Just about everyone has had the experience of waking up, looking at themselves in the mirror, and just not being happy with what they see looking back at them. It is a natural part of life. There are a number of reasons why you may not be happy with what you see looking back at you, especially if you are in your mid-to-late 40s. A lot of things are changing with your physical appearance. Your hair may be getting thinner, or it may be turning gray. Your face is experiencing a loss of volume, and this may cause your face to look gaunt. A big cause for concern could be the wrinkles that you have forming on your forehead and along the sides of your eyes. If this is the case, now may be a good time for you to learn more about what Botox injections can do for you.
What Is Botox?
Botox is a treatment that gained popularity because of its ability to minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles. However, long before this treatment was used in the cosmetic field, it was used to help individuals who were dealing with muscle spasms, difficulty controlling their eyes, migraines, and hyperhidrosis.
In fact, the cosmetic benefits of Botox injections were seen only after observing patients who used the treatment for medical purposes. Those individuals were having the treatment to help them with their migraines. It was then that doctors realized that these patients were experiencing a reduction in the dynamic wrinkles they had on their forehead.
It wasn’t until after taking a second look at these patients that the doctors realized the effect that the treatments they were getting for their migraines were actually having on their appearance. And, then, it was off to the races. Soon, the FDA gave approval for this treatment to be used in the cosmetic field. Every few years, the FDA approves the use of Botox injections to treat a different type of dynamic wrinkle after the treatments have been thoroughly reviewed and vetted.
The effects this treatment has had, the safety record this treatment has maintained, and the ease with which it is administered all have led to this treatment’s popularity. As a result of its popularity, other products have come on the market using a similar refined protein to produce a neuromodulation effect. Still, they have not been able to reach the same level of popularity.
Why Botox Injections Are Administered
When Botox is injected, it has the ability to prevent chemical signals from interacting with certain nerves. This is especially true of nerves that cause muscles to contract. This is what makes this treatment so effective when used as a temporary way to relax facial muscles, thereby preventing the formation of wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes.
However, there are a number of other conditions that can be addressed with this treatment. Some of them include:
Cervical Dystonia: This is a painful condition. It can cause the muscles in your neck to involuntarily contract. The result is that your head will turn or twist in an uncomfortable position.
Hyperhidrosis: This condition happens when a person sweats excessively. This excessive sweating takes place even when the temperature is not hot and the person is not exerting themselves. Hyperhidrosis can take place in just about any part of the body. It is most commonly seen on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and under a person’s arms.
Chronic Migraine: Individuals who are dealing with migraines at least 15 days a month may benefit from these treatments. They don’t necessarily make migraines disappear completely, but what they can do is reduce the frequency of the headaches.
What to Expect from Botox Injections
To get the most out of Botox treatments, it’s good for you to know what you should and should not expect from them. During your first consultation with a medical professional, they’re going to ask about any treatments you have had in the past few months. They are going to be interested in health conditions that may affect your muscles or your nervous system. They are going to ask if you are using muscle relaxants, medication for allergies, medications to help you sleep, etc. If you tell your doctor that you’re using blood thinners, they may recommend that you stop using them for a couple of days prior to your injection to minimize the risk of bruising or bleeding.
The vast majority of people who have these treatments performed do not experience discomfort during the treatment. There is the option to have the treated area numbed prior to the treatment. Some numbing options that may be available include ice, anesthesia, as well as massage.
The treatment will take place in a doctor’s clinic. During the treatment, a thin needle is going to be used to administer the treatment. Different factors will come into play when determining how much of the product will be used.
Once the Botox injections are done, your doctor will give you some guidelines of what you need to do for the next 24 hours. They will recommend that you avoid rubbing the treated area so as not to spread the treatment beyond the pinpointed area that has been selected for treatment.
What is so great about Botox injections is that since they are minimally-invasive and non-surgical, you will be able to return to your everyday activities immediately after you have had treatment done.
You should not expect to see results the same day. Usually, it takes up to three days before the injections start to take effect. Within the week, you should see the full effects of the treatment. This is not a permanent wrinkle reduction treatment. It is designed to last for around three months.
This will give you time to determine whether or not you like the results you see. If you like the results you see, you can have the treatment refreshed in order to maintain the results.
Are You a Good Candidate?
After hearing about all the wonderful benefits that this treatment offers, it’s likely that you are interested in learning more about it. You look at yourself in the mirror and you realize that there are some wrinkles on your face that you want to treat. But before jumping in, you want to make sure that you are actually a good candidate for this treatment.
There are a few things that you should consider. First, do you have the right type of wrinkles this treatment addresses? There are two types of wrinkles that may be affecting your face right now. The first are static wrinkles.
Static wrinkles are the wrinkles that you have on your face because your face has lost volume. When your face loses volume, your skin reacts in the same way that a balloon does when it has been deflated. Excess skin begins to form wrinkles. The only way to treat wrinkles that come as a result of facial volume loss is to restore that volume. You can do this by using a dermal filler, having a fat transfer procedure performed, or using other means to restore volume.
The second type of wrinkles you may see on your face are dynamic wrinkles. These are the wrinkles that are created by the contraction and relaxation of facial muscles. As your facial muscles contract and relax, they begin to form grooves in your skin. When you were younger, this contracting and relaxing of the facial muscles when you made facial expressions was not a big deal because your skin was healthy enough to bounce back.
Now that you are a little older, your skin is not able to react as well to this constant movement. These are the types of wrinkles that Botox injections have been designed to correct. If you have dynamic wrinkles, it is likely that you are a good candidate for this treatment.
This is not a surgical treatment, but it is still a medical treatment. This means that in order to get the most out of it, you need to be as healthy as possible. Individuals who are dealing with severe muscular or neural issues may not qualify for treatment. This is also true of individuals who have drastic facial asymmetry. This does not mean that nothing can be done to address dynamic wrinkles for these individuals, but you will need to speak to your cosmetic professional to find out exactly what is going to work best in your case.
Finally, to be a good candidate for treatment, you need to have realistic expectations for improvement. This treatment is not going to take someone who is in their 50s and make them look like they are 25. It can, however, make you look like the best version of yourself possible.
As you look yourself in the mirror and you see the effects that dynamic wrinkles are having on your appearance, are you asking yourself if Botox injections can help you? To get an answer to that question, we encourage you to speak with the educated staff at Radical Divine Medical Spa in Avon, Brecksville, and Medina, OH. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!