| Dr. Peter Fodor is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions bizymoms visitors have about Botox.
Q. What is Botox? & How does BOTOX work?
A. When correctly used, Botox is a toxic material derived from the bacterium Botulism and it is used as injection in tiny doses which have only a local effect in the muscle that was injected without the effect spreading to the rest of the body. It temporarily paralyzes muscles that cause unwanted facial expressions such as frowning. It can also be used for non-aesthetic purposes such as migraine headaches, reduction of sweating in the armpits and palms of hands, lifting of the tip of the nose, etc.
Q. Who is the ideal candidate for BOTOX?
A. It is ideal for patients with crow’s feet, forehead wrinkling, frowning, down turned corners of the mouth, eyebrow elevation etc., as long as these individuals understand that the result is not permanent and injection may have to be repeated every 4-8 months. It also works well as an adjunct to aesthetic facial surgery.
Q. What is the recovery period for BOTOX?
A. There is no side effect from the injection that one needs to recover from except for occasional minimal bruising. The onset of action (before one sees the effect) however is delayed for six to nine days.
Q. How long do the results of BOTOX last?
A. 4-8 months with individual variations.
Q. How much does BOTOX cost?
A. In our practice, the charges are determined based on how many areas on the face are injected, for example, frowning or squinting (crow’s feet) each count as one area. The charge is $500.00 per site unless we are running a "special" when during this period lesser charges are observed.
Q. Who should perform a BOTOX procedure?
A. Legally speaking, any licensed physician and in some states such as California, nurses and physician assistants can also perform Botox injections. The result is very technique dependent and as such, plastic surgeons, (very familiar with the anatomy of the facial muscles) are the best prepared (as opposed to dermatologists, emergency room doctors, gynecologists, etc) to perform these treatments.
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