Plastic surgery is a multi-million dollar industry, with botox among one of the most popular treatments, alongside fillers and fat transfers.
Officially known as the botulinum toxin, it works by relaxing the muscles to give a more youthful complexion.
Explaining how it works, the U.K.'s health service, the NHS, said on its website: "Botox injections relax the muscles in your face to smooth out lines and wrinkles, such as crow's feet and frown lines."
It's not a permanent procedure, and usually lasts up to four months. But it can take a while to see the effects, as one doctor demonstrated on his social media pages, with his post amassing more than 100,000 views.
Dr. Georges Kaado, who heads up Kaado MD clinic in Virginia Beach, Virginia, shared a montage to TikTok and Instagram, saying: "The answers to how long it takes to see Botox results!"
It shows a woman with the caption "before," as she raises her eyebrows and frowns, with the next clip, labeled "same day, safer," where she performs the same movements.
The montage shows the patient frowning and squinting every day for six days, as her face slowly freezes, with the final day showing smoothed out lines and limited facial expressions.
The Instagram video, shared on Saturday, was captioned: "Check out how many days you can see the Botox! What do we think?"
Responding to comments, Dr. Kaado said it was her first time getting Botox, saying "she loves it."
Dr Kaado told Newsweek: "Lexi is one of our Client Concierges at Kaado MD. Lexi loves using Tik Tok and thought this would be a great way to share the process."
He confirmed he injected her with 30 units for her forehead, and 30 for her crow's feet.
Dr. Kaado added it usually takes up two weeks for the full effects to be seen, saying: "Range of movement will depend on where the Botox is injected, and how much is needed to deliver the results the patient is looking for. If a patient wants a more natural look and more movement then less Botox will be injected.
"However if a patient wants a completely smooth forehead then they will usually need to sacrifice some of their range of movement. As Botox wears off, more range of movement—and lines—will become apparent, with facial movement fully returning to pre-Botox levels eventually."
Commenting on the clip, Dananjj thought: "Day 6 on point."
Sydney Greco thought: "By day 4 you could really see a difference."
"You take a while. By day 3 I'm an ice rink!" Aimee Chester wrote.
Ashley Banesh643 commented: "My first time seriously took me almost 2 weeks. I thought it didn't work at first. After your first time it happens faster. Like within a few days."
Despite most people praising the results, Brittany Chandler asked: "I guess I'm confused what we're using this for? Do we not want our face to move? I thought it was for resting wrinkles."
Explaining more about their botox injections, Kaado MD's website claims it can be used to smooth necks, lift lips and brows, tighten the jaw and treat excessive sweating.
It added: "The procedure is easy to experience, requiring about 10 minutes to complete, with no anesthesia. The side effects are minor, with some patients experiencing minor bruising at the injection site. The recovery from this is almost immediate.
"The final result of your botox injections will be evident in about 3 to 10 days and will last 2.5 to 4 months. The risks of use of botox occur rarely but include upper eyelid or eyebrow malposition (sagging)."
The NHS lists more risks, claiming patients can experience flu-like symptoms within the first 24-hours, along with "bruising, swelling and redness where the needles went in the skin."
And too much can lead to a completely "frozen look," the NHS warned.
They said: "You might not be able to move the muscles in your face if too much Botox is injected. Temporary weakness and droopiness in your face – for example, your eyelids or eyebrows may droop if the Botox moves into these areas Very rarely, serious problems such as blurred or double vision can happen if the area around the eyes is treated, or breathing difficulties if the neck area is injected."
Despite the risks, Botox remains one of the most sought-after treatments in the U.S., with American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reporting 1,712,994 procedures took place in 2019, the last year statistics are available.
That figure is a 17.8 percent rise since 2015, and it remains the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure.
Update6/28/21, 7a.m. ET: This article was updated with video, photos and comment from Dr. Kaado.
