BOTOX COSMETIC® TREATMENTS
What Is Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that defines individuals who sweat more than the body would normally need to maintain optimal temerature. Hyperhidrosis affects approximately 3% of the population - 950,000 Canadians.
It has been previously disregarded as a natural body reaction that most sufferers learn to live with and compensate for in lifestyle, but it has also shown to seriously affect quality of life. Sweating hands, underarms, feet or face can give the wrong impression in business and personal situations. It can have emotional, social and physical impact on sufferers.
What Causes Hyperhidrosis?
There are two types of Hyperhidrosis.
Focal Hyperhidrosis: also known as primary hyperhidrosis, has an unknown cause. This type of hyerhidrosis is localized to one or more of the following areas:
- Underarms (axillary hyperhidrosis)
- Hands (palmer hyperhidrosis)
- Feet (plantar hyperhidrosis)
- Face (facial hyperhidrosis)
Although this type of hyperhidrosis has an unknown cause, the way if affects Sufferers appears to be related to over-activity of the central nervous system thereby causing an overactive stimulation of the the local sweat glands.
Generalized Hyperhidrosis: also known as secondary hyperhidrosis is actually casued by another underlying condition (e.g. endocrine disorder, obesity, nerve damage, and rarely some types of drugs). This type of hyperhidrosis generally occurs over the whole body and is usually treated by addressing the underlying condition.
Hyperhidrosis Can Be Treated
After obtaining your medical history, the physician who is a sweat management (hyperhidrosis) specialist, will find treatment that is best for you. Many of these treatments are covered by medical plans.
Possible treatment options:
- BOTOX® Injections
- Topical Treatments
- Ionophoresis
- Surgery
BOTOX® Injections
Botox injections are appropriate for moderate to severe hyperhidrosis sufferers.
Injection with Botox interrupts the signal from the nerve to the sweat gland to reduce the sweating in the area that is affected. The injection is done with a very fine needle and for treatment of the underarms, face and head, anaesthesia is often not required as the procedure is virtually painless. For treatment of the hands and feet, local anaesthesia is used to avoid injection discomfort.
The percent of reduction in sweating in clinical study was 83% in 95% of participants. The effect of treatment can be immediate or take up to a week, with the average duration of effect after a single treatment being 7 months; 30% of patients have effects lasting longer than a year. Your sweating will gradually return, and your own comfort will dictate when you should repeat treatment.
Side effects, if they occur, are temporary. A rare reported side effect that may be percieved is increased sweating in other areas. Other side effects may include pain at the site of injection.
Insurance Coverage for Hyperhidrosis
The cost of hyperhidrosis treatments may be covered by your private insurance. The amount of coverage of the treatment will depend on your specific insurance plan policy.
Make an appointment with one of our physicians, who are hyperhidrosis specialists, to find out if this is the right treatment option for you.
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Botox injections are used for the cosmetic treatment of wrinkles. Botox is injected into muscles in the forehead and around the eyes or neck that cause wrinkles when you frown, squint, laugh, smile or clinch your teeth. The injections block the transmission of nerve impulses to the injected musles causing them to relax and the skin to look smoother.
WHY WOULD I CHOOSE BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENTS?
As men age the lines that appear on their face express character and a vitality for life. Other lines, however, like the vertical frown lines between the brows, can make you look angrier and more stressed than you are, or perpetually tired, even when you're well rested.
You know that looking your best, makes you feel great. But that doesn't mean you want to look 20 again. You may have heard about Botox Cosmetic Treatments from you wife or read about it in magazines or even heard about it on television. You may think that this is only for women. Not so! Many men have used Botox with great results. This is a simple and safe, non-surgical, and best of all, effective way to help smooth out frown lines and give your face a more relaxed look; A look that better reflects the way you feel inside - energetic and full of vitality and not angry and unapproachable. Softening the lines will actually give you a younger appearance.
HOW DO BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENTS WORK?
Important Note:
Botox Cosmetic Treatments® are injection treatments derived from a purified protien. Botox is manufactured under strict quality control standards and is administered in extremely dilute dosages by a licensed medical practitioner.
Repeated muscular contractions such as frowning and squinting form lines known as dynamic wrinkles. During treatment, a tiny amount of Botox is injected into the muscle that creates the dynamic wrinkle. This blocks the nerve impulse from reaching that area and, as a result, the muscle relaxes. As the muscle relaxes, the dynamic wrinkle overlying the muscle is smoothed away, giving the face a more relaxed and refreshed appearance.
The procedure is so simple and quick (aprox. 10 minutes) that patients can ofter have it done over their lunch hour. Most patients compare the sensation to a bug bite. No sedation or local anaesthetic is required and you can resume normal activities immediately. Some patients experience a slight, temporary bruising at the injection site.
WHAT RISKS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENTS?
Possible risks of Botox Cosmetic Treatments include:
- Bruises, stinging, or redness around injection sites
- Droopy eyelid if Botox is used improperly
- Headaches that start within a couple of days of treatment and may last for several weeks
Botox has been licensed in Canada since 1990 as a safe and effective treatment for a number of disorders caused by overactive muscles. It has even been used to treat children as young as 2 years with cerebral palsy. In 2001, Health Canada approved Botox Cosmetic Treatments for wrinkle therapy and it has been proven to be very safe through estensive research and testing. In the amounts commonly used, common side effects, such as bruising are temporary and localized to the area of injection.
According to the American Society for Asethetic Plastic Surgery, Botox Cosmetic Treatments continue to be the most popular among all cometic procedures (surgical and non-sugical combined). In North America more than 2 million women and men, who want to take control of their apperance, have used it to look look as good as they feel.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENTS?
Not everyone is a candidate for Botox Cosmetic Treatments. Person with certain forms of muscular weakness should not use Botox. The professionals at the Cosmetic Laser & Vein Centre can help determine if Botox Cosmetic Treatments are right for you. Patients who have a neurological disease should not be treated. Patients should discuss with their physician if Botox Cosmetic Treatments are appropriate for them.
WILL BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENTS GIVE ME A FAKE, FROZEN LOOK?
Not if you are treated by an experienced doctor who will be able to determine the right dose and injection technique for you. The treatment only relaxes the muscle directly beneath the frown line at the injection site, so other elements of facial expression are unaffected. It also has no effect on the sensory nerves, so you will retain normal feeling in the treated areas.
HOW LONG DO THE EFFECTS OF A BOTOX COSMETIC TREATMENT LAST?
The effects of a Botox Cosmetic Treatment usually last aproximatley 3-4 months, at which time another injection is required. After several treatments, the effects may begin to last longer. The injections cause very little discomfort. You should not bend over or lie down for 6 hours after an injection to keep the toxin from spreading to other muscles. It generally takes up to 4 days for Botox to start relaxing the muscles but for some patients it can take up to a week to start to see results. To keep the effects, you will need to repeat treatments every 3-6 months.
Source: BOTOX Cosmetic®/Allergan Inc.
If you would like to learn more about the options available to you, or find out if Botox Cosmetic Treatments might work well for you, please call our office and schedule an appointment for consultation.
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