Botox consists of small injections with various forms of botulinum toxin to temporarily paralyze muscle activity. Carefully placed Botox injections can effectively reduce the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles and restore a youthful appearance to facial skin. Results usually last three to six months.

Why it's done

Botulinum toxin injections block certain chemical signals from nerves, mostly signals that cause muscles to contract. The most common use of these injections is to temporarily relax the facial muscles that underlie and cause wrinkles, such as:

• Frown lines between the eyebrows
• Crow's-feet, the lines that fan out from the corners of the eyes
• Forehead furrows

Botulinum toxin injections are also used to treat conditions that affect how the body functions. Examples include:

• Cervical dystonia. In this painful condition, your neck muscles contract involuntarily causing your head to twist or turn into an uncomfortable position.
• Lazy eye. The most common cause of lazy eye is an imbalance in the muscles responsible for positioning the eye.
• Muscle contractures. Some neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy, can cause your limbs to pull in toward your center. In some cases, these contracted muscles can be relaxed with botulinum toxin injections.
• Hyperhidrosis. In this condition, excessive sweating occurs even when the temperature isn't hot and you're not exerting yourself.
• Chronic migraine. If you experience migraines more than 15 days a month, botulinum toxin injections may help reduce headache frequency.
• Bladder dysfunction. Botulinum toxin injections can also help reduce urinary incontinence caused by an overactive bladder.
• Eye twitching. Botulinum toxin injections may help relieve contracture or twitching of muscles around the eye.

Read about risks, how to prepare and more.

Learn about wrinkles.

Derma fillers are collagen injections within the skin and indented wrinkles or scars to fill out or stretch the skin, making wrinkles less noticeable. Juvederm injections can create fuller lips and correct volume loss around the mouth, small wrinkles directly above the lips, and wrinkles on the lower and upper face. Results usually last six months to one year.