A little while ago I was approached by a good friend on mine, Tom. We go way back. And he feels that as he’s getting older he’s developing some wrinkles that he isn’t all that happy with. He was wondering that maybe there is any kind of treatment that I can do for him. He already kind of suggested Botox. By the end of this video you will know a lot more about what Botox could possibly do for you. I’ve been an anti-aging physician for past 26 years, offering various anti-aging treatments. We decided to shoot Tom’s treatment to kind of give you an idea as to what a Botox treatment is all about through Tom’s eyes.
3 to 5 days before the treatment has an effect
I told Tom, and I tell this to my patients, that he shouldn’t expect to walk out of my office with a smooth face. Because it takes somewhere basically between 3 to 5 days before the botulinum toxin actually takes effect. So it’s not like you get your little shots and you walk out with a smooth face, absolutely not. What does make sense is to kind of, after maybe 10 days give or take, come back to the office to re-evaluate the results.
Touch up treatment within 14 days after the initial one, or you need to wait for at least 3 months
Because some people will need a tiny bit of a touchup, so you should, if you think you need a touchup, do not see your doctor until 10 days after the treatment because that’s when the treatment will have actually kind of settled. Another thing that I want to point out is that if you’re going to get another treatment, that you get it, give or take, within 14 days after the initial treatment. The thing is that if you wait too long, then the chances are that by getting another injection you will actually develop antibodies against the Botox and you will become desensitized, and the Botox will never ever work again.
And so either you get your treatment within 14 days after the initial one, or you need to wait for at least 3 months. Depending on what doctor you go to, make sure that if you feel that after 2 months, some of your wrinkles come back and you go to your Botox doctor and say you would like another treatment, make sure that the doctor knows when your last treatment was, because otherwise you’re basically shooting yourself in the foot.
Botulinum toxin, a mostly luxury treatment, but not in every case.
Although most people do a botulinum toxin treatment purely for kind of luxury reasons because they want to look good, there are actually conditions, medical conditions that warrant a Botox treatment as well. For instance, for people who suffer from grinding of their teeth. Usually that happens while you’re asleep, you’re moving your teeth around, you’re basically honing your teeth, and by injecting a tiny little bit of botulinum toxin in the cheek muscle, you relax the muscle and that’s the way to basically save your teeth.
Another reason to do a botulinum toxin treatment is in people who suffer from very exaggerated, heavy perspiration. You can give them a number of tiny, little injections in their armpits that basically stops you from sweating so much.
And there are certain neurological conditions, such as torticollis, people who have a really huge cramp in their neck muscle that forces their head into a direction that they do not want to be in, and by injecting a couple of tiny little injections it relaxes the muscle and they can freely move their head. So, botulinum toxin, a mostly luxury treatment, but not in every case.
I founded the Amsterdam Kliniek in 1996 because it appeared that numerous patients were not being served by conventional medicine, whereas an integrative approach would resolve their issues. Integrative medicine seeks to present a responsible balance between conventional and complementary treatments. The aim is to promote health and fight disease in a more natural way. To learn more, click here.
Lydia Boeken MD
Being a man I’ve always kind of held back as far as cosmetic treatments are concerned. Nevertheless I was curious to see whether signs of aging could be softened a little. in spite of my reservations I consulted Lydia and she discussed the pros and cons in a very professional way. She took a lot of time to determine what I needed and, equally important, what was feasible at my age. It was essential to me that Lydia provided me with good and honest advice, which made me feel comfortable tot have Lydia treat me. I’m pleased with the results, so I can wholeheartedly recommend her.
I asked Dr. Boeken to help me improve my facial appearance with botox injections. She was very thorough when preparing for the treatment and kept me informed about what she was doing while performing the injections. She was great on follow up after treatment. I’ll be back to use Lydia's medical services when needed and am happy to recommend her to others.