You may be a novice or an expert when it comes to receiving Botox. As you are being injected or maybe on your way home, you may ask yourself: What is Botox, and how is it mixed? You may be surprised to know that it is all aimed at providing you better results and more comfort during your procedure.
Botox is a medication that is injected into muscles and used to temporarily improve the look of both moderate to severe lines on the face. It works by temporarily relaxing muscles where it is placed, which will cause a softening of wrinkles and creases. The effects typically last 3-4 months.
At Hamilton Facial Plastic Surgery, we mix our Botox using bacteriostatic saline (a sterile, isotonic solution of sodium chloride in water and benzyl alcohol added as a bacteriostatic preservative). I believe in using this mixture because it is thought to be less painful and longer lasting.
We inject Botox with a small Insulin syringe or 33 gauge needle. These smaller needles are less painful and cause less trauma to the skin.
Patients often question how their Botox is being diluted.We reconstitute our botox with 2 cc of bacteriostatic saline. While the Botox may be reconstituted with different volumes (some use 1cc, other 4cc), the efficacy does not change. More volume does lead, however to more swelling and potentially more risk of side effects.We have found 2cc to be ideal in terms of efficacy and spread.