Neurotoxins
What To Know About Neurotoxins
Neurotoxins or neuromodulator injections are a safe and broadly used method to address wrinkles and fine lines on the face and neck. We offer a number of neuromodulators, including:
- Botox
- Dysport
- Xeomin
- Jeuveau
By softening excessive muscular contraction that leads to the formation of deep wrinkles on the face and neck, these products can help smooth your skin to help you look less tired, stressed, or angry. These treatments are not only a fundamental component of a well-designed skincare regimen, but they are also fast-acting, result in high levels of patient satisfaction, and have virtually no downtime. Common areas that are treated on the face and neck include:
- Asymmetric smile
- Downturned mouth
- Downturned nose
- Gummy smile
- Heavy eyebrows
- Horizontal forehead lines
- Lax jawline
- Masseter muscles (facial slimming)
- Neck bands
- Nose wrinkles (“bunny lines”)
- Pucker lines around the lips
- Puckered or dimpled chin
- Smile lines around the eyes (“crow’s feet”)
- Vertical forehead frown lines
In addition to treating facial and neck wrinkles caused by dynamic neurotoxins have a broad and fascinating range of other uses. Our board-certified dermatologists and dermatologic providers also utilize these products to treat the following:
- Excessive sweating (“hyperhidrosis”) of the palms, soles, scalp, and other areas
- Migraine and tension headaches
- Facial flushing and rosacea
- Excessively oily skin and enlarged pores
- Female and male-pattern hair loss
- Surgical scars
- Tooth grinding and jaw tension
- Raynaud’s phenomenon
- Slimming of the neck and shoulders
- Slimming of the calves
What Is The Difference Between Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, & Jeuveau?
All five of these products are variations of botulinum toxin A but differ in their molecular weight and protein structure. Because of this, they will also exhibit slight differences in their onset of action, how they are placed in the target area, the dose that is used, and the character of your results. Our board-certified dermatologists can guide you through the process of selecting which product is best suited to meet your needs. More important than product selection, however, is proper dose selection, injection placement and technique, and anatomic awareness that informs how these products are utilized. You can trust that our experienced, highly skilled dermatologists, will employ their experience and knowledge to help you look like a smoother, more well-rested version of yourself, without looking unnatural, heavy, or frozen.
How Can Neuromodulators Be Used To Help My Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis)?
Excessive sweating can often cause negative physical, social, and emotional effects for those who suffer from it. Neuromodulator injections have been used with great success to treat hyperhidrosis affecting the palms, soles, underarms, scalp, groin/buttocks, and area under the breasts. In one clinical study of axillary hyperhidrosis (underarm sweating), patients receiving Dysport injections had, on average, an 88 percent reduction in sweat production with the first treatment and showed continued improvement throughout all 48 weeks of the study. Several other published studies of neuromodulator use in other anatomic areas have also demonstrated efficacy in markedly improving hyperhidrosis. Improvements in hyperhidrosis with neuromodulator treatment are usually sustained for 6 months or more.
Neuromodulator injections are not the only treatments that can improve hyperhidrosis. Our board-certified dermatologists also offer medical management of hyperhidrosis with prescription medications. These medications can complement and enhance the results of your treatment with neuromodulator injections. Our dermatologists also offer Miradry, which uses microwave technology to reduce underarm sweating by up to 80-90% in two sessions. As you can see, our dermatologists are here to help you get control of your excessive sweating with a wide range of different treatments.
How Can Neuromodulators Be Used To Help My Tension Or Migraine Headaches?
Clinical studies have demonstrated that neuromodulator injections can be effective at relieving a significant percentage of migraines and tension headaches, as well as their associated symptoms. Neuromodulator injections have been shown to not only relieve the pain of the headaches themselves, but to also result in significantly fewer attacks per month, fewer days of needing to take headache medications, and fewer episodes of vomiting. The injections target the muscles that are involved in the headaches (forehead, temples, neck), as well as the associated sensory nerves that course through these muscles. For most patients, we recommend a series of 2 treatments around 12 weeks apart, to determine whether your headaches are responsive to neuromodulators.
How Often Should I Have Treatments To Maintain My Results?
To address dynamic muscle movement leading to wrinkles on the face and neck, treatment is recommended every 3-4 months. This interval also applies to those who are treating migraine or tension headaches. Treatment for hyperhidrosis is recommended 1-2 times yearly, depending on the severity of your sweating as well as whether you are taking any other medications that can help manage your sweating. Since our board-certified dermatologists can treat a wide range of aesthetic and medical concerns with neuromodulator injections, it is best to schedule an individualized consultation to learn more about how these effective and versatile products can be used to help you look and feel your best.
How Safe Are These Treatments?
All the neuromodulators that we offer have been proven in rigorous clinical trials necessary for FDA approval to be extremely safe. Botox was approved in 2002 and has since been used in millions of patients safely and successfully. Dysport was FDA-approved in 2009, Xeomin in 2010, Jeuveau in 2019, and the newest neuromodulator on the market.
With any treatments that are delivered via injection, bruising, swelling, and injection site discomfort are possible. Some patients who have their forehead treated experience paradoxical headaches that can last for a few hours to a few days but are for the most part manageable with over-the-counter analgesic medication. Rarely, some of the product may diffuse beyond its intended point of placement to affect the movement of muscles in adjacent areas in a manner that isn’t desired. In this case, our board-certified dermatologists can offer additional treatments to mitigate these effects until you naturally start to regain normal muscular function.
Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome are not candidates for treatment. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not undergo treatment. Our highly skilled team of physicians will conduct a detailed review of your medical history during your consultation to ensure that your treatments proceed in a manner that prioritizes your health and safety.
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