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By Mayo Clinic staff
Before the procedure
Your doctor or nurse may prescribe medicine to numb the area where the injection will be given.
During the procedure
Your doctor uses a thin needle to inject tiny amounts of Botox into your skin or muscles.
- When treating excessive underarm sweating, your doctor injects Botox into the skin under your arms.
- When treating facial wrinkles or other conditions, your doctor injects Botox into specific muscles. By carefully choosing the muscles to treat, your doctor weakens only the muscles needing treatment.
The number of injections needed depends on many factors, including the extent of the area being treated. For wrinkle treatment, aesthetic factors also play a role.
Botox injections take about 10 to 15 minutes and are usually done in a doctor's office. You may experience mild pain with the injections, but most people find the discomfort tolerable.
After the procedure
Botox injections require little downtime, although you may experience bruising or other minor local side effects from the injection. Expect to resume your normal daily activities right after the procedure. Take care, though, not to rub or massage the treated areas. This can cause the toxin to migrate to a different area.
- Botox medication guide. Food and Drug Administration. www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM176360.pdf. Accessed May 3, 2010.
- OnabotulinumtoxinA: Drugdex evaluations. Micromedex Healthcare Series 2.0. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed May 3, 2010.
- Botox (medical). The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/treatment/botox/. Accessed May 2, 2010.
- Carruthers J, et al. Consensus recommendations on the use of botulinum toxin type A in facial aesthetics. Plastic Reconstructive Surgery. 2004;114(suppl.):1S.
- Flynn TC. Update on botulinum toxin. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 2006;25:115.
- Botulinum toxin. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_botulinum.html. Accessed May 2, 2010.
- FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraine. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm229782.htm. Accessed Oct. 23, 2010.
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