It's all about freedom of expression. . .

Meetings . . . deadlines . . . chauffeuring the kids . . . picking up something to eat on your way home—you’ve got a lot going on. But you know you have to make time for yourself, too. And now you’ve decided to be treated with BOTOX® Cosmetic. To help you get started, here’s some help with the first step: selecting a doctor.

Why skin ages?

One day you looked in the mirror and studied those lines that furrowed your brow, and you wondered: Where did they come from?

Is it just aging? Too much sun? Too much stress? In general, how skin ages and wrinkles is a complex process. It isn't just about cellular changes, collagen depletion, hormone loss, damage caused by free radicals, and so on; it's a combination of many factors.

The Anatomy of the Wrinkle

The lines that appear between your brows (glabellar lines) actually result from muscle movement and the passage of time. You may have heard the expression "wearing your emotions on your sleeve," but in reality you wear them on your face. If you're angry or annoyed, for example, you knit your brows together. Underneath your skin, your facial muscles contract, cause a pleating of the overlying skin, and then, as anyone can see, you're frowning.

After years of crinkling and wrinkling, those glabellar lines start to linger longer and can become more pronounced. For women, whose faces tend to be more animated than men's, and whose skin is typically more delicate, these lines may appear exaggerated and more permanent.

Fortunately, there is a way to temporarily reduce moderate to severe glabellar lines. Treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic can visibly smooth and soften moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. An improvement can be seen within days and may last up to 4 months, although results may vary. In clinical trials, nearly 90% of men and women surveyed rated the improvement in the appearance of frown lines between their brows as moderate to better 1 month after treatment.

What to expect at the doctor's office.

Before you try and schedule your first BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment consultation, you probably have some questions, such as: How long will it take? How long will the results last? Will it hurt? Will I still be able to make facial expressions?

Here's what you might expect at the doctor's office from the moment you arrive until your procedure is done. (Please note that although this experience is typical, the routine at your doctor's office may be different.)

The day of your appointment. Allow time before your appointment for filling out forms and for consulting with the doctor or a member of his or her staff. If it's your initial visit, you may first meet with your doctor personally or a staff member. Many doctors have on-staff licensed aestheticians or nurses who are trained in skin care and skin care procedures who can answer many of your questions.

You may also be asked about your expectations for treatment and if you have any allergies or any condition that wouldn't make you a good candidate for BOTOX® Cosmetic.

Before the procedure. You'll probably be seated in a reclining chair, much like you find in a dentist's office. No anesthesia is required, although your doctor may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream.

The procedure. Your doctor will determine where to administer the injections by examining your ability to move certain muscles in your brow area. The entire BOTOX® Cosmetic injection procedure takes approximately 10 minutes.

After the procedure. There's no recovery time needed. You're ready to get on with your day! The most common side effects following injection include temporary eyelid droop and nausea. Localized pain, infection, inflammation, tenderness, swelling, redness, and/or bleeding/bruising may be associated with the injection. Patients with certain neuromuscular disorders such as ALS, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome may be at increased risk of serious side effects.

Seeing results. Within days, you may notice an improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary.

The injection process.

The beauty of a BOTOX® Cosmetic treatment is that it's a simple, 10-minute, non-surgical process. A few tiny injections, and within days there can be a noticeable improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between the brows that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary. And there’s no recovery time. You can even do it on your lunch break.

• Your doctor will administer several tiny injections of BOTOX® Cosmetic directly into the muscles that cause those moderate to severe frown lines between the brows.
• Your doctor will determine where to administer the injections by examining your ability to move certain muscles in your brow area. The location, size, and use of the muscles that create a furrowed brow vary markedly among individuals.
• No anesthesia is required, although your doctor may choose to numb the area with a cold pack or anesthetic cream prior to injecting. Discomfort is usually minimal and brief.
• You can expect to be in and out of the physician’s office without downtime. You may see a marked improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between your brows within days. Improvement may continue for as long as a month, and could last up to 4 months.