Whole Beauty® Institute

Are you looking to maintain a natural look while finding a younger, fresher appearance? Botox® and Dysport® can help soften harsh lines and restore a relaxed expression to the face. You don’t need to ‘freeze’ the muscles of your face in order to achieve this result.

These neuromodulators work inside the muscle body to relax the muscles that are responsible for creating dynamic lines (wrinkles) of the face and prevent wrinkles from forming on areas such as your forehead, in between your eyebrows (also known as your 11’s) and around your eye’s (crow’s feet). Using a lighter dose in these areas can allow your muscles to maintain some movement while softening those persistent wrinkles.

Haven’t noticed any permanent deep wrinkles or lines quite yet? Botox® and Dysport® can also be used as a preventative measure to inhibit the formation of deeper, more noticeable lines.

The most common misconception about Botox

The most common misconception about Botox is that it always results in a frozen, expressionless face. Although this is a possibility with heavy-handed treatment, it is not the case with our patients at the Whole Beauty® Institute. Our patients benefit from a gentle approach that leaves them looking relaxed and refreshed but still able to express emotion.

The most important benefit of Botox is not what you think it is

At first glance, it might seem that Botox is simply about reducing lines that result from the actions of facial muscles, particularly between the brows, in the forehead, and in the crow’s feet. Although many patients come to us for Botox with line reduction as their main goal, they soon discover that Botox, Dysport, and other facial relaxants offer a more important benefit: the rebalancing of facial expression.

The key expressive zones of the face that send information to others about how we are feeling include the outer brows and the corner of the mouth. As these areas descend with the aging process, they often make a person look tired, sad, or angry.

There is a dynamic balance between muscles that depress these areas and muscles that elevate them. With a skilled clinician, it is possible to soften the activity of the depressor muscles while leaving the elevator muscles alone. The result is almost magical when the corners of the brow and mouth return to a position of contentment.

What happens when facial balance is restored

There are two important benefits when facial balance is restored. The first is that people perceive our emotions more accurately. We no longer look sad or angry when we are actually feeling quite content. This, in subtle ways, influences our interaction with other people for the better.

The second benefit is even more interesting. Several scientific studies have shown that when Botox is injected into the frown area between the brows, people who are clinically depressed actually demonstrate in psychological studies an improvement in their depression!

Our treatment will reflect your goals

For some patients, Botox is simply about reducing expression lines, and we can certainly accomplish that.

For other patients, Botox is more about restoring balance to facial expression.

For still other patients Botox is mostly about preventing lines and harsh expression before they have a chance to develop.

At the Whole Beauty® Institute, we perform a detailed facial analysis on each new patient so that we can understand the unique character of your face and your specific goals. This careful analysis leads to highly individualized treatment.

What it’s like after treatment with Botox?

When performed by our skilled team of clinicians Botox treatment is surprisingly easy.

  • After the injections, you may have minor redness at the injection site that will generally resolve within minutes to hours.
  • You will need to keep your head elevated and avoid exercise for 5 hours after the procedure, as it is crucial to keep the neuromodulator in the appropriate position.
  • Minor bruising is always a possibility but generally resolves within a few days.
  • That’s it, and you’re back to your everyday life!

Generally speaking, Botox® will take full effect within 14 days and Dysport® will take 7-10 days to completely settle and inhibit muscle activity. You may notice results within a few days depending on your body’s metabolism. Make sure that you make an appointment a few weeks in advance so that you can be ready for that fun fall event!

To schedule a consultation for Botox treatment at either the Chicago or Winnetka location of the Whole Beauty® Institute contact us or call 312-751-2112.