BOTOX

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox®; Allergan Inc.) is a purified and sterilized extract from bacteria. Doctors have used Botox for years to treat various medical conditions, especially around the eyes. Another exciting use for Botox is for the improvement in overactive facial muscle contraction. Over time, these active muscles will result in unsightly lines on the face. For example, scowl lines, frown lines, and crow's feet are some of the most concerning lines for both men and women. These lines or furrows will continue to deepen and worsen with aging.

Botox works by temporarily making these facial muscles unable to contract. Therefore, they are not able to cause the deep furrows. Botox is injected into the area of the muscles and takes about two to five days to take effect on the muscle area. Over the next two to three days, the lines will fade away. The timing to see results varies with the severity of the lines and furrows. They can be quite dramatic and the effects usually last 3 to 6 months.

The more Botox treatments a person has within a year, which can be administered every three months, seems to improve and lengthen the time of the Botox effects. If you decide to discontinue using Botox, you will usually have a return of some of your previous muscle activity.

Forehead/Brow-lift Rejuvenation
The Forehead area is often overlooked when evaluating a person for the signs of aging. Not only does the patient not consider it important, some doctors do not give the forehead and brow, the respect it deserves. Yet, Leonardo Da Vinci gave it as much importance as the other two thirds of the face. Often, the forehead and eyebrows can be rejuvenated with non-surgical efforts using a variety of other techniques, such as Botox, collagen, dedicated skin care, and skin resurfacing. When forehead surgery is part of the solution, the endoscope can be introduced, therefore, rejuvenating the forehead and eyebrow areas with only small incisions and very little 'down time'. The endoscope (a small camera) when used, can be time saving and may cause less complications than a larger incision approach.

Lip Augmentation
Lip fullness in today's society is a sign of beauty and youthfulness. Lip enhancement or lip augmentation can be achieved using both non-surgical and surgical techniques. The non-surgical techniques for lip augmentation tend to be less long lasting, but are also less extensive and offer an easier recovery. These injectable fillers (collagen, Cymetra) can be done quickly and may provide a nice simple enhancement. The surgical lip augmentation, using fat injection, other body tissues, or synthesized materials, tends to have a longer lasting to permanent enhancement, but from which take longer to recover. Whichever lip augmentation technique is utilized, the result can be very pleasing and offer a significant improvement in the upper and lower lip fullness.