What Is Botox?
Botox is an FDA-approved treatment for wrinkles that is injected into facial muscles to target one of the underlying causes of frown lines and crow’s feet – repeated muscle contractions in the face. Muscle contractions occur constantly with facial movements including frowning and squinting. Botox is consistently one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed each year.
What Is Botox Used For?
Botox may be used to:
- Stop the muscle contractions in the face that cause wrinkles, with results that last for several months
- Noticeably erase fine lines and wrinkles from the face
- Smooth or eliminate crow’s feet and frown lines
Am I A Candidate For Botox?
Botox may be recommended for patients of both genders facing one or more of the following aesthetic concerns:
- Moderate to severe fine lines around the eyes
- Moderate to severe fine lines in the forehead
- Lines on the face in between the eyebrows (frown lines)
- Wrinkles and signs of aging in the face
In some cases, Dr. Romo may recommend the use of Botox in conjunction with dermal fillers, such as Radiesse, Voluma, Restylane, Juvederm or Sculptra, in order to provide more natural-looking and youthful results.
Botox Consultation With Dr. Thomas Romo in Manhattan
What To Know Before Getting Botox Injections
If you are considering Botox, it’s important to understand that while it is not a surgical procedure, having Botox injections done at a salon or other non-medical environment by someone who is not a board-certified professional is not advisable. You may be putting your health at risk. A top facial plastic surgeon will be able to provide the specialized technique and careful placement necessary in order to achieve the best and most natural-looking results.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect when getting Botox in NYC:
- Botox injections may be performed with a numbing cream
- The procedure is not painful, but it may produce some minimal discomfort
- Injections can take anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes to complete
- Dr. Romo will first select the appropriate injection points and mark them
- Botox is then injected into the marked points beneath the skin
- You can resume your normal activities right away
- You may be advised to stay out of the sun
Are The Injections Painful?
Dr. Romo injects Botox with a tiny needle, and it is not injected to depth. Because of that, most patients say Botox injections feel similar to a simple pinprick, and they don’t feel the need for topical anesthetic.
Read what our patients are saying!
" Dr. Romo and the entire team went above and beyond from the very beginning. At the initial consult Dr. Romo spent a long time with me to learn about my desired results and then made recommendations based upon what I told him. He thoroughly explained the procedure and gave me information to take home to read if I desired to learn more. On the day of the procedure Dr. Romo and his team made sure I was very comfortable and Dr. Romo went over exactly what the procedure would entail. The results of the procedure are absolutely incredible; they are exactly what I hoped they would be. Dr. Romo truly is one of the most caring doctors I have ever met. You will not be disappointed if you go to him. "
Botox Injections To The Forehead And Crows Feet
Botox FAQ
Botox has been injected millions of times all across the world and has proven to be very safe and very effective. The main side effects of a Botox session are possible slight swelling and redness at the injection sites. Some patients may develop a slight headache for the first day after their injections. While not a side effect, it’s important for patients not to rub the injection sites for 24 hours after their session with Dr. Romo. Rubbing these areas can make the Botox migrate to an unintended muscle and create an unwanted effect such as a droopy eyelid.
There is no downtime. Patients can return to work or their normal activities immediately after their appointment. That’s why Botox was deemed the original “lunchtime” procedure. It takes just 10-15 minutes and you can get back to your regular life immediately.
Botox is made from the botulinum toxin, and it doesn’t react with dermal fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane. So, if you’d also like to address areas such as sunken cheeks with Juvederm Voluma or nasolabial folds with Juvederm, that can easily be combined with a Botox session. Since facelift surgery only addresses the middle to lower face, Botox can be used in conjunction to address crow’s feet, the 11s, and forehead lines. Nose and eyelid surgery both create swelling around the eyes, however, so Botox shouldn’t be combined at the same time.
Botox works in a completely different fashion than dermal fillers. It even works on a different type of wrinkle! Botox erases what are known as “dynamic” wrinkles. These are wrinkles that are formed when we make certain expressions on the upper third of our faces. Expressions such as frowning or showing surprise engage the muscles on the upper third of the face, and over time, as our skin becomes less elastic, wrinkles form on the surface above the wrinkle. Botox erases these wrinkles by relaxing the muscle for a period of time. Dermal fillers work on the other type of wrinkle, known as “static” wrinkles. Static wrinkles form due to sun damage, declining collagen production, personal habits such as smoking, and natural aging. Static wrinkles show themselves at all times, not just when a muscle contracts. Dermal fillers work by returning volume beneath the wrinkle or area of volume loss, pushing the skin back upwards. Botox has no effect on static wrinkles, and dermal fillers don’t work on dynamic wrinkles.
Botox doesn’t provide instant results. This is because it takes a little time to relax the muscles it was injected into. Botox usually takes from 2-4 days to fully take effect.
Botox erases wrinkles for about four months. At that point, the body will absorb the now-inert botulinum toxin, the muscles will start contracting again, and the wrinkles will return. But another Botox session with Dr. Romo will maintain your results.
Thomas Romo III, MD, FACS is one of the most experienced and respected facial plastic surgeons in the world, known for his meticulous minimally invasive surgical techniques and for achieving the most natural-looking results for his patients. As a world-renowned innovator in surgical methods as well as an inventor of new endoscopic instruments for facial surgery, Dr. Romo’s practice draws patients from New York City, across the United States, and internationally for all of their surgical and non-surgical facial cosmetic needs.
If you are interested in learning more about Botox or other procedures Dr. Romo performs, call our office today at 212-288-1500. You can also schedule a consultation with Dr. Romo by filling out our appointment request form. You deserve to look and feel your best, so don’t hesitate to contact us today!
