Botox in Beverly Hills, CA

Botox is one of the most popular injectable treatments in the world. It is commonly used to smooth wrinkles for a younger, fresher looking face. Patients love Botox because it is non-surgical and minimally invasive, and produces noticeable yet subtle cosmetic improvement.

Dr. Marc Mani offers Botox treatment at his Beverly Hills plastic surgery practice. For the best results, Botox treatment should be administered by an experienced professional who understands the nuances of the facial features and muscles. This helps to avoid over-correction, which can lead to a perpetually surprised or “frozen” looking expression.

What Does Botox Correct?

Botox improves the appearance of dynamic wrinkles, such as crow’s feet, worry lines or laugh lines, which develop over time because of repetitive facial motions. Botox injections paralyze the muscles, preventing them from contracting and smoothing the resulting lines. Botox is most effective on mild to moderate wrinkling, or may be used as a preventative measure if you are prone to making facial expressions that lead to wrinkling (e.g., raising the eyebrows, furrowing your forehead).

Contrary to what some believe, Botox cannot be used to correct another common sign of aging: sagging facial skin. It will not have any effect on the tone of the skin. Dr. Mani offers other options for sagging skin, like facelift and brow lift (depending on the area of the face that sags). He can discuss these options with you during consultation.

What to Expect During Botox Treatment

Prior to treatment, the treatment area will be cleansed. A topical anesthesia product may be applied to prevent discomfort during the injections. Very small amounts of Botox will be strategically injected into the facial muscles that contract to cause wrinkles. As the product is injected into the skin, you may feel a slight stinging sensation, but it will not be painful. The number of injections will depend on the size of the treatment area and the extent of correction needed. After the injections, you may be advised to apply ice to the treatment area.

You should be able to return to your normal activities almost immediately. Slight bruising or redness is possible, but these side effects will fade quickly. You must avoid pressing on or massaging the treatment area, as this could cause the product to migrate and lead to complications (in the worst case, facial paralysis).

Results and Maintenance from Facial Injections

After Botox treatment, your skin will look smoother and rejuvenated. With fewer wrinkles and creases, you will appear more awake, rested and younger.

Botox results last temporarily; the effects will wear off after three to four months. Repeat treatment is required to maintain the effects. Research suggests that long-term Botox use may lead to a longer duration of the effects.

What Are the Benefits of Botox? 

Botox can enhance and reveal your natural beauty by smoothing lines and wrinkles that alter your facial appearance. Deep furrows along the forehead and creases between the brows may make you appear angry or tired and could be the first thing someone notices when they meet you for the first time. Botox can refresh your complexion by minimizing lines and wrinkles in the forehead, brows and around the eyes. 

Appointments for Botox injections take very little time at our Beverly Hills office and are non-invasive. Men and women can enjoy anti-aging results without going under the scalpel and notice improvements within a few days of their Botox treatment. Maintenance sessions can prolong the effects of Botox and may help patients avoid the need for facial plastic surgery at a young age by managing early lines and wrinkles.

Injectable treatments, such as Botox, offer a cost-effective solution for facial lines and wrinkles. 

Am I a Good Candidate for Botox? 

If you are over 18 and in good physical health with mild to moderate lines and wrinkles in your upper face, you’re likely a good candidate for Botox injections. Botox treats dynamic wrinkles that form over time due to repeated facial expressions and muscle movements. These creases and folds respond well to botulinum toxin treatment. 

Botox is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women or people with active skin rashes or infections. Some medications or supplements may interact with Botox injections. Our plastic surgeon will discuss your medical history and current medications to determine if Botox is the best injectable for your needs. 

What Cosmetic Treatments Complement Botox Results? 

Botox treatments address lines and wrinkles in the upper face, but people often have multiple cosmetic concerns, such as loose skin or volume loss in the mid-face and jowling around the jawline. Other non-surgical treatments can complement Botox results by treating these problems, such as laser skin resurfacing to treat fine lines and sun spots. 

Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy can improve other face and skin concerns, including redness, age spots and sun damage. Dr. Mani also offers energy-based skin tightening that can enhance Botox results by improving skin health. 

How Is Botox Treatment Different for Men? 

Male Botox treatments tend to require additional units of the injectable. That’s because men have thicker muscles in their foreheads and brows than women, so it takes more botulinum toxin to relax the muscles and achieve the desired look. 

What to Expect at Your Botox Consultation 

Dr. Mani will discuss your cosmetic goals for your face and evaluate your skin health and appearance. Come to your consultation prepared to discuss all areas of your health and well-being, including pre-existing health conditions, drug allergies, previous cosmetic treatments and current medications or vitamins. Our plastic surgeon can answer your questions about Botox treatment and ease any anxiety you may feel about the injections.  If you are a good candidate for Botox, your injectable treatment may happen at the end of your consultation or a later appointment. Botox treatments are quick and convenient, with minimal discomfort. 

What Is Botox Recovery Like?

