When it comes to Botox, California is the state with the highest number of injections per capita, along with the most practitioners and overall consumption of the popular drug. Botox was first introduced in the late 1980's and was used at the time as a way to treat eye muscle disorders. Today, the drug is injected to prevent wrinkle formation while making patients appear younger.

What Botox Actually Does

Every time you make a facial expression or move your facial muscles, those muscles release a chemical known as acetylcholine. Essentially, Botox is injected into the facial muscle and inhibits the release of acetylcholine, therefore paralyzing the muscle and stopping the contraction.

Effectiveness of Botox

After Botox injections, patients usually see about an 80 percent improvement in the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. The drug has also been independently tested and approved by the FDA as an effective wrinkle treatment, meaning it works. However, it's not permanent and will only last for up to 5 months, and perhaps only 3.

Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Botox Injections

For Botox, patients typically receive their injections right inside the privacy of their doctor's office. There is no anesthesia involved, though some practitioners may administer a dab of numbing cream designed to minimize the discomfort associated with each injection.

Your Botox treatment will start once your doctor begins to locate each injection point and marking them with a pen. After this, the physician will disinfect the treatment area and obtain the needed amount of the Botox drug to administer the treatment.

Your doctor will then inject Botulinum Toxin Type A, the actual name for the Botox drug, into each injection point. The poisons then target the muscles and eventually cause them to stop producing acetylcholine. It takes about 7 to 10 days for Botox to become visibly effective.

Actual Botox Treatment Procedure Length

For Botox, users can typically expect their treatments to last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount of preparation required and the size of the treatment area. Typically though, it's not a lengthy procedure.

Post-Botox Skin Care

After a full treatment of Botox, patients can normally go about their day-to-day activities. However, they should avoid extended sun exposure or laying down for at least a few hours. Some individuals may experience mild bruising at their injection sites, but this will go away in a few hours.

Cost of Botox

How much your Botox treatment will cost you depends on your doctor, the treatment area and the number of treatments that you purchase. For Botox, patients typically pay between $150 and $400 for each treatment session, with Californian coughing up a higher payment than most. These sessions are then repeated every 3 to 6 months at the patient's discretion. It is very unlikely that your health coverage will recompense you for this treatment.

Finding a Certified Doctor

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons - on the web at plasticsurgery.org - and the American Academy of Dermatology (aad.org) are two organizations that can assist your search for certified doctors in your area who offer Botox injections.