BOTOX Cosmetic (Botulinum Toxin Type A)

In recent years, BOTOX Cosmetic has become a popular topic in the media. Hopefully, this site can clear up any questions you may have about this product and what to expect from its use. Dr. Patrick Costello is certified to use BOTOX to treat age-related wrinkles, strabismus, and disorders of facial muscle spasm.

Although he treated patients with BOTOX for Cosmetic purposes and for medical disorders, he also did a short clinical preceptorship with Dr. Elizabeth A. Arthur, M.D. Dr. Arthur is a dermatologist specializing in aesthetic and cosmetic treatments in the Rochester area.

Why do people get BOTOX?

To remove frown lines between eyebrows and crows feet in the eye corners that make people look tired or upset. BOTOX has been the most popular physician administered aesthetic procedure for the past four years. In 2005, almost 3.3 million procedures were performed.

How does it work?

This is a non-surgical, physician-administered aesthetic treatment for moderate to severe frown lines between the brows, at the outer eye corners, and over the nose in people ages 18-65 years. It works by reducing the contractions of the muscles that cause those persistent frown lines that have developed over time.

The Day of Your Appointment

Allow time before your appointment for filling out forms and for consulting with the doctor or a member of his or her staff. If it’s your initial visit, you may first meet with one of our technicians to review your medical history and make sure this treatment is safe before Dr. Costello reviews this information again a second time. You will be asked about your expectations and any allergies that you may have that may make you a poor candidate for treatment.

You’ll be seated in a reclining chair, much like you would find in a dentist’s office. No anesthesia is required, but Dr. Costello likes to apply sterile ice-filled balloons to the area to numb it prior to treatment. This also stops the area from becoming red.

The location of the injections is determined by what the patient hopes to accomplish and by where the lines form with muscle contraction by the patient. The entire procedure takes about 10 minutes.

After the procedure, you are free to leave. You can continue on with your day. The most common side effects are listed below. These are rare.

Seeing Results

Within days, you should notice an improvement in moderate to severe frown lines. This can last up to 4 months. Results may vary.

Possible Side Effects

The most common side effects include headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop, and nausea. Other side effects include pain and redness where the medicine was injected, pain in the face, and muscle weakness. Injection intervals should be no more frequent than every 3 months. Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton Syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.