You can return to work or other daily activities as soon as you leave Dr. Mani’s office. For better results, he suggests that patients avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol consumption, and sun exposure for at least one day. Dr. Mani also advises you to not touch or rub your injection point for a few days to avoid accidentally spreading the Botox to other areas or causing additional bruising.

How Safe Is Botox?

While Botox is safe for most patients, it is not recommended for those who are allergic to the active ingredients in this injectable or who have had a neuromuscular disease. Like many cosmetic procedures, Botox carries some minor risks for side effects like bruising and swelling. The best way to achieve complication-free results is to choose an expert injector like Dr. Mani who has the technique and knowledge to ensure that you stay healthy.

Botox Costs

The price of Botox depends on the number of treatment areas and the amount of Botox necessary to freeze these specific muscles. Dr. Mani is proud to offer a competitive rate for Botox in Beverly Hills. Although health insurance does not cover cosmetic treatments like Botox, financing options may help patients to pay for this treatment in installments.

What Are Other Uses for Botox?

Botox is primarily used to address dynamic wrinkles, which are wrinkles that form due to facial movements. It has also been found effective for some other uses. Cosmetically, Botox can help to elevate sagging eyebrows to help rejuvenate the forehead by restoring a youthful arch. It also helps to recreate smoother neck contours by relaxing protruding platysmal muscles that create bands down the neck.

From a health perspective, Botox is often used to treat chronic migraines. Scientists believe that the botulinum toxin blocks the pain receptors so that feelings of pain are not communicated to the brain. This treatment is usually repeated every few months to keep migraines at bay. Botox is also successful for patients with excessive sweat (hyperhidrosis). It can be used on the hands, underarms, or other areas prone to sweating by interrupting nerve signals to prevent sweat glands from over-perspiring. 

How Is Botox Different from a Dermal Filler?

A dermal filler is a separate type of injectable treatment that usually uses hyaluronic acid (HA) rather than botulinum toxin A to target unwanted lines. The HA acts as a volumizer to plump the skin and reduce static wrinkles. (Static wrinkles form due to skin laxity rather than muscle movement.) These injectables can even help to stimulate collagen production for further skin elasticity.

At What Age Is It Appropriate to Start Botox?

The FDA has approved Botox for patients 18 and older, but most patients do not need it that early. Typically, lines caused by facial movements become more permanent when a person is in their 40s, but factors like genetics and unprotected sun exposure may make the skin prematurely thin and more susceptible to dynamic wrinkles forming. For that reason, Botox has become more common for patients in their 30s and sometimes 20s.

HOW IS BOTOX DIFFERENT THAN DYSPORT?

Dysport is another injectable treatment that uses botulinum toxin to freeze muscles to reduce lines. It is manufactured by Galderma and has received FDA approval for smoothing the “elevens” (glabellar lines between the brows. While Dysport and Botox are mostly similar, Dysport has a slightly lower potency than Botox, which may make it better for treating larger areas, and just a little bit less expensive per unit.

Patients notice that the effects of Dysport start to appear a day or two earlier than Botox, which may make it a better choice if you have an impending social event that you want the treatment for. Both injectables last about three to four months, but Botox tends to be visible a tad longer.

WHAT IS PREVENTATIVE BOTOX?

Preventative Botox is a newer application of Botox treatment for patients who have started to notice faint lines caused by facial muscle movement. The idea is that by relaxing the muscles before lines have an opportunity to become deeper set, you have an easier time maintaining smooth skin. Plastic surgeons and aestheticians have found that preventing wrinkles achieves better results than trying to hide them after they have formed.

Patients in their 20s and 30s have chosen preventative Botox to maintain a youthful appearance, especially those people who have seen many lines form on their face when they smile, frown, or make other expressions.

HOW CAN BOTOX IMPROVE VERTICAL NECK BANDING?

The platysmal bands are two vertical muscles in the neck. In your younger years, these bands are well concealed underneath your skin. However, as you get older, not only do neck bands start to protrude, but your skin becomes thinner, putting these muscles more prominently on display. Botox injections can help to relax the muscles so that they do not jut out as far and neck banding is not as visible.

IS BOTOX A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO BROW LIFT?

Brow lift is a surgery that is effective at smoothing out the forehead by minimizing lines while also slightly elevating the eyebrows to a younger-looking position. Botox can accomplish many of these same objectives, although the results are not always as dramatic as surgery. Since Dr. Mani performs both surgeries, he can recommend the appropriate treatment after examining your forehead and listening to your specific cosmetic goals. A good compromise option may be endoscopic brow lift, which is a less invasive version of traditional (coronal) brow lift surgery.

WILL MY BODY BUILD UP A TOLERANCE TO BOTOX?

Botox resistance, in which people build up a tolerance to Botox, is a rare occurrence; this problem affects less than 1% of patients. It’s actually much more common for Botox to help train the muscles so that patients get more value out of their injections. Over time, your facial muscles may learn not to move as much, which means that your results last longer and require less frequent touchup appointments.

Schedule a Botox Appointment

If you are interested in wrinkle treatment with Botox, please contact the office of Dr. Mani and schedule an appointment. Call our office at (310) 203-0511 or send us an email today.