Botox is the brand name of a naturally occurring protein neurotoxin (botulinum toxin), which has proven to be a valuable therapeutic tool when injected into muscles in extremely small concentrations. It works by preventing signals from the nerve cells reaching the muscles, thereby relaxing them. Botox is a very safe and extremely popular treatment.

What do we treat with Botox?

We use Botox to reduce facial wrinkles caused by the repeated use of facial muscles (termed “dynamic lines”). Although any muscle could be relaxed by such an injection, we only use it in our practice in three areas:

• frown lines: the space between the eyebrows where (usually unwanted) frown lines occur
• crow’s feet: outside the corners of the eyes where “crow’s feet” appear with aging
• forehead lines: horizontal forehead lines also appear with aging

Physicians in other settings use Botox to treat a variety of medical conditions including excessive sweating, migraines, muscular disorders, and some bladder and bowel disorders.