We have another outstanding Botox result to share. In this case is it for treatment of crow’s feet around the eyes.

What is Botox?

Botox is a purified protein used to treat wrinkles caused by facial expressions.

How does Botox work?

Botox works by relaxing muscles that cause wrinkles. This improves the appearance of the wrinkles.

Where can Botox be used?

Botox can be used in many areas. The most common areas include frown lines between the eyebrows, horizontal forehead wrinkles (as shown here), and crow’s feet around the eyes. Botox can also be used to treat bunny lines on the nose, dimples on the chin, and vertical bands on the neck. Botox also treats a gummy smile and can provide a lip flip, raise the corners of the mouth, and slim the lower face. For non-cosmetic purposes, Botox can also treat migraine headaches, TMJ pain, and excessive sweating in areas such as the underarms, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.

Botox for crow’s feet

The crow’s feet are wrinkles you see around your eyes when you smile or squint. Unlike horizontal forehead lines or frown lines which are usually parallel to each other, crow’s feet are multiple wrinkles that are at slight angles with each other. The reason for this is that the muscle that causes these wrinkles is a circular muscle that goes around your eyes called orbicularis occuli. This is different from other muscles such as the frontalis in the upper forehead which has fibers going up and down. The wrinkles caused by muscles of facial expression are perpendicular to the fibers of the muscle. So in the upper forehead, the wrinkles are horizontal because the fibers of the muscle there are vertical. In the case of the crow’s feet around your eyes, the muscle is circular, going around the eyes. The wrinkles are still perpendicular to the muscle, but since the muscle is curved, the crow’s feet wrinkles are at slight angles, which resembles a crow’s feet, hence the name.

The orbicularis occuli muscle contracts each time you smile or squint. This closes the eyes, pulls up on the outer cheeks, and pulls down on the corners of your eyebrows. When this muscle is relaxed with Botox, you will see improvement in your crow’s feet wrinkles. Since the muscle also pulls down the corners of your eyebrow, when it’s relaxed with Botox you may see an elevation of the corners of your brows, which can be very desirable. On the other hand, if you have a strong muscle in your upper forehead which is not treated with Botox, your eyebrows may look peaked after your Botox treatment. This is easily fixed by placing a small amount of Botox in the upper forehead at the point of the peak. This is why Dr. Alex recommends taking a comprehensive approach and treating all muscle in the area when having a Botox treatment.

When Botox is used to treat the crow’s feet, it’s important that it’s placed very superficially in the skin, that is, close to the surface. The reason is that if the Botox is placed too deep, in particular in the lower portion of the muscle, it can relax other muscles that raise the corners of your mouth when you smile. If this happens, you may have a temporary asymmetric smile. This is temporary and goes away on its own. It’s also important to stay upright for four hours after your Botox treatment. Otherwise the Botox can move and lead to blurred vision, which is also temporary. Overall, however, when Botox is used to treat crow’s feet around your eyes, if is very safe and effective.

Before your Botox treatment we’ll take pictures of you making facial expressions. Dr. Alex recommends that you return to the office about two weeks after your treatment to take the pictures again. At that time, if your results aren’t perfect, it can be corrected. If you received the recommend dose of Botox and your results aren’t perfect, we will provide complimentary additional units.

When will I see results of my Botox treatment?

Most people will see results three to four days after a Botox treatment. But it could take up to two weeks to see your full results. So it’s important to be patient.

How long do the results of Botox last?

Most people enjoy the results of their Botox treatment for three to four months. At that time Dr. Alex recommends a maintenance Botox treatment.

Dr. Alex has performed over 10,000 cosmetic treatments with many satisfied patients. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a free consultation with Dr. Alex in our Encino, CA office.