Category: Botox for Bell’s Palsy

Botox has been around since the 1970s and has quite a history. Its original name was Oculinum and its original use wasn’t intended for cosmetic purposes. Smoothing lines that was seen as a nice side benefit from patients who were being treated by the ophthalmologist who invented it to treat a medical condition causing strabismus (cross eyes). In 1991, two years after receiving FDA approval for treatment of strabismus and eyelid spasms, the company Allergan bought Oculinum and changed the name to Botox.

At first, Allergan didn’t even realize what they had their hands on, but as use grew and more discoveries were made by the doctors experimenting with it, a whole new world opened up in the cosmetic industry. Even today as Botox is most well know in the mainstream population for it’s wrinkle smoothing effect, Allergan holds more than 800 patents for its use, most of which are for helping with medical conditions. Here are some of those strange, exciting and surprising uses for Botox:

FDA Approved Medical Uses

• Strabismus – Approved in 1989, this original use for injecting tiny amounts of botulinum type A helped correct the muscle issue causing crossed eyes.
• Neck spasms – Approved in 2000 for the management of neck pain caused by an abnormal head position called cervical dystonia. This approval was before Botox was officially FDA approved for the cosmetic treatment of frown lines in 2002.
• Excessive underarm sweating – Approved in 2004, for this condition, which is officially called primary axillary hyperhidrosis, is also used as a non invasive treatment for overly sweaty hands and feet.
• Chronic headaches – Approved in 2010 for chronic migraines, use for headaches started with a plastic surgeon’s discovery that his patients who received Botox for wrinkles also reported less headaches.
• Overactive bladder – Approved in 2013, the constant contracting of the bladder causes the need to urinate frequently or have leakage. When injected directly into the bladder muscle, Botox has been demonstrated to safely and effectively relax those muscles causing the problem with results lasting up to one year for a third of the study’s trial population.

“Off label” Medical Uses

• Depression – After multiple successful small medical studies, Allergan is currently conducting clinical trials to confirm the results many doctors are finding for their patients who want an alternative to medications. The theory of how Botox affects mood is related to the “facial feedback hypothesis.” This hypothesis says that a person’s mood can be affected by their facial expressions, so therefore if their facial muscles are inhibited from frowning, mood improvement follows.
• Abnormal heartbeat – Allergan is siezing an opportunity to help with an unmet medical need to help reduce postoperative atrial fibrillation, which occurs in 27 to 40 percent of patients. A promising small study with Botox conducted at Duke Medical Center demonstrated a lesser occurrence of an abnormal heart rate after heart surgery.
• Sexual issues – Botox is being studied to treat erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and painful sex for women.
• Cold hands – When Botox is injected into the hand muscles that surround constricted blood vessels, the resulting circulation improvement has been shown to provide up to 3 months of relief.

Botox is providing amazing help for a variety of medical needs, as well as cosmetic ones. You can read more about Botox for Bell’s Palsy here. It truly is a very exciting treatment.

Steven Davison M.D.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

When you’re going for any injectable treatment, the skill of the injector makes a tremendous difference in the results. When it comes to your face, this is definitely not something you want to be bargain hunting or wheeling and dealing. A bad injector can make you look older or even distort your natural appearance.

Here are some clues you’re going to get a bad injection, and what to look for instead:

Options

There are a good variety of injectables and some are a better fit for different facial structures, skin age and rejuvenation goals. If the office doesn’t represent this beauty of choice and tries to fit everyone in the box of a one size fits all injection, then you know something is wrong. Each person’s unique needs should be addressed regarding the placement of injections and what kind of injectables are used.

Cleanliness

Infections happen easily and so it is important to be very picky about the cleanliness of the facility. Don’t just breeze in the office and get your injection. Look at it with a critical eye and especially important to assess the cleanliness of the injection room. A sterile needle and fresh vial of injectable should be shown to the patient before treatment.

Quality of Care

You can trust your face to the quality of care that can only be provided by an injector with experience, certification, specialization, consultation and confidence.

