Information
Botox for face wrinkles and MUCH MORE!
Want to look younger? Say goodbye to lines and wrinkles! Botulinum toxin A (Botox, Xeomin) temporarily relaxes the muscles that cause persistent forehead creases, glabellar lines, and crow’s feet. It also corrects: Bunny lines (nose)
- Gummy smile
- Natural frowning
- Wide lower face/jaw
- Teeth grinding (bruxism)
- Smoker’s lines
- Chin dimpling
- Neck platysma bands
- Armpit/hand/feet sweating (hyperhidrosis) - see more below
Botox and Xeomin injections take 3-7 days to take effect and last 3 to 5 months.
Botulinum toxin A to treat face wrinkles has been FDA-approved since 2002. It is the most prevalent nonsurgical cosmetic procedure done in the U.S. with more than 4.5 Million injections performed in 2016. Xeomin (by Merz) is a Botulinum toxin Type A similar to Botox (by Allergan). Xeomin is currently FDA-approved in the U.S. for skin wrinkle treatment and has been safely and effectively used in Europe since 2008.
Xeomin has been well proven to be equally effective as Botox, with one unit of Xeomin equal to one unit of Botox.
- Xeomin and Botox have identical side effects (minor swelling, bruising, headache, and soreness). However, Xeomin has a few added benefits: Xeomin is a pure botulinum toxin A without additives. One benefit of a pure botulinum toxin A is that the human body is less likely to become resistant to it. Some patients have developed antibodies to Botox.
- Xeomin is the only one of the three botulinum toxins that do not need to be refrigerated before use.
- With its aggressive advertising and market share dominance, Allergan has significantly raised its price for Botox, thus squeezing profits from consumers and healthcare providers
For these reasons, Xeomin is our preferred botulinum toxin A product.
Ideally, Xeomin is used prior to the formation of face wrinkles—as early as in your mid-20s—to prevent wrinkles from forming in the first place. And beginning at any later age, you effectively halt the further progression of face wrinkles while keeping your skin as wrinkle-free as possible. Xeomin injections last 3-5 months from each procedure, equal to the other botulinum toxin A products. There are no known long-term adverse effects from Xeomin.
Xeomin injections to the face are easily tolerated, and numbing ointment is available upon request, though few patients need this. The injection procedure takes about 10-15 minutes and there is no downtime afterward. Expect two to four days for it to start working, with the full effect typically seen in 1 week.
