The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Botox
Even if you’re someone who has never had a cosmetic treatment done before, odds are you’ve heard of Botox®. Botox is one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedures on the market, and for good reason. If you’ve ever considered entering the world of Botox but didn’t know where to start, this blog is for you! From the most common Botox areas to FAQs, Urban You has you covered.
Cosmetic Botox can be used in many areas of the face and neck for different reasons: reducing the look of wrinkles and fine lines, relieving jaw pain, or giving a “lifted” appearance, to name a few. Because it can be used for so many different purposes, choosing where you want Botox injections can be overwhelming. Here is a look into the most common areas of Botox!
Botox before & after photos →
What is Botox® Cosmetic?
Botox® is the brand name for botulinum toxin A — a safe to use formula that blocks certain nerve signals that make muscles contract when it is injected into treated areas. The muscles then relax, reducing unwanted wrinkles or built up tension. Botox injections are noninvasive and nonsurgical, so you can resume daily activities right after treatment. It is the only FDA-approved product to temporarily improve the appearance of both moderate to severe frown lines between the brows and crow’s feet lines in adults.
The most common areas of Botox are:
Frown lines / 11’s / Glabellar lines
Forehead lines
Crow’s feet
Bunny lines
Chin dimples
Neck bands
Lips (lip flip)
Forehead Lines
One of the most common and FDA-approved uses of Botox is smoothing out horizontal wrinkles and fine lines that appear across the forehead. Forehead wrinkles are primarily caused by overusing the frontalis muscle. The muscle contracts when we raise our eyebrows. This pulls the skin of the forehead up and causes forehead wrinkles. These wrinkles can be large and deep, aging someone drastically. Botox temporarily stops the frontalis muscle from contracting. This allows the moderate to severe wrinkles to soften and stops new ones from forming!
Botox® for forehead lines FAQ +
How many units will I need? 20 units of Botox
Estimated treatment time: 15-30 minutes
How long before I see results? 3 days after treatment
How long does Botox for forehead lines last? 3-6 months without touch-ups
Common side effects: redness, slight bruising, temporarily crooked eyebrows
Frown Lines / 11’s / Glabellar Lines
Similarly, Botox is also FDA-approved to reduce the appearance of moderate to severe wrinkles in between the eyebrows. These wrinkles are commonly referred to as “frown lines”, “11’s”, or "Glabellar lines”. Frown lines develop from excessively squinting our eyes or frowning, as the name suggests. While they may be unnoticeable when you’re not furrowing your brows as a child, frown lines often become permanent with age. These wrinkles are typically a pair of vertical lines between the eyebrows that look like the number “11”.
Botox® for frown lines FAQ +
How many units will I need? 20 units of Botox
Estimated treatment time: 15-30 minutes
How long before I see results? 10-14 days after treatment
How long does Botox for frown lines last? 3-6 months without touch-ups
Common side effects: redness, slight bruising, temporarily crooked eyebrows
Crow’s Feet
Crow’s feet are fine lines that form at the outer corners of the eyes. For most people, developing crow’s feet is unavoidable. These small wrinkles can be a result from squinting or smiling, as well as losing skin elasticity with age. Crow’s feet get their name from their appearance - multiple fine lines that crease in different directions stemming from the same place. Botox is FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe crow’s feet. Botox reduces the look of crow's feet by relaxing the muscles that surround the corners of the eyes. After the Botox starts blocking the contraction of those muscles, the corners of your eyes will have a smooth and youthful appearance!
Botox® for crow's feet FAQ +
How many units will I need? 24 units of Botox
Estimated treatment time: 15-30 minutes
How long before I see results? 3 days after treatment
How long does Botox for frown lines last? 3-4 months without touch-ups
Common side effects: redness, slight bruising, temporarily crooked eyebrows
Treating forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet together is extremely common. This treatment package is often referred to as 20-20-24 to match the amount of Botox units used in each area!
The Masseter Muscles (Cheeks)
Botox may be injected into the masseter muscles for multiple reasons, the first being to help relax the TMJ for pain relief in those who live with TMJ disorders. Your TMJ is a joint that connects the jaw to the skull. 15-20 units of Botox are administered into each of the masseter (cheek) muscles. Botox temporarily relaxes the muscles it is injected into, making it impossible to clench the jaw tightly enough to cause damage due to grinding teeth together. It also relieves built up tension in the TMJ.
The other main reason for injecting Botox into the cheeks is to create a slimmer, more feminine silhouette.
