BTA (Botox®)
Reduce the appearance of fine lines / wrinkles, subtle lifting effect, contour jawline, younger overall feature.
Botulinum Toxin Type A (BTA) is a purified protein from the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum that effectively and safely:
- blocks nerve impulses responsible for wrinkles formation at the forehead, frown lines and crow’s feet areas.
- reduces bulky masseter muscles (chewing muscles) to create V-shaped face by reducing square jawline.
Unlike other invasive procedures, BTA is relatively safe as it is reversible and of non-permanent effect. BTA is virtually painless method towards a youthful and radiant skin.
We currently have 2 BTA types:
- onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®; Botox Cosmetic, Allergan, Irvine, CA, USA)
- incobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®; Merz Pharmaceuticals, Frankfurt, Germany)
Botox®
Botox® is BTA which is a purified protein that effectively and safely blocks nerve impulses responsible for wrinkles formation.
Wrinkle Elimination
Botox® is administered to smooth forehead frown lines, crow’s feet and glabellar lines (lines between both eyebrows). The procedure can also help prevent worsening of these wrinkles.
Jawline or Calve Slimming
V-shaped faces have been an envy of many Asian women. As one of the common causes for a square jawline in Asians is due to a bulky masseter muscle (chewing muscle), Botox® can be administered to shrink the size of the masseter muscle. Botox® can also be used to tone down bulky calve muscles to give the appearance of slimmer legs.
Neck Rejuvenation
Aging causes the neck muscles to weaken and eventually leads to “turkey neck” appearance which is characterised by pronounced vertical neck bands. Botox® can be used to relax the platysma muscle and minimise the unsightly neck bands. This treatment is most appropriate for patients not keen on surgery but would like a smoother, more youthful looking neck line.
Lower Face Improvements
Botox® can be injected to temporarily diminish the appearance of “gummy smile”, which refers to a smile where excess upper gum is showing. Besides that, Botox® can be used to smooth a dimpled chin and produce a subtle upturn to the corners of the mouth to give a more pleasant appearance.
Reduce Excessive Sweating
Excessive sweating of the armpits, palms or soles is an embarrassing complaint and can interfere with many daily activities. Fortunately, Botox® can be injected to temporarily block the activity of sweat glands, and thus decrease sweating. The effects typically last 4 to 6 months after which a repeat procedure will be needed.
Most side effects are short-lived and mostly resolve spontaneously. Common side effects include swelling, pain and mild bruising at the injection site.
Safety and efficacy established in clinical trials with more than 21,000 patients treated with Botox®.
Botox® is the original first licensed Botulinum Toxin Type A and no. 1 selling botulinum toxin in the world.
For wrinkle elimination, results will be visible after 1 week and thereafter last 4 to 6 months.
Botox® will not radically change your facial appearance. The muscle activity is temporarily reduced by Botox®, so you can still frown or smile without the wrinkles. Some patients do report that their facial expressions become less intense after Botox® but at the same time, they also looked more pleasant, relaxed and refreshed. For a more conservative approach, there is “Botox® Lite” for those who prefer a natural but rejuvenated look.
It is important to communicate your expectations to our doctor before the procedure – whether you prefer to retain some mobility of the treated areas so that the treatment can be tailored to your requirements.
If you choose not to continue Botox® treatment, the wrinkles or muscle bulk will gradually return to the same way they looked before treatment (and not worse than before). Botox® does not affect the normal aging process.
“Botox® Lite”, also commonly known as “Baby Botox”, “Mini Botox” or “Micro Botox” is the refined technique for solving the frozen face problem representing the Botox cliche. The idea behind “Botox® Lite” is that the doctor administers just enough Botox® to relax the facial muscles without paralyzing them. “Botox® Lite” employs a very specific technique designed to preserve the patient’s normal facial movements and expressions but at the same time is effective to soften unsightly lines and wrinkles. The key is to take the edge and severity off wrinkles without making the patient look plastic.
The downside of “Botox® Lite” is that results of this subtler approach do not last as long as the conventional Botox® treatment, and touch-ups must be scheduled more often for maintained results. Generally, “Botox® Lite” may last from one to three months, depending on the severity of wrinkles and the condition of the treated areas. As stated before, lines and wrinkles do not typically disappear completely. A patient should still expect to have lines or wrinkles, but the creases are softened and less deep compared to without any Botox® at all.
