Is Botox safe? Does having Botox hurt? Read our 5 frequently asked questions about having Botox treatment here.
1. Are Botox® injections painful?
The simple answer is no, most people say the sensation of a cosmetic injection is similar to a mosquito bite. There is a slight pinching feeling at first but it only lasts for a few seconds. No anesthetic is necessary for Botox®, but can be used if needed for fillers. In some filler products, local anaesthetic is included so numbs the area during the injection process. A very fine needle is used and small amounts of liquid or collagen are injected.
2. Will using Botox® reduce my facial expression?
Many people think that getting Botox® injections will cause you to lose the ability to have facial expressions. The truth of the matter is that these procedures will simply enhance expressions rather than erase them completely. Those who have had the treatments performed by a trained and skilled injector are still able to display the entire range of facial expressions including frowning, smiling and appearing surprised. The treatment simply relaxes the muscle at the injection point.
3. Is Botox® only good for facial lines?
Botox® was actually developed as a treatment for neurological disorders not as a cosmetic facial treatment. It continues to be used for a variety of different conditions including depression, migraines, chronic neck and back pain, involuntary facial movements, strabismus, temporo-mandibular joint paint, hyperhidrosis as well as movement disorders such as facial spasms, writer’s cramps and neck tremors.
4. Are Botox® treatments unsafe or dangerous?
With nearly 20 years of use for a range of different conditions, Botox® has a long and well-established safety history. More than 16 million treatments have been performed since it was first introduced in the marketplace. No long term side effects have ever been seen in users of the treatments even in studies that followed people who received thirty or more injections over a period of 9 years. It would take a dose of more than 100 times the average dose given for cosmetic use for cosmetic Botox® treatments to be fatal.
5. How long does it take to see Botox results?
Results can be seen within several days, but most people see results after about a period of two weeks. This is good thing, because the change in appearance immediately after the treatment is not dramatic. It's most likely that no one will even know that the person has had Botox® treatment on the day of the injections.