Beverly Hills Dermatology
Botox® Cosmetic in Beverly Hills
onabotulinumtoxinA for frown lines, forehead lines and crow's feet — dosed to your anatomy, injected personally by Dr. Zaks, with results that typically last about four months.
- Verified Reviews
- 792
- Overall Rating
- 4.77★
- Bedside Manner
- 4.84★
- Years in Practice
- 20+
Overview
Botox® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA) works by temporarily blocking acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, preventing the muscle contractions that create dynamic wrinkles. The lines that appear when you frown, raise your brows, or squint are not caused by the skin itself — they are the skin folding over a repeatedly contracting muscle. When that muscle is selectively relaxed, the overlying skin stops folding and the line softens. Skin quality is unchanged; muscle behavior is what changes.
Botox® Cosmetic is FDA-approved for glabellar (frown) lines, horizontal forehead lines, and lateral canthal lines (crow's feet), with more than twenty years of published safety data in aesthetic use. The effect is dose-dependent and fully reversible: the nerve terminal re-sprouts over time, movement returns, and the treatment can be repeated. Nothing accumulates and nothing is permanent.
Candidacy is a clinical judgment, not a checkbox. Botox® is appropriate for adults with dynamic lines — lines visible in animation — across all Fitzpatrick skin types I through VI, because the mechanism is neuromuscular rather than pigment- or light-based. It is not appropriate during pregnancy, in patients with neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis or ALS, in the presence of active infection at the injection site, or in patients with a known hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin or albumin. Deeply etched static lines that remain visible at complete rest respond only partially and are usually addressed with a combined plan.
Dr. Zaks evaluates facial anatomy and muscle mass at consultation to determine dose and injection points calibrated to your specific anatomy — not a one-size-fits-all formula. Corrugator bulk, frontalis height and recruitment pattern, baseline brow position, eyelid laxity, and any existing asymmetry all change the map. A patient with a strong, low brow and heavy corrugators requires a very different plan from a patient whose forehead is doing the work of holding the brows up, where over-treating the frontalis would produce heaviness rather than smoothness.
Dr. Zaks personally performs every injectable, laser, and procedural treatment at his Beverly Hills practice. Patients are never seen by rotating physician assistants, nurse injectors, or aestheticians for these procedures.
What Botox® Cosmetic Treats
Glabellar (Frown) Lines
The vertical '11' lines between the brows produced by the corrugator and procerus muscles. This is the original FDA-approved cosmetic indication and the most predictable area treated.
Horizontal Forehead Lines
Lines from repeated frontalis contraction. Dosing is deliberately conservative and distributed to soften the lines while preserving enough elevation to avoid a heavy brow — especially in patients who unconsciously use the frontalis to keep the eyelids clear.
Crow's Feet
Fine radiating lines at the outer eye from orbicularis oculi activity, softened with small superficial aliquots placed lateral to the orbital rim.
Brow Shaping and Lift
Selectively relaxing the depressor muscles at the tail of the brow can allow a subtle lateral lift of a few millimeters in appropriate candidates. This is anatomy-dependent and not achievable in everyone.
Preventive (Early) Treatment
Patients in their late twenties and thirties with lines just beginning to etch often treat at a lower dose to limit how deeply those lines set over the following decade.
The Treatment Experience
Consultation and anatomic assessment
Dr. Zaks examines your face at rest and in full animation, palpates muscle bulk, notes baseline brow and eyelid position and any pre-existing asymmetry, and reviews your medical history, medications, and prior neuromodulator treatments — including what you liked and did not like about them.
Injection by Dr. Zaks
A series of small injections with a fine needle takes roughly ten minutes. Most patients describe a brief pinch; no anesthesia is required and you can return to work immediately. Dr. Zaks performs the injections himself, at every visit.
Onset, review and maintenance
Stay upright and avoid rubbing the treated areas for several hours. Softening begins around days three to five, with full effect at about two weeks. Most patients re-treat at roughly four-month intervals; if you stop, muscle movement and the original lines simply return to baseline over a few months.
Realistic Expectations
- Botox® treats dynamic lines. Lines fully visible at rest are static lines and improve only partially — those are addressed with resurfacing, peels, or filler as appropriate.
- Onset is gradual, not immediate. Judging the result before two weeks leads to unnecessary re-treatment.
