Muscle relaxants may be safely used on adult men and women up to age 65. Women who are breastfeeding, pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should consult their doctors before starting muscle relaxants.
Procedure
During your treatment, a registered nurse with the Renaissance Medispa team will inject appropriate amounts of BOTOX or Dysport to meet your cosmetic goals. 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
Because the needles used for these injections are very slender, most patients experience only minimal discomfort. These no-downtime treatments require neither sedation nor anesthesia, so patients can drive immediately after the procedure.
Preparing for the Procedure
Patients are more likely to get a bruise at the site of the needle injection if they are taking aspirin or ibuprofen; these medications thin the blood and increase bleeding which causes the bruise. Skip the pills for up to two weeks in advance of the treatment.
Patients should also tell the nurse before treatment about any supplements they are taking, even if they are “natural,” because some (such as fish oil pills, gingko, or vitamin E) also thin blood. The nurse may ask the patient to not to use those supplements for up to two weeks before the treatment.
Recovery
Expect to resume normal daily activities immediately after the procedure. Do not rub or massage the treated areas. This can cause the toxin to migrate to a different area.
Within just a few days of the treatment, the treated facial lines will have diminished. Patients will look younger and refreshed. Muscle relaxant injections usually last 3 to 5 months. The more treatments you receive, the more long-lasting the effect.
New patients may not have a dramatic a change as they were expecting. The skilled nurse injectors at the Renaissance Medispa will usually err on the side of caution and administer less muscle relaxant than more. It is easier to add more after a few weeks, than to risk droopy eyelids or brows from aggressive injecting. Because every patient requires different amounts of the serum, it is always safer to use less. For instance, body builders may require more serum because they may scrunch their forehead when lifting weights. This creates stronger muscles, which requires more serum to treat.
Potential Risks
The most common side effects after injection are headaches, bruising, pain at the injection site, temporary eyelid drop, and nausea. Less than 1% of patients have an allergic reaction, or drooping eyelids or eyebrows. Drooping eyelids or eyebrows return to their natural position within a few months.
Although very unlikely, it’s possible for the effect of botulinum toxin to spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism-like signs and symptoms. Call the practice immediately away if there are any of these effects hours to weeks after receiving muscle relaxants:
- Muscle weakness all over the body
- Vision problems
- Trouble speaking or swallowing
- Trouble breathing
- Loss of bladder control
Rejuvenated skin is just a call away. When it comes to perfecting their personal Renaissance through spa services such as injections of BOTOX and Dysport, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, WI residents trust Fox Valley Plastic Surgery.