• Experience: An injector should have a lot of experience with a variety of injectables and specialize in the art of injectables. This gives the injector a true “feel” for the unique needs of each patient.
• Certification: There’s actually an industry standard that is applied to the best practitioners, qualifying them as Expert Injectors. This extra certification and licensure ensures that the injector you choose has had the training and experience to give you the best chances for the results your desiring.
• Specialization: With injections being offered at home and almost every medi spa across the country, it’s important to recognize that doctors and nurse practitioners, such as our own PA Nora, with specialization this field have an intimate knowledge of facial structure and can provide the best results.
• Consultation: While injectables generally provide a “quick fix” for addressing aging concerns, the injector should take the time discuss your desires and long term goals. This might include a treatment plan to include other anti aging procedures.
• Confidence: The training, experience and specialization required for a job well done in this field provides a confidence that the practitioner has and one that you can have also. If your injector seems shaky or unsure in the least bit, walk away.

As an expert injector with experience of working on hundreds of faces with the highest levels of satisfaction, standards and level of artistry in facial rejuvenation, you can trust your face in Nora’s hands. To schedule an appointment for your injectables consultation, visit www.davinciplastic.com.

Steven Davison M.D.

Board Certified Plastic/Reconstructive Surgeon

You’re not alone if you’re dreaming of the beach and warm summer months – as you scrape ice and snow from your car and driveways. Now is the perfect time to change your lifestyle by making healthier long term choices that will get you summer…bathing – suit ready.
There are lots of ways cosmetic surgery can help you achieve your perfect, cosmetic body goals, for example liposuction, tummy tuck and breast implants. But… one of the hottest trends in 2017 are well rounded, curvaceous buttocks resulting from the Brazilian Butt Lift.

Brazil is famous for the 2016 Olympics…and for one of the hottest 2017 trends…the Brazilian Butt Lift. The plump posterior movement was lead by the gorgeous rear ends of the thong bikini wearing Brazilian women – and celebrities, such as J Lo, Iggy Azalea, Shakira, Beyonce and the Kardashians. With increasing popularity over the past few years, the Brazilian Butt Lift, creates your ideal buttock fullness/shape using a combination of procedures that can include liposuction, lifting, fat grafting, and implants.
Brazilian Butt Lift is not a cookie cutter procedure… The vision of what we’re trying to accomplish with a Brazillian Butt Lift is different for different people and the factors that affect outcome: age, muscle tone, skin elasticity, cellulite, available fat for transplant and your existing butt size and shape.

This is where a specially trained, experienced surgeon, such as myself, will consult with you to assess the desired lift, shape, fullness and overall contour of your desired derriere. Don’t compromise by choosing someone without a high level of training because you could end up with a saggy, lumpy or bumpy butt.

Two main ways for creating curves and lifting butts… The options for creating a lifted, firmer buttock are fat grafting and implants. I believe that the ideal Buttock Augmentation is from using your own fat. Fat grafting is natural in its look, feel and because it’s your own purified fat. Fat grafting uses only your living fat cells, and when performed with expert precision and technique, the transplanted cells “graft” and live permanently where they are placed.

Also, there’s the added benefit of contouring the area where the liposuction is performed to collect the fat for the Buttock Augmentation. I prefer to only use implants if there is no available excess fat or in combination with fat grafting if there isn’t sufficient fat to achieve the complete desired results.

No butts about it, if you want your best…most curvaceous, buttocks of your dreams – I can help you with a Buttock Augmentation. Let’s talk about the curves you crave. Visit www.davinciplastic.com to schedule a consultation for your safe, beautiful Brazilian Butt Lift today.
Steven Davison M.D.
Board Certified Plastic/Reconstructive Surgeon

Fall is definitely here with changing air temperatures and weather patterns that all effect the condition of our skin.  Of course, we always concerned about putting our “best face forward”…..especially the older we get….and Botox is one of the amazing injectables that does just that.  With Botox you won’t need a Halloween mask for that party or special fall event because your skin will look so amazing and wrinkle free that people will wonder….but only you will know.

Here’s a short bullet list of what it does:

• Eliminates those telltale Crow’s Feet around the corners of your eyes
• Blows away those aging “cobwebs” – skin looks and is smoother, more rejuvenated and healthier
• Shooo away ghostly aging dull, lifeless skin – gain a youthful look and radiant glow
• Smooth away aging lines, wrinkles and grooves with Botox filler
• Basically trick Father Time into turning back your clock several years!

Today’s injectable fillers formulas are the most advanced ever….they have been in use worldwide for decades so they are considered well proven to be safe and effective.  Botox is also well known in the medicine for treating Migraine headaches, some neurological uses have been in existence in Europe for years and years….thousands and thousands and thousands of users and successful treatments shout out Botox’ virtues…worldwide.  Botox is widely used in the treatment of Bell’s Palsy.  You definitely want skill and experience in an injector for these treatments.