- Duration averages about four months and varies with dose, muscle strength, metabolism, and exercise level. Very active patients often metabolize slightly faster.
- Stopping treatment does not worsen anything. Movement returns and lines resume their prior trajectory; there is no rebound.
- Common, self-limited effects include small injection-site marks and, uncommonly, temporary brow heaviness or eyelid ptosis that resolves as the effect wears off.
Before & After
Images courtesy of Allergan Aesthetics (BOTOX® Cosmetic). Used with attribution. Individual results vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dr. Zaks perform procedures himself or does he delegate to staff?
Dr. Zaks personally performs every injectable, laser, and procedural treatment at his Beverly Hills practice. You are never handed off to a rotating physician assistant, nurse injector, or aesthetician for these procedures. The physician who evaluates your anatomy is the physician who injects.
What is the difference between Botox, Dysport, and Jeuveau?
All three are botulinum toxin type A products that block acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, so the mechanism is the same. They differ by manufacturer and formulation: Botox® Cosmetic (Allergan, onabotulinumtoxinA), Dysport® (Galderma, abobotulinumtoxinA), and Jeuveau® (Evolus, prabotulinumtoxinA). Units are product-specific and not interchangeable. Many patients notice Dysport® taking effect slightly sooner, around two to three days, while Botox® has the longest published aesthetic safety record. Dr. Zaks offers all three and selects based on your anatomy, prior response, and treatment goals.
How long does Botox® last, and what happens if I stop?
Most patients see about four months of effect from a standard cosmetic dose. If you stop, the nerve terminals recover, movement returns, and your lines go back to where they would have been — there is no worsening or rebound. Some long-term patients find they can extend intervals because the treated muscles have weakened with disuse.
Will I look frozen or lose my expression?
That result comes from dose and placement, not from the product. Dr. Zaks calibrates units to your muscle mass and can deliberately preserve movement — for many patients the goal is softening the line while keeping the brow mobile. If you prefer a fuller relaxation, that is also planned intentionally.
Is Botox® safe for darker skin types?
Yes. Because the mechanism is neuromuscular rather than light- or pigment-based, Botox® carries no risk of pigment alteration and is used across Fitzpatrick skin types I through VI. That is a meaningful difference from laser and peel treatments, where skin type materially changes the plan.
Does insurance cover Botox®?
Cosmetic Botox® is self-pay. Medical uses are handled on a case-by-case basis; Dr. Zaks' office will tell you which category your treatment falls into before you are treated.
How soon before an event should I be treated?
Two to three weeks. That allows full onset before the event. Treating a few days before a wedding or camera date leaves no room for the result to settle.
Patient Reviews
“I have been going to Dr. Zaks for over 4 years. His outstanding skill, great bedside manner, warm personality, and artistry with Botox make me come back again and again!”
“I had Rosacea on my face for over 10 years. Dr. Zaks quickly reduced this embarrassing condition. Nobody else could help me. He's the best Dermatologist in LA hands down!”
“Dr. Zaks did not rush and he gave me 100% attention. He did not try to sell me product or convince me to try aggressive procedures which I appreciated.”
“Doctor took the time to explain the technical aspects of my condition, the treatment options and the expectations.”
About Dr. Boris Zaks, MD
Dr. Boris Zaks personally performs every procedure at Superior Beverly Hills Dermatology — never rotating assistants. He has practiced dermatology in Beverly Hills for more than twenty years.
- Board Certified — American Board of Dermatology (since 2002)
- Medical Degree — UCLA School of Medicine
- Chief Resident — Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science
- B.S. Biology — UCLA, Summa Cum Laude (age 19)
- Medical Board of California Expert Reviewer since 2009
- Super Doctors® 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 & 2027 (Southern California)
- "Rock Star Dermatologist" — Glamour Magazine
Schedule Your Consultation
435 N. Roxbury Drive, Suite 408, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 · Monday–Friday · (310) 552-3376
Paid parking on-site, or free 2-hour parking at 461 N. Bedford Drive Garage, 1 block away
Areas Served
Patients seek Botox® Cosmetic at Dr. Zaks’s Beverly Hills office from throughout greater Los Angeles: West Hollywood, Bel Air, Brentwood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Westwood, Century City, Culver City, Marina del Rey, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Irvine.