFPS and Your Care
As with other facial cosmetic procedures that we offer patients, our goal with Botox® is to provide a more youthful appearance while preserving a natural aesthetic. Typically, Dr. Porter uses a conservative application of Botox to a broader area, reducing signs of aging and allowing patients to retain natural expression.
We want your results to be everything you hoped they would be, and so we generally ask patients to come back two weeks after treatment so that Dr. Porter can evaluate the results. Seeing the degree of improvement will let her know how to optimize treatment in future sessions should you continue to receive Botox.
Planning Botox appointments with our office is easy. Outside of her work in private practice, Dr. Porter is also the creator of Tox2GO, a mobile app that simplifies treatment by letting you schedule your visit and communicate the target areas prior to your arrival. You’ll also be eligible to receive discounts on future Botox® injections. Download Tox2GO in the App store.
Treatment With BOTOX®
During your consultation, you and Dr. Porter will talk about your areas of concern and the type of results you want to see. Virtual Consultations are ideal if you are unsure of whether the treatment is right for you. Thus when you come to the office we can further examine you and perform the treatment quickly and efficiently. These discussions are great for getting to know your individual preferences; patients often realize that they have a specific idea of the amount of movement they want in their features, in the degree of an eyebrow’s arch, and so on.
Most of our patients describe the experience of getting Botox® as quick and easy:
- As an expert in facial aesthetic procedures, Dr. Porter takes a lot of care in the placement of her injections. This leads to more predictable outcomes.
- The process takes about five minutes.
- You can return to normal activities afterward.
Our patients usually have treatment with Botox® every three months in their first year. This tends to increase the overall window of effectiveness, and by the second year, most people get the same benefit with treatments every four to five months. As a result, you should see significantly smoother features and a reduction in dynamic lines and wrinkles.
BOTOX® can improve a variety of aesthetic issues and signs of aging. Schedule a consultation by contacting CCFPS online or by phone at (301) 652-8191.
