Do you feel like everyone you know is trying Botox? They might be. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Botox injections are the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure, with 7.23 million performed annually.
If the popularity of Botox has you wondering what all the buzz is about, then it’s time to learn more about Botox treatments. At The Skin Retreat in Little Rock, AR, we know that the key to achieving the best results from any treatment starts with informed patients.
Here, we answer all of your questions and explain the essential facts you should know before your first Botox appointment.
How Does Botox Work?
Botox is a neuromodulator. It’s the brand name for a diluted form of botulinum toxin. When this substance is injected in small amounts into a targeted treatment area, Botox binds to the nerve receptors in the muscle. As a result, it blocks the communication between the muscle and nerves, and the muscles stop contracting.
The effect is temporary, as the receptors regenerate within a few months.
How Do Muscle Contractions Form Wrinkles?
The face is the first place wrinkles appear because the facial muscles attach directly to the skin. This direct attachment allows you to furrow your brows in concentration or lift them with surprise. When muscles contract to make facial expressions, the skin pulls in the same direction repeatedly, and eventually, lines and wrinkles begin to form.
Up until your 20s or so, your body produces enough collagen and elastin to give the skin enough resilience to bounce back from facial expressions without creating grooves in the skin.
However, the body produces significantly less collagen and elastin as you age. As a result, you form dynamic wrinkles that appear when making facial expressions and smooth when the face clears.
Over time, those dynamic wrinkles become static, like glabellar lines between your eyebrows that remain even when you’re no longer furrowing your brow. By stopping the muscle contractions, Botox ceases the movements that cause and deepen wrinkles.
Now that you know how Botox works, here are more facts you should know before your first treatment.
Botox Is Mostly Preventative
Botox injections target dynamic wrinkles, not static wrinkles. While the treatment effectively prevents new wrinkles from forming or current lines from deepening, it does not smooth static wrinkles that remain on your face regardless of your expression.
Patients looking to erase static lines and wrinkles require dermal filler injections instead of Botox. Often patients choose a combination of both treatments to restore a youthful appearance.
Botox Results Are Temporary
On average, Botox treatments last for three to four months before the nerve receptors regenerate and the effects wear off.
However, patients who are very expressive, who exercise frequently, or who have stronger facial muscles may find their results lasting closer to three months, while others may see their results remaining for up to five months.
Your Botox Consultation Is Important
Before your Botox injections, you’ll meet with us to discuss your treatment goals and which lines and wrinkles concern you the most. We’ll also evaluate your facial movements.
In your consultation, we’ll ask you to frown, smile, and raise your eyebrows. We’ll look at how your face naturally moves so we can provide refreshed, youthful results rather than a frozen, expressionless face.
Results Take Time
While you may feel different when you leave your Botox treatment, your face will still look and move the same way it did before your injections. Most patients begin to see results about five days after Botox injections and enjoy their full results two weeks post-treatment.
You can expedite your results by a day or two by performing facial exercises after your injections, which helps speed up the serum’s binding process.
The Benefits of Botox May Surprise You
Botox treats conditions such as hypohidrosis, also known as excessive sweating, chronic migraines, and eyelid twitching. While cosmetic Botox injections are intended to target wrinkles, you may experience other surprising benefits of Botox such as these.
Reduced Sweat and Oil
Patients with an oily T-zone may find that their Botox treatments offer the pleasant side effect of less oil production on their foreheads. Additionally, the injections may also reduce sweating in treatment areas. Patients report that their makeup stays in place longer, and oily, breakout-prone foreheads are clearer.
Fewer Frowns
Botox may offer a reprieve from everyone deciphering your interior monologue if you tend to show every emotion through your facial expressions.
In addition, a study released in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that patients who had Botox injections that prevented brow furrowing and frowning also had fewer negative moods.
Completely Customizable
One of the many benefits of Botox is how customizable treatments are. For example, when Botox first became mainstream, patients often requested a “frozen” face and would even return for treatment touch-ups if they experienced unwanted movement.
As trends have changed, Botox treatments have as well. Now, patients often aim to retain some expressiveness while reducing the movements that can cause and deepen lines and wrinkles.
Regardless of the results you want, our professional team can customize your Botox injections to meet your goals.
Ready to See What Botox Can Do for You?
It’s normal to be nervous before your first Botox treatment. However, our team at The Skin Retreat in Little Rock, AR, wants you to have all of the information available to determine whether Botox or any of our other anti-aging treatments are right for you.
When you schedule your consultation to learn how Botox injections can target your dynamic wrinkles, we’ll discuss your aesthetic goals and decide on the best treatments for your needs. Reach out to us and get started today!
