Frown lines develop in the upper part of your face and make you look angry and tired all the time. Dr. John Burroughs and our nurse injector Melissa (MK) of Springs Aesthetics offer Botox® for men and women in Colorado Springs, South Denver, Castle Rock and other areas of Colorado. With over 20 years experience in ophthalmic plastic surgery, Dr. Burroughs travels around the world, teaching injection best practices and techniques. Melissa has been trained by Dr. Burroughs, additionally certified as a nurse injector, and regularly attends cosmetic symposia to keep improving upon her artistry.
What Is Botox®?
Botox® injections are recommended for frown lines, a series of dynamic wrinkles that are formed by your facial expressions. Frown lines may appear as horizontal indentations across your forehead or vertical lines between your eyes. Botox® is also useful to treat crow’s feet, fine lines, lip lines, “frown face,” neck lines, and other areas. Botox was the first to market, and physicians (starting with ophthalmologists) used this botulinum neuromodulator to help patients with uncontrollable facial/eyelid spasms and other eye muscle problems to great success. In the 90’s its cosmetic benefits really took off, and neuromodulator wrinkle blocker injections are the number one performed procedures worldwide. Botox®, by Allergan, is a fantastic botulinum with a long track record, but it is not the only excellent botulinum available anymore. It has become in many ways like the generic name of Kleenex for facial tissues or Xerox for copiers. Other excellent botulinum wrinkle blockers include Xeomin® and Dysport®. They largely have similar properties.
Are All Botulinum Wrinkle Blockers Equal?
All of the botulinum “wrinkle blockers” have similar properties with excellent wrinkle blocking properties. More important than the brand of wrinkle blocker injected is actually the injector and their anatomy knowledge and ability to visualize artistically ideal dosing and sites to be injected. Botulinum injections require very artistic eye, and are not simple “cookie cutter” medical procedures. Each of the wrinkle blockers are botulinum serotype A, and have only minor variations of the protein on the molecule. Most injectors dose Botox® and Xeomin®the same. Dysport® tends to have a quicker onset and larger spread but may not last as long. Dysport® is excellent for crows feet and upper forehead wrinkles where a larger spread of effect is very beneficial. In head to head studies Xeomin® has been found to have equal efficacy to Botox®, and for certain patients even superior. Xeomin® is more “pure” without the proteins the other botulinums have, so building up resistance seems to be less of a factor than Botox® and the others. If resistance does start to develop then higher doses become necessary, and some patients benefit with a switch to Dysport® from the others. Over many years of wrinkle blocker use previous wrinkles really soften when repeat injections are maintained. The muscles causing the wrinkles are impeded while injections impede their wrinkling of the skin. Older, longer present wrinkles won’t completely be eliminated as there is dermal, subdermal damage to the skin that wrinkle blockers cannot “erase.”