Botox Blog Part I: Facts and Myths

Hello,

I believe Botox is a reasonable alternative to facial surgery and should work well.  Here's my dilemma--I enthusiastically met with a doctor my friend recommended to have the procedure done for my forehead and around my eye area--my friend is an esthetician who has had the procedure, she looks great and she (and the doctor) felt it would be a good idea to begin with the area around the eyes and my forehead. 

The first procedure the doctor did in November 2007 had absolutely No Affect.  10 days later I looked Exactly The Same!  So after 10 days I returned to his office and he re-did the procedure/injections.  The outcome looked very good and lasted until March 2008!  I was pleased with it so returned in March 2008, about three days before Easter to have the doctor do the procedure again--at the time he was doing the injection on my left eye, I remember him mumbling something about changing needles to make sure they are sharp and that I have very thick skin (Not that it should make any difference--I'm African-American).  By the time the procedure was done, I felt pain on the side of my left eye--the next day I awakened with a horrible Black eye!! I wore sunglasses in church on Easter Sunday.  He was very apologetic and said there's always a chance for bruising--something he'd never mentioned before.  To make matters worse I had to return to his office in APRIL because the procedure was already wearing off!  It had not been a full two months!!  His explanation was the more you use your muscles the sooner the procedure will wear off.(??)  I reminded him he'd said this second procedure would last "at least 4 to 6 months"!!  His explanation was it could be because I was using my facial muscles more and it caused the procedure to wear off more quickly.  How can that be?  Botox parallyzes the muscle--doesn't it...??

Can you offer me any advice.  Is this normal for Botox procedures?  If I need to return every 2 months I won't be able to afford it at $650 a session!  I also found it odd that the first procedure (after he repeated it) lasted exactly 4 months.  Could it be this doctor is short-changing me in the amount of Botox he's injecting??  The entire experience has been very frustrating as I would like to have another procedure done but am finding it difficult to trust this doctor.  Do you know of specialist in the San Jose area who are well re-nouned in their art.

Thank you for reviewing my concerns.

How long Botox lasts is ‘dose dependent'. Dosing depends on how the medicine is reconstituted and administered in the injection site.

Botox is a simple injection which reduces the appearance of "frown lines", "furrows", and "laugh lines" for 3 to 4 months. The medicine consists of protein which starts to take effect 2 to 3 days after the procedure, achieving optimal results in about 10 days. The results you receive in this time can be expected to last for at least 3 months, but in some clinical trials results were seen for upwards of 4 months. Botox injections gradually wear off, and may need to be repeated about every 4 months.

Co-author of www.antiagingskincaremag.com

Botox can make a difference.. See http://1Botox.com for more info.

I think especially for those with premature wrinkling it really helps one feel ones own age.

Did you know that Botox is tested on animals? It is tested on Rabbits,Hamsters,Mice, and Chickens.  Is there anyway that you know of that i can email the makers of Botox?

Please Please Email Me about this!!