What Is Botox®?
Botox® is an injectable treatment that relaxes specific facial muscles to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. It is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the world and, when administered well, produces results that look natural rather than frozen.
If you’re looking to smooth forehead lines, crow’s feet, or frown lines, Botox® injections provide a non-surgical, minimally invasive solution with proven results.
At Dr. Bovill's Vancouver clinic, Botox® is performed by Susan MacKenzie, RN. Susan is a Certified Nurse Injector and a registered nurse who has worked in operating rooms for 42 years, the last 27 of them in a private surgical facility focused almost entirely on cosmetic facial plastic surgery. She has spent decades watching the best facial surgeons in Vancouver work, which means she understands facial anatomy at a level most injectors do not.
Learn More About Our Vancouver Botox® Clinc
1. How Botox® Works?
Botox® is derived from botulinum toxin type A. When injected in small doses into a targeted muscle, it temporarily blocks the nerve signal that tells that muscle to contract. The muscle relaxes, and the lines that form when it moves become less visible or disappear.
The effect is temporary. Results typically appear within three to seven days and last three to four months, after which the muscle gradually returns to normal function. With regular treatment, many patients find their results last longer over time, as the repeated relaxation of a muscle can reduce its tendency to contract forcefully.
Botox® does not fill lines or add volume. It works only on dynamic wrinkles, lines caused by muscle movement. Lines present at rest, caused by volume loss or skin laxity, respond better to dermal fillers or other treatments.
Here's why Botox® is a popular procedure to reduce wrinkles and maintain a youthful appearance:
- Quick & Convenient – The procedure takes just a few minutes with no downtime.
- Natural-Looking Results – Maintain facial expressions while reducing wrinkles.
- Safe & Health Canada Approved – Trusted by medical professionals worldwide.
- Prevention of Aging Signs – Helps slow the development of deep wrinkles over time.
2. Common Botox® Treatment Areas
The most common areas treated with Botox® at the clinic are:
- Forehead lines — horizontal lines that appear when raising the eyebrows
- Frown lines (glabellar lines) — the vertical lines between the brows, sometimes called the "11s"
- Crow's feet — lines at the outer corners of the eyes when smiling
- Brow shaping — small doses can lift or adjust the shape of the brow
- Bunny lines — lines across the bridge of the nose
- Lip lines — fine lines around the mouth
- Chin dimpling — a pebbled or dimpled chin caused by the mentalis muscle
- Neck bands (platysmal bands) — vertical cords that appear on the neck with age
- Jawline slimming — reducing the appearance of a wide or square jaw by relaxing the masseter muscle
Susan will assess your specific anatomy and goals at consultation and recommend a treatment plan. The aim is always a natural result: movement preserved, lines softened.
3. What to Expect During Your Botox® Treatment
Here’s the process of how Botox® treatments work at our Vancouver cosmetic surgery clinic:
1. Consultation
Your first appointment includes a consultation with Susan to discuss your concerns and what you want to achieve. She will assess your facial anatomy, explain what Botox® can and cannot address for your specific situation, and outline a treatment plan. If fillers or other treatments would serve your goals better, she will tell you directly.
2. The treatment
The injections themselves take ten to fifteen minutes. A very fine needle is used. Most patients describe the sensation as a small sting at each injection point. No anaesthetic is required, though a topical numbing cream can be applied beforehand if you prefer.
3. After treatment
There is no downtime. Most patients return to normal activity the same day. You should avoid rubbing the treated areas, lying flat, and strenuous exercise for four hours after the appointment. Mild redness or small bumps at the injection sites are normal and resolve quickly.
Results begin to appear within three to seven days and are fully visible at two weeks.
4. Why Choose This Vancouver Botox® Clinic?
We prioritize patient safety, comfort and customized Botox® treatments tailored to your unique facial structure and aesthetic goals.
Most Botox® providers in Vancouver are aesthetics clinics staffed by nurses or injectors without a surgical background. Susan MacKenzie is different. Forty-two years as an OR nurse, 27 of them in a cosmetic facial surgery practice, means she has an understanding of facial anatomy that goes well beyond standard injector training. She has assisted on hundreds of facelifts, brow lifts, and eyelid surgeries. She knows what is underneath the skin.
The clinic is run by Dr. Esta Bovill, a board-certified plastic surgeon with a PhD and fellowship training in facial and reconstructive surgery. Botox® appointments take place in the same clinical environment where Dr. Bovill sees her surgical patients. If Susan identifies something during your consultation that warrants a surgical opinion, you have direct access to one.
Susan has been injecting since 2001 in the office of Dr. Benjamin Gelfant. With his retirement, she is very pleased to now be working with Dr. Esta Bovill.
Because she has worked and still is working with surgeons so closely, she can be very honest during the consultation process as to what procedure would be most beneficial and give the most natural result.
For more information, you can schedule a consultation with Susan or call our clinic at (604) 283-2558.
Get All Your Botox® Questions Answered
If you've been considering what a Botox® treatment can do for your confidence and appearance, you can get all your questions answered by arranging a private personalized consultation with Susan MacKenzie R.N.
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