What are the advantages of botox treatment over facial plastic surgery?

In the past, the only way to decrease wrinkling of the forehead, for example, was to do a surgical procedure in combination with a brow lift to damage the muscles of the forehead area to reduce their wrinkling.  With the advent of Botox such surgical procedures are not necessary.  While Botox decreases the mechanical action of the muscles of the forehead and face, it does not do anything to treat excess skin for sagging jowls and facial tissue.  These still require facial plastic surgery.  In essence, both Botox and facial cosmetic surgery are components of global management of the aging face.

The greatest advantage of Botox treatment is associated with a temporary removal of frown lines throughout the facial region including the mid-forehead, periorbital, perioral, and nasal labial folds. These are not permanent removal of these wrinkles but rather a temporary paralysis of the facial muscles which after 3-6 months will be reversed. Facial plastic surgery in itself is a permanent removal of skin or implantation of alloplastic prosthetic implants which may be permanent. Scaring is also more significant with facial plastic surgery including facelifts, brow lifts, and neck lifts.