Skip to content 
Botox is a powerful drug that knocks off the connection between the nerves and muscles. While we refer to this neurotoxin as “Botox,” there are actually several companies that make nearly identical products.
The FDA approved Botox Cosmetic to lessen vertical frown lines between the brows. (Those are the ones that appear on your dog’s face when another dog approaches his food. They signal anger to the prospective thief, and telegraph an imminent bite if the retreat doesn’t occur.) The FDA allows drugs to be used “off-label” for purposes that they haven’t specifically approved. And so, Botox is legitimately used to reduce the horizontal forehead lines, the crow’s feet, and the bunny lines on the nose. Some daring docs have used it to decrease wrinkles around the mouth and even the bands in the neck. These areas are much less predictable than the upper face areas, and complications like drooling and asymmetric smiles are common. We won’t get into it here, but Botox has also been used to decrease hand, feet, and underarm sweating.
Botox use may seem as simple as injecting the drug in a few set locations. But the creative, artistic use of Botox is much more complex than that. Skilled physicians visualize the muscles that they want to paralyze, and pepper the muscle with many small injections of the drug. The goal of Botox is not to “carpet bomb” the forehead, but rather to preserve some motion while reducing objectionable wrinkles.
Typically, the vertical lines between the brows are injected with 13-30 units of Botox while the horizontal forehead lines need 10-20 units, the crow’s feet need 8-20 on each side and the bunny lines need 5-10 units.
Botox is a revolutionary drug, and is so effective that it can reduce even deep wrinkles. The longer patients use it, the better they look, as the body actually “heals in” wrinkles when they are not continually recreated. Botox takes less than 15 minutes to inject and typically lasts four months. This powerhouse drug can improve appearance and restore confidence.