Botox® for Masseter muscles FAQ +
How many units will I need? 20-30
Estimated treatment time: 15-30 minutes
How long before I see results? 7-10 days after treatment
How long does Botox in the cheeks last? Anywhere from 4-5 months without touch-ups
What are the common side effects? Swelling, tenderness, and redness
For more information on using Botox to treat TMJ pain and disorders, check out our blog!
Bunny Lines
Bunny lines extend from either side of the nose and create a scrunched effect, similar to a rabbit. These lines are the result of overusing the nasalis muscle. This can be done by squinting the eyes and nose to see, scrunching your nose when you focus, or having a full-faced smile. These often become more visible as we age due to lessened collagen/elastin production. Similarly to forehead lines, bunny lines tend to be deeper and a more severe form of wrinkles. Injecting Botox into the bunny line area allows you to smile, squint, and focus without creating new wrinkles!
Botox® for bunny lines FAQ +
How many units will I need? Around 4 units total, but Urban You creates custom treatment plans for each guest depending on your desired goals and anatomy!
Estimated treatment time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
How long before I see results? 7-10 days after treatment
How long does Botox for bunny lines last? Anywhere from 3-4 months without touch-ups
What are the common side effects? Swelling, tenderness, and redness
Lips (Lip Flip)
Botox is used in the lip augmentation procedure “lip flip”. Unlike Juvéderm or other lip fillers, Botox makes the lips look fuller without adding volume. A lip flip is done by injecting Botox into the upper lip. The neurotoxin in Botox relaxes the top lip, which allows it to slightly flip upwards. This process results in a natural looking fullness, perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to look like they’ve had work done! To keep your lips looking youthful and nourished after treatment, we recommend using a hyaluronic acid lip hydrator. Botox does not have hyaluronic acid in it, unlike Juvéderm, so using a product with HA gives your sensitive skin essential hydration.
Botox® for lip flip FAQ +
How many units will I need? A lip flip typically is done with 4-6 units of Botox in the top lip, but Urban You creates custom treatment plans for each guest depending on your desired goals and anatomy!
Estimated treatment time: 20-30 minutes
How long before I see results? Approximately 1 week after treatment
How long does Botox for lip flip last? Anywhere from 2-5 months without touch-ups
What are the common side effects? Swelling, tenderness, and numbness
Chin
If you’ve ever pouted and stuck out your bottom lip, you’ve likely noticed your chin dimpling. This condition has many names, including “orange peel chin” and “golf ball chin”. Increased chin dimpling and texture is common with age. The chin muscle is tightly connected to the skin around it, so contracting the muscle can lead to the 'orange-peel' appearance. Botox injections in the chin relax the muscle and create a smooth, youthful appearance.
Botox® for chin FAQ +
How many units will I need? 4-8 units
Estimated treatment time: 20-30 minutes
How long before I see results? Approximately 7-10 days after treatment
How long does Botox for “orange peel” chin last? Anywhere from 3-6 months without touch-ups
What are the common side effects? Swelling, tenderness, and redness
Neck Bands (Neferiti Lift)
The Neferiti Lift is the latest neck skin and wrinkle trend. It is designed to counteract visible signs of aging by tightening and smoothing loose skin that forms bands around the neck. The Neferiti lift is done by injecting small doses of botulinum toxin type A, the main ingredient in Botox®, into the vertical neck muscles that connect to the collarbone. Botox relaxes the dynamic muscles when injected into the neck. This makes them less prominent and results in a smoother, younger looking neck!
Because Botox relaxes muscles, the Neferiti lift can relieve shoulder or neck pain caused by tension. It also decreases the appearance of “tech neck”: pain or stiffness from muscle stress when using phones, computers, or tablets.
How Do I Save on Botox Treatments?
Ready to boost your confidence with Botox? You’re in luck! Urban You, the #1 medical spa in Michigan, is currently offering BOO-TOX specials from October 23rd-31st. Access Botox Cosmetic or Jeuveau for only $11/unit when you purchase 50 units (must use within one year)!
Schedule a complimentary Wellness Consultation with an expert injectionist at Urban You, Michigan’s #1 medical spa! Our nurses have over 40 years of combined experience and want to help you feel your most confident. Book a consultation through the free Urban You app, your virtual hub for scheduling appointments, accessing educational content, shopping for luxury skincare from Urban You For Me, finding exclusive discounts on cosmetic services, and more!
Want to hear more about Botox from a certified nurse injectionist? Tune into The Beauty Standard podcast, hosted by Urban You CEO Nicole Gregory!
