ENT and Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jay Young answers all of our questions about BOTOX: what it does, how it differs from filler, and all of its different uses--both medical and cosmetic. If you're curious about BOTOX or on the fence about trying it, you don't want to miss this conversation.
Shelby Stockton:
Welcome to South Florida ENT's Audio Blog, I'm Shelby Stockton. November 17th is National Botox Day and I was honored to speak with ENT and Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Jay Young. He answers all of my questions about Botox, what it does, how it differs from filler, all of its different uses. They're not all cosmetic and much, much more. If you're curious about Botox or on the fence about trying it, you don't want to miss this conversation. Dr. Young, thank you so much for spending time with me today to talk about Botox.
Dr. Young:
Thank you for having me more importantly.
Shelby Stockton:
Yes, and they say, I've heard that November 17th is National Botox Day and who better to talk to than a doctor who deals with Botox.
Dr. Young:
Hey, it is the most important holiday of the year. I mean, not Hanukkah, not Christmas, National Botox Day.
Shelby Stockton:
I'm here for it.
Dr. Young:
It is my busiest day in the office and it should be a natural holiday, shouldn't it? I think so.
Shelby Stockton:
Why not? Listen, any reason to get cake is fine by me. Could you tell us what is Botox? Can you break it down, what is it essentially?
Dr. Young:
Yeah, so Botox is an injectable and the term is actually Botulinum. Botulinum is a neuro... Is a drug that basically blocks neurotransmitters. So you might say, "Neurotransmitters, a drug blocks?" The easier way to think of it is for a muscle to work, it has to send a signal through a nerve. Botox simply abates that signal so that the muscle relaxes. So we don't get too technical with it. There are other phrases or other forms of Botulinum. You may have heard of Botox. You may have heard of Dysport, you may have heard of Jeuveua. You may have heard of Xeomin. But Botox is the most well known because it's the original, and it's almost like Kleenex or Jell-O. Some products have such brand recognition where they become the go-to brand and Botox is just that. And quite frankly, it's the one with the most clinical experience. And it's the one that I use the most.
Shelby Stockton:
So you often hear Botox and filler in the same sentence, but they're different, and how are they different?
Dr. Young:
Completely different. Both are used for facial rejuvenation, but Botox is used primarily to relax the muscles of the face. By relaxing the muscles you have lesser wrinkles. Filler does just that, it fills in lost tissue. With time, I don't like saying with age, but with time, our skin sags a little bit, we lose fat in the wrong places, we gain fat in all the wrong places. And what happens with the face specifically is when you lose some of that volume, you can replenish it with filler. Filler is usually hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in the body, but the filler helps to add volume where the face can be sunken in. Whereas Botox is primarily for fine lines and wrinkles. And I say primarily because there are many, many uses for Botox.
Shelby Stockton:
That's perfect segue for my next question, I was going to ask you what else... I know Botox can used for many things, what are some other things that it's used for?
Dr. Young:
I think a better question is what can we not use Botox for? Traditionally, Botox has been used throughout the body and specifically, we we've had indications that are non-cosmetic as well. In my practice specifically, I've used it for patients that have excessive drooling and you can actually use Botox for that. There's some people that have voice disorders, it's called spasmodic dystonia, and there's several variants of it, but think of a person with a type of stuttering if you will, where their voice cuts out and breaks at inappropriate times, you can use Botox for that. There's some patients that have swallowing problems, Botox helps to relax the sphincter, which is a muscle at the bottom of the throat to allow you to swallow more effectively. Botox can also be used for the under armpits for those with excessive sweating and perspiration. So I think the better question is where can we not use Botox? Because it's so useful and so safe and can be used in many, many, many aspects of medicine.
Shelby Stockton:
That's fascinating. I haven't even heard of half of those things you just talked about. I think Botox is like the wonder drug kind of.
Dr. Young:
Yeah, maybe we should be sprinkling it in everyone's water, the new holy water, Botox. A little tox for everybody, right?
Shelby Stockton:
I'm all for it. So what would you say to would be patient who is very interested in Botox, but is scared?
Dr. Young:
Oh, fear not, my friend. Botox is so safe, so easy, so simple. It's virtually pain free. And for those that are maybe a little bit nervous the first time, we offer topical numbing medicine prior, but I can tell you the vast, vast, vast majority don't even need it because it's such a tiny, tiny little needle and the benefits far outweigh any kind of downside. And there's very little bruising, if any, there's no pain. So there's nothing to worry about at all. There's a reason why Botox is king of the hill and why it's so popular.
Shelby Stockton:
That's right. And as a user myself, I have to say, if you're frightened, put those fears aside, it's worth everything.
Dr. Young:
It is worth every drop, absolutely. It's one of those things that once you try it, you can try all of these skincare products from Obagi to SkinCeuticals, which are perfectly fine products. But once you try, you'll realize that you'll get much more bang for your buck in terms of just using Botox to get the sheen and the look and that youthful appearance that you're seeking.
Shelby Stockton:
Agreed. Thank you so much, Dr. Young. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us about Botox.
Dr. Young:
Anytime, anytime. Hey, National Botox Day should be every day, right?
Shelby Stockton:
I'm telling you, I'll sign. Where do I sign?
Dr. Young:
Hey, #foreveryoung. Dr. Young is here for you.
Shelby Stockton:
Love it.
Dr. Young:
We'll keep you youthful.
