About Botox

Botox is one of the most popular injectibles in cosmetics today. It is injected into the facial  muscles to help them relax and reduce or remove lines and wrinkles. Botox works exceptionally well to hide the effects of age on your skin, therefore leaving your skin looking healthier, smoother, and more youthful. Essentially the injection works as a relaxer and paralyzes underlying muscles that cause the creases and lines to form on the surface of the face.

Botox is more technically known as botulinum toxin type A. It was first developed in the late 1980s to treat eye spasms and complications and was later approved to safely treat other areas of the body. If you decide to get Botox, always put yourself in the hands of a capable and experienced person. Mismanagement can lead to excessive bruising, swelling, and other unnecessary complications.

Botox Units

If you’ve done any research on Botox you’ll notice that different patients receive varying ‘units’ of Botox. Botox is measured in units, similar to how some prescriptions are measured in milliliters. Depending on the severity of your lines and creases and what areas of the body you’ll require Botox (as well as your gender), your experienced injector will determine how many units you’ll need in the desired treatment area.

There is no preparation needed for this nonsurgical treatment as it takes place in Toronto’s Elements Spa office. Your experienced injector will require your medical history, medical conditions, and list of possible allergies before beginning. Makeup will need to be removed from the treatment area and then the injector can begin. Some common treatments include areas of the face as well as in the underarms for excessive sweating.  Botox treatments can also help address overactive bladders, chronic migraines, and more!

Botox injected into facial muscles is still measured in units. Those with stronger facial muscles require more units — for example, Botox needed for a male’s large forehead. Here are some general or average ranges. Do keep in mind that women typically require fewer units than men as they have smaller facial muscles. Females will range lower on the scales below with men ranging higher. The amount needed will also depend on how conservative a patient wants their results to look.

Unit Range

The horizontal lines on the forehead or frontalis muscle usually require anywhere between 5-20 units; between the eyebrows (or glabellar lines) usually requires 9-20 units; crow’s feet 3-10 units per side; the upper lip usually requires 2-4 units; the masseter or jaw muscles somewhere between 10-40 units per side; corners of the mouth or marionette lines typically require 2-4 units; chin dimpling anywhere between 4-6. units; any neck rings or the platysma band require approximately 20-50 units and so on.

It’s important to remember that at Elements Spa your Botox treatment will be highly individualized to you and your facial anatomy as every patient is unique. For patients seeking conservative results, we specialize in creating softened and natural results that you will love!

Click here to learn more or to book a consultation with one of Toronto’s leading board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeons, Dr. Adibfar.