Botox treatment

Botox is the brand name for a purified protein called botulinum toxin type A. In small, carefully placed doses, it temporarily relaxes the muscles it’s injected into, softening the lines those muscles create over time. So when patients ask what is Botox, or what is a Botox treatment, the simplest answer is: a precise, temporary muscle-relaxing injection used for both aesthetic and medical concerns. The Botox meaning sits in that scientific name. What is Botox made of? A purified neurotoxin protein in saline solution; that’s it.

You’ll start seeing softening from around day four, with the full result settling in by about day fourteen; that’s why we book a review at two weeks. So if you’ve been searching how long does it take for Botox to work, the short answer is up to two weeks for the final position. How long does Botox last? On average three to four months for most patients, depending on dose, area, and your individual metabolism.

Our Botox price per unit in South Africa is R85, or R65 on Aesthetic Days. The Botox injection price for your visit depends on how many units are placed: forehead 10 to 20 units, frown lines 20 to 25, crow’s feet 12 to 24, as rough guides. Your consultation gives you an exact quote. So how much is Botox in South Africa, or how much does Botox cost in South Africa? It varies by clinic; searches like Botox price South Africa or Botox price per unit South Africa point to the same transparent per-unit answer at our practice, which is also what people usually mean when they search a Botox price list near me.

Is Botox bad for you? When it’s administered by a trained clinician in clinically appropriate doses, Botox has a long safety record going back several decades. The risks are real but generally short-term: temporary bruising, mild headache for a day or two, and rarely, asymmetry that resolves as the product settles or that we adjust at your two-week review. Botox injections aren’t advised in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or with certain neuromuscular conditions; we’ll go through your medical history at consultation. The safety of any Botox injection is largely about the hand placing it.

Botox aftercare is straightforward. What not to do after Botox in the first 24 hours: don’t rub or massage the treated areas, avoid intense exercise or heat (sauna, steam, hot yoga), avoid alcohol if you can, and try not to sleep face-down on the treated side. How long after Botox can I lie down? Stay upright for at least four hours after your appointment, so don’t book a treatment immediately before a nap or a long-haul flight. Beyond that, normal life resumes; you can wash your face, wear makeup, and go about your day.

If you’ve been searching Botox near me, Botox Durban, or Botox uMhlanga, our Botox clinic is at 4 Nollsworth Crescent, La Lucia, between Durban North and uMhlanga, easy to reach from the M4 and the N2. We see Botox patients from across the KZN coast. On Botox specials near me: we don’t run open promotions for Botox treatment, but our private opt-in Aesthetic Days programme offers reduced per-unit pricing a few times a year for patients on our facial aesthetics mailing list. Ask reception to add you when you book.

Patients often ask about Botox before and after photos: 20 units of Botox before and after the frown lines, masseter Botox before and after for jaw slimming, or before and after Botox of the eyes. We do photograph results, but we don’t publish identifiable patient images publicly without explicit current written consent; that’s an HPCSA standard we take seriously. At consultation Dr Mulder can show you anonymised reference images and talk through what’s realistic for your face, your dose, and your goals.

Masseter Botox targets the masseter, the strong jaw muscle on the side of your face that powers chewing and clenching. Relaxing it eases TMJ symptoms and night-time bruxism: jaw tension, dull morning headaches, tooth wear, and the locked feel of a clenched bite. Many patients also notice a subtle slimming of the lower face as a secondary effect. Botox for TMJ is one of the medical applications we use most often, and as a dental practice we can also assess what’s driving the clench in the first place.

Botox for migraines is an established medical use, particularly for chronic migraine (headaches on 15 or more days per month, with at least eight being migraine). It’s a more involved injection pattern than aesthetic Botox, placed across the forehead, temples, neck, and shoulders, and it’s typically repeated every twelve weeks. Whether you’re a candidate depends on your migraine history and what you’ve already tried; we’d usually want to discuss this alongside your GP or neurologist before proceeding.

The most common areas for aesthetic Botox face treatment are the forehead lines, the frown lines between the brows, and crow’s feet (often searched online as crows feet Botox) around the eyes. Beyond those, we treat bunny lines on the nose, a gummy smile, downturned mouth corners, the chin, and platysmal bands on the neck. Masseter and migraine treatments are medical rather than purely aesthetic. Not every line needs Botox; sometimes the right answer is none in a given area, which is a conversation worth having at consultation.

Botox lips treatment, often called a lip flip, is a small-dose technique placing a few units along the upper lip border. It relaxes the muscle that pulls the lip down when you smile, letting the upper lip ‘flip’ upwards slightly to show a touch more pink. It’s subtle and short-lived, typically lasting six to eight weeks, and it doesn’t add volume; that’s what filler does. A lip flip is a useful option for a soft enhancement without committing to filler, or alongside a small amount of filler.

Dysport vs Botox and Xeomin vs Botox are the comparisons we hear most often. All three are botulinum toxin type A products from different manufacturers, with slightly different formulations, unit potency, onset, and spread. In practical terms: Botox has the longest track record; Dysport sometimes has a slightly faster onset and can spread more, useful in some areas and less so in others; Xeomin is a ‘naked’ formulation without surrounding accessory proteins, which some patients prefer. The right product for you is a clinical judgement, not a brand preference.

Fillers vs Botox is one of the most common questions we get; some patients also phrase it as Botox vs fillers. The simplest answer: Botox relaxes muscles, so it softens lines created by movement (forehead, frown, crow’s feet); fillers add volume, replacing what’s been lost or restructured (cheeks, lips, tear troughs, jawline). Many patients benefit from both, and Botox and fillers are commonly done as part of the same plan, sometimes in the same visit. If you’ve been searching for Botox and fillers near me in Durban North, our Facial Aesthetics programme covers both.

Baby Botox is a smaller-dose, more conservative approach: roughly half the units used in a full traditional treatment of the same area. It softens movement without freezing it, which keeps natural expression intact and is often the right starting point for younger patients, first-timers, or anyone who’s been over-treated elsewhere. The trade-off is a more subtle result that may not last as long. Whether baby Botox is right for you depends on your face, your goals, and how your muscles respond.