Expert Injector….Dr. Davison is a specially trained “expert injector.”  Not all physicians are, but as a surgeon who understands the complex facial anatomy, he sought out the most advanced information and training available to qualify himself as “an expert injector.”  That means…his staff is expertly trained trained, highly skilled and well experienced in the  fine art of facial injectables.  He helps his patients “keep their best face forward.”

Botox…is Bootox for Halloween because it virtually smoothes away unwanted lines and wrinkles giving you a fresh, more youthful appearance.…people will wonder what’s different…but only you will know!

Call today to reserve…slots are going, going…..fast

Botox is not new.  In fact, it’s been used worldwide for decades for both functional and cosmetic treatments. Botox is currently approved in 85 countries for at least 25 medical treatments such as Bell’s Palsy, Blepharospasm, Elbow muscle stiffness, chronic migraine headaches and many more. There are in excess of 2300 publications devoted to Botox alone.  I have recommended it to my patients since it was first approved and proven safe and effective.  I effectively use it to treat Bell’s Palsy symptoms from which my patients suffer.  Botox used to treat Bell’s Palsy symptoms is for “functional” purposes, not to be confused with the many “cosmetic” uses for Botox.

Botox® and Bell’s Palsy…Botox injections have given many thousands of people, worldwide, relief from the pain and suffering caused by Bell’s Palsy for over 2 decades now.  Here’s how it works:

• Botox has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for partial facial paralysis and Synkinesis caused by Bell’s Palsy
• Botox injections give great relief from the pain and symptoms
• It restores facial symmetry and overall facial comfort
• Botox injections paralyze the overactive muscles and allow them to be “retrained”
• Botox allows for complete neuromuscular and brain retraining in Bell’s Palsy cases
• Botox alleviates the pain/discomfort from Synkinesis
• Botox treatments are done in office with no downtime
• Reduced muscle action is noticeable within 12 to 18 hours post injection with maximum results seen by the end of the first week after treatment
• Topical anesthetics can be used on sensitive facial areas for more comfortable treatments
• Maintenance treatments (well spaced) have proven to increase the duration of effectiveness during retraining therapy
• Side effects from Botox injections may occur…but are rare

Synkinesis is pain and discomfort caused by nerves that have regrown into the wrong facial areas thus causing misdirected muscle responses. This occurs during the recovery phases of Bell’s Palsy when the regenerating nerve fibers initially migrate through a common channel called the main nerve trunk.  These soon divide into branches bound for the brows, eyes, cheeks, lips, neck and these migrating fibers are forced to select a path.  Sometimes, some nerve fibers earmarked by the brain for a particular function, may ultimately choose the wrong path and grow in the wrong location.  When this happens, for example, fibers responsible for smiling may grow to the muscles at the corner of the mouth and eyelid thus causing lip movement and eye closure instead of a smile. These are abnormal, hyperactive functions called Synkinetic function. These responses include “tears” when laughing or chewing, abnormal blinking when talking or chewing and other discomforts. Botox injections have proven very effective in hosts of patients suffering with Bell’s Palsy and other neuromuscular disorders.

Asymmetry (facial) resulting from Bell’s Palsy is one of the top reasons patients seek my treatments.  Botox, when injected into isolated spastic muscles reduce the synkinesis symptoms allowing for retraining of the brain and muscles while the Botox blocks the nerve/muscle actions.  Physical Therapy is typically coupled with the Botox treatments for ultimate results and the ongoing retraining process. Visit my website and go to the “UTube” presentation I’ve put up: https://www.davinciplastic.com.

If you or a loved one is suffering from Bell’s Palsy pain and discomfort let’s talk soon.  There is safe, effective treatment used by millions of people.  You can get it too!

EXPERT INJECTOR…this is critical for any injectable procedure.  I am specially and maximally trained, certified and recognized worldwide as an “Expert Injector.”  People travel from around the globe for my highly specialized, premium treatments.

REMEMBER THE FUN in the SUN TIPS:  HATS, WATER, SHADE without glare, SUNSCREEN, ANTI OXIDANT SNACKS/DRINKS, UMBRELLAS and a sensible time frame.  Now, go have some fun!

Best to You and Yours,

Steven Davison M.D.