Botox
About the treatment
What is Botox?
Botox is a natural purified protein prescriptive medicine that temporarily relaxes wrinkle-causing muscles.
Botox is used to treat forehead, frown lines and crow’s feet, through a series of small injections just under the skin. It can be used around your mouth, chin, jawline and neck.
It can also be used to manage hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) by blocking the nerve signals responsible for sweating.
Botox is one of the safest and most effective anti-ageing treatments available. It's been used for more than 20 years, with millions of treatments performed worldwide every year.
Botox works by relaxing the muscles responsible for fine lines by preventing communication between the nerve endings, muscles and sweat glands.
Every face is different, and although there are specific guidelines for Botox treatments, it's important to look at the strength of your muscles and how they work to develop your individualised treatment plan.
We favour a natural look and recommend lower doses where possible to preserve facial movement and expression.
At Precision Skin, all Botox treatments use the genuine Botox.
You can expect to see the full results of your Botox treatment within two weeks, although you may start to notice improvements after 3–4 days. We always recommend a follow up appointment two weeks later, to ensure the best results from your treatment. We recommend repeat treatments every 3–4 months to maintain results.
During your initial consultation, we'll complete a comprehensive medical history to ensure Botox is the right treatment for you. We'll explain what to expect and any potential side effects. Based on what you hope to achieve, and your budget, we'll recommend the best treatment for you.
Botox is a relatively quick treatment. We use numbing cream to make the experience more pleasant. You may experience mild swelling/redness around the targeted areas which settle quickly meaning you can carry on with whatever you have to do that day.
Side effects are usually mild and may include:
- pain, swelling, bruising or infection at injection site
- headache or flu-like symptoms.
Very rarely, Botox® can migrate to unintended areas causing unwanted weakness in other muscles. This is temporary, but may last 2–8 weeks.
Following your treatment it's recommended to avoid:
- touching the treatment sites to minimise any risk of infection or spread of Botox
- strenuous exercise for 24 hours as this can increase the chance of bruising
- other facial or aesthetic treatments to the area for two weeks
- face down massage for 48 hours
- active skincare (retinoids/vitamin A/AHA's) for 24 hours.
Botox isn't recommended if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding have a skin infection
- feel unwell
- have a neuromuscular condition.
It's recommended to wait two weeks before or after a Covid-19 vaccination to have Botox.
Botox is the most well-known Botulinum toxin preparation used cosmetically. However, there are alternatives, such as Xeomin and Dysport.
Botox, Xeomin and Dysport all contain the same active ingredient, Botulinum toxin type A. Botox and Dysport contain proteins that surround the toxin; Xeomin contains no additional proteins and is the ‘purest’ form of Botulinum toxin type A. Xeomin is preferred for use in people with autoimmune conditions.
There is some emerging evidence of ‘Botox resistance’ from repeated use of higher doses of Botox, causing the immune system to produce neutralising antibodies, making Botox treatments less effective. Dysport and Xeomin offer alternatives to Botox.
During your consultation, we’ll discuss the different options with you and decide together what Botulinum toxin type A injectable is right for you.
Botox, Xeomin and Dysport are prescription medicines for the treatment of frown lines, horizontal forehead lines and crow's feet around the eyes. Botox, Xeomin and Dysport have risks and benefits. Ask your medical professional if Botox, Xeomin or Dysport is right for you. If you have side effects, see your medical professional. You will need to pay for Botox, Xeomin or Dysport and clinic fees will apply. For details on precautions & side effects consult your medical professional or the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz. Botox, Xeomin and Dysport treatment lasts about 4 months and further courses of treatment may be necessary. Botox, Xeomin and Dysport should only be administered by trained medical professionals. Botox, Xeomin and Dysport contain Botulinum Toxin A.
Further information at the links below:
Botox (Distributor - Allergan (NZ) Limited, Auckland) https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/b/Botoxinj.pdf
Xeomin (Distributor - NZMS Ltd, Auckland) https://medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/x/Xeomininj.pdf
Dysport (Distributor - Healthcare Logistics, Auckland) https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/d/dysport.pdf
