“Botox is a brand name of which there are several different companies. The actual chemical is Botulinum toxin A. This is derived from Clostridium bacteria, so it is a toxin, but it’s been repurposed so that it doesn’t actually cause harm to your skin or to your body. What it does is it works at your neuromuscular synapse to prevent the release of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter that helps your muscles contract, so when you administer Botox that acetylcholine transmission is halted and you can’t contract those muscles to make wrinkles anymore. The right practitioner will not over do the Botox – that’s really important to do it with a gentle hand, to do it in the right places so that you avoid looking frozen. Sometimes people will ask well is this actually safe? Botox Cosmetic was approved for cosmetic use in 2012 and, so in all of this time, we have really excellent safety data, particularly for the amounts that are used in dermatology, it’s been shown to be safe. The only real side effects that you might experience are some injection site reactions, a little bit of bruising maybe, some temporary swelling, but otherwise it’s really well-tolerated. One thing to know about it is that it does last usually about three to four months, so it does require repeated office visits. The plus side of that though is if you’re not happy with Botox and it’s not for you, it’s not there forever.”
Make an appointment with Reena Rupani, MD
Reena Rupani, MD, is a board certified dermatologist at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients Monday-Thursday. Trained in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Arizona, she is certified by the American Board of Dermatology. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, she was awarded her medical degree from Yale University’s School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Dermatology at Rhode Island Hospital and her fellowship at Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, where she studied under Andrew Weil, MD. She has written several publications, including two textbooks, on dermatology and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed articles. She speaks regularly at the American Academy of Dermatology and has an extensive background in medical education. She has a particular interest in both adult and pediatric medical and surgical dermatology, as well as cosmetic care, including Botox, chemical peels, injectable fillers, and laser therapies.