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BOTOX® Cosmetic

Double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Edward Szachowicz offers BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport® at his Edina plastic surgery practice to help Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, residents look naturally refreshed and relaxed. These powerful, FDA-approved “wrinkle erasers” relax the facial muscles that cause certain wrinkles. These treatments have some of the highest satisfaction rates in the artistic and experienced hands of Dr. Szachowicz.

What can BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport treat?

Women and men from throughout the Twin Cities choose BOTOX and Dysport to address a variety of concerns, which often include:

• Forehead and frown lines
• Crow’s feet
• Under-eye wrinkles
• Nose wrinkles or “bunny lines”
• Sagging corners of the mouth
• Lipstick lines around the mouth
• Prominent neck bands

How do BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport work?

BOTOX and Dysport act similar to a light switch: when injected into a muscle that causes wrinkles, they turn the electricity to the muscle off, thus smoothing the wrinkle. After 3 to 4 months the activity of the muscles gradually returns, like a dimmer switch, slowly making the light brighter (the wrinkles gradually return). The good news is that, also similar to a light switch, no harm is done to the nerves or muscle, just as the light switch and light are not damaged.

After a tiny injection into the muscle, the botulinum molecule attaches to the tiny nerve endings within the muscle and blocks the signal for the muscle to contract. Over time, the nerve slowly begins to become active again, stimulating the muscles that cause wrinkles. Both BOTOX and Dysport are in a class called botulinum A, which appears to be the most long-lasting type of botulinum toxin (3 to 4 months).

After extensive study and research, BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport do not appear to cause any long-term negative effects. The protein undergoes a natural process of breakdown within the body and the nerve returns to full function. The muscles of expression in the face do not appear to undergo any atrophy (permanent weakening), even after years of repeated BOTOX or Dysport injections. Dr. Szachowicz would be happy to speak with you in person if you have any questions regarding this treatment or are interested in scheduling an appointment.

Dr. Edward Szachowicz

(Sack-o-which)

Your face can reflect the way you feel inside through a facelift or another surgical procedure by Dr. Szachowicz.

Meet Dr. Szachowicz

How BOTOX performed and when will I see results?

• With a few tiny injections, Dr. Szachowicz carefully places BOTOX or Dysport into the muscles of facial expression. Within 24 to 48 hours, facial lines and wrinkles are reduced as botulinum protein blocks the nerve impulses to the injected muscles. Dysport has a quicker onset of action for full effect (1 to 2 days) and BOTOX Cosmetic has a full effect usually within 3 to 5 days.
• The injections are done with a tiny needle and are very tolerable. To increase comfort, topical numbing cream is applied beforehand or chilled cooling pads can be place on the site of injections.
• Occasionally there a slight bruise may develop at an injection site. Fish or plant oils (flax seed), aspirin, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen) can increase the risk of bruising with any injectable treatment.

What is recovery like after BOTOX and Dysport treatments?

There is no downtime or recovery needed after these treatments. You can return to full activities including the gym, yoga, and sauna. You can apply makeup or sunscreen immediately after the procedure. We recommend avoiding any pressure or massage on the areas of treatment for 24 hours. This usually means no facials, facial massage or face down (in face cradle) massage for one day.

Why choose Dr. Szachowicz for your BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport treatments?

• When it comes to your face, training and experience matter. Dr. Szachowicz has been performing BOTOX Cosmetic treatments since 1990, and has been invited to two national training workshops as a consultant for Allergan, the makers of BOTOX Cosmetic.
• Dr. Szachowicz is a member of the National Education Faculty (NEF) for Allergan. This is a very select group (less than 1% of all the doctors performing BOTOX Cosmetic in the U.S.A.) which are the trainers for BOTOX Cosmetic injections and the contact representatives for any issues surrounding BOTOX Cosmetic. He has been on the radio and in the newspaper specifically around the specialized use of BOTOX Cosmetic.

