Botulinum toxin (Botox) is a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It causes temporary muscle relaxation/paralysis.
What can Botox be used for?
The botulinum toxin has been used for many years in treating medical conditions where there is muscular over activity such as eye squints, facial tics and spasticity. By injecting the muscles involved with controlled amounts of botox the muscles can be made to relax and become normal again.
Botox is also very successful at reducing excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) for example in the arm pits or on the palms.
Use of Botox in Cosmetic Dermatology
It is only over the last 15 years that botox has been used in cosmetic and aesthetic medicine. It was discovered that patients with the condition Bell's palsy (where one side of the face becomes weak due to temporary nerve damage) would loose all the lines and wrinkles on the affected side.
How Does Botox Work?
The human face is made up of many muscles that are responsible for all our facial expressions. It is repeated muscle contractions from years of smiles and frowns that deepen facial lines,cause creases to appear in the skin and lead to facial wrinkles. When the muscles responsible relax, the lines either disappear or dramatically improve giving the face a pleasant, relaxed and more youthful appearance; this itself can lead to increased self confidence.
Once botox is injected it seeks and finds just the right nerve endings that cause the muscle contraction and halts the spark that contracts the muscle by blocking the release of a neuro transmitter called acetylcholine. The nerve is then incapacitated by the botox until it starts to awaken in about 3-6 months then another injection of botox restarts the process.
Botox Treatment
You will receive a free of charge consultation with Dr R. T. Parry who is fully trained in the administration of botox and who has carried out the treatment for 9 years at Winckley Square Clinic. If there are no contra indications, he will proceed to inject tiny amounts of botox using a very fine needle into the facial muscles responsible for the lines/creases you want to improve.
The injections are made using the smallest needle and are virtually painless. You will leave the clinic looking no different from when you came in and it is only 3 to 10 days later, when the muscles relax that you will notice any change. The muscles will not be totally paralysed, there will always be some residual movement but the treated muscles weaken over the following week or so and most people do not notice anything, they simply become aware that they are no longer able to contract the frown muscles. They can still lift their eyebrows normally and blink without problems. For new clients following a first treatment session you will be offered an appointment at the next botox clinic when the Doctor will make any adjustments (if required) free of charge.
The effect of the botox is at its maximum after 2 weeks and wears off after 3 to 6 months. After this further treatments are usually required two or three times a year. We cannot guarentee how long your botox will last as this can vary from 8 weeks up to 9 months in some people and this cannot be predicted prior to treatment.
What are the costs?
These costs are a guide line only as it depends on the amount of botox used. It can be less or slightly more as occassionally happens when a male client has very strong forehead muscles.
£200 for one area
£280 for two area
£330 for three area
The areas that are listed above are: forehead, between the eye -brows (Glabella), and the sides of the eyes (crows feet).