The National Education Faculty for Allergan is a by-invitation-only group of select physician trainers that represents only ½% of all doctors that inject BOTOX Cosmetic. As an NEF member, Dr. Szachowicz is a spokesperson and trainer for Allergan on BOTOX Cosmetic and has adopted high standards for his practice.​

• As a National Education Faculty member, Dr. Szachowicz doesn’t take a routine approach to botulinum treatments. All new patients are photographed using standard images for facial expression. Then all the particulars that may affect the treatment are factored into the treatment plan, such as the patient’s age, condition of the skin, length of the forehead, position of the eyebrows, and degree of facial muscle activity. The planned outcome is for a ‘natural and relaxed’ look versus a ‘frozen or plastic’ look.
• Patients have reported that they see more value in a properly performed technique, and more importantly look and feel more confident.

“Dr. S will make sure you look natural and beautiful. He really understands how to bring out your best.” —Actual patient

Who should not use BOTOX or Dysport?

BOTOX and Dysport are not indicated if pregnant women or women who are lactating as no studies on safety have been done. Also, both products contain a tiny amount of human albumin derived from human blood.

Are there other uses for BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport?

Although Dr. Szachowicz primarily utilizes BOTOX Cosmetic and Dysport for treatment of the upper face, including frown and wrinkles, this special protein has been used as a problem solver for some unique cosmetic conditions.

• Chemical browlift – BOTOX and Dysport can cause a measurable lift in the outer eyebrows and improve the overall height of the brows if properly injected into the muscles which pull the brows down.
• Facial shaping – People who clench their teeth, can get enlargement of their jaw muscles. Proper injection of BOTOX and Dysport reduce the increase in size of these muscles as well as protect excessive wear on your teeth.
• The ‘DAO’ injection – There is a special set of muscles designed to pull down the corners of the mouth. The term DAO is made from the first letters of the name of those muscles – Depressor Anguli Oris. A very small amount of botulinum toxin in the mouth area can make a positive change, especially when combined with dermal filler to the lips.
• Neck bands – The bands in the neck are caused by the platysma muscles contracting. Injection of BOTOX or Dysport into the neck bands can soften the bands in the neck giving a more youthful contour.
• Sweating – There is a tiny muscle at the base of every sweat gland in the body which literally squeezes the fluid out of the sweat gland – botulinum relaxes that tiny muscle and the sweat is diminished. This works for the forehead, sweating around the mouth and of course under the arms.
• Lipstick lines – The circular muscle around the mouth will contract and eventually cause vertical lines in everybody. Small amounts of BOTOX or Dysport in the lip lines works to diminish these lines, especially in combination with gel fillers to the lips.
• Facial balancing – This program is for those people with a hyperactive muscle (one eyebrow pops up) or facial weakness from a nerve injury. Botulinum toxin can be specifically placed to balance the face at rest.

Can I combine BOTOX and Dysport with other treatments?

Satisfaction with cosmetic treatments is the highest with combination treatments—the addition of either treatment has an overall greater cosmetic benefit.

• With dermal fillers – The majority of BOTOX and Dysport injections are used in the upper face (forehead lines, frown lines and crow’s feet) while the majority of dermal fillers are used in the lower face (nasolabial folds, lips, marionette lines, etc.)
• Before Fraxel® laser skin resurfacing — The benefit comes from putting the forehead, frown and crow’s feet areas at rest while the skin regenerates after the Fraxel laser treatment. Studies show that the skin is smoother after the laser, with fewer deep lines.
• With rejuvenation surgery — BOTOX or Dysport is always used by Dr. Szachowicz before a brow lift procedure. By relaxing the muscles around the brows and eyes prior to surgery, the patient can heal after a brow lift without the negative downward pull of the facial muscles improving the overall result of surgery.
• During skin care treatments — These botulinum toxins get to root cause of wrinkles in the upper face: muscle contraction. Therefore, there is a great synergy between medical skin care and facial muscle relaxation to give the highest satisfaction with medical skin care program.