Botox injectables are a popular cosmetic treatment that can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your face. Botox first rose to stardom in the 1980s, popularized by celebrities like Dolly Parton and Cindy Crawford.
Botox has been popular for years, and if you’re considering getting Botox injections, here are six things to know!
1. Botox Can Be Done Preventatively
You don’t have to wait until wrinkles have settled into your skin before getting Botox. Botox can, in fact, be done as a preventative measure to help reduce the chances of dynamic wrinkles settling into the skin.
Dynamic Wrinkles
Dynamic wrinkles are wrinkles associated with your expressions. Dynamic wrinkles include:
- Frown lines
- Forehead lines
- Crow’s feet
- Smile lines
Frown lines, also known as glabellar lines, are the vertical lines between your eyebrows that deepen when you frown, concentrate, or furrow your brow.
In youthful skin, which has plenty of collagen and elastin to help it bounce back, frown lines disappear once your face relaxes. However, over time, those lines can settle deeper and deeper into the skin.
Forehead lines are the horizontal lines that extend across your forehead. These lines deepen when you make certain facial expressions like raising your eyebrows. Forehead lines can be quite aggressive and make you appear much older than you actually are.
Crow’s feet are the thin, crinkly lines at the corners of your eyes that deepen when you laugh and smile.
Smile lines are the thin lines around your mouth. Other mouth lines include the small vertical lines that gather around your mouth from pursing your lips or drinking through a straw.
While Botox can treat all of these after they’ve formed on your skin, Botox injectables can also work to help prevent these wrinkles from setting in.
Preventative Wrinkle Treatments with Botox
The FDA has approved cosmetic Botox for patients as young as 18, but we typically treat patients preventatively in their mid to late 20s.
When you come into our clinic for a preventative Botox treatment, we’ll have you make a series of facial expressions that help us evaluate and determine where you’re most at risk for wrinkles.
From there, we’ll design a customized treatment plan that allows our team to help you get the results you want.
One of the greatest benefits of preventative Botox is that it can actually reduce the likelihood that you’ll need Botox injections in the future.
2. Botox Doesn’t Erase Wrinkles – It Freezes Them
Botox injectables are different from other wrinkle treatments. Botox uses neurotoxin technology to paralyze the muscles you use for your facial expressions. This is what reduces or eliminates the appearance of dynamic wrinkles.
Other injectables, like dermal fillers, target wrinkles caused by the loss of collagen and elastin in your skin. Dermal fillers work to actually plump up the skin in the wrinkled area.
Neurotoxin injectables are safe and are used for a variety of medical practices, including:
- Migraine control
- Treatment for crossed eyes
- Treatment for muscle spasms
- Controlling excessive sweating
Neurotoxins are well-studied and have been used by medical practitioners since the 1960s!
When used for Botox treatment, neurotoxins weaken your muscles so that wrinkles are less visible, without compromising the natural flow of your expressions.
Over time, you’re less likely to use these muscles, which is how Botox can be long-lasting.
3. Give Your Results Time (Be Patient)
It’s hard to be patient when waiting for results, but we promise the wait will pay off.
Botox takes time to work since it has to interact with your neural pathways to disrupt communication. While other injectables, like dermal fillers, offer immediate results, Botox can take seven days before you see noticeable results.
However, once those results settle in, you’ll be able to enjoy them for three to four months before your body absorbs the neurotoxin, and you need a maintenance treatment.
4. No Downtime Is Needed with Botox Treatments
Botox is different from other cosmetic treatments because it doesn’t require any downtime for patients.
Your Botox appointment will only last around 20-30 minutes. We usually have patients in and out of our office within an hour.
After your treatment, you can immediately resume your day, whether that’s going out to dinner or back to the office.
We do advise against working out for the first 24 hours following your injections. We also recommend that patients avoid taking anti-inflammatory medications on the first day after receiving treatment.
5. Botox Isn’t Just for Celebrities!
Contrary to what some may believe, Botox is for everyone – men and women alike!
Botox is more accessible and affordable for many patients than other procedures like injectable fillers or facelifts. Botox is usually priced based on the number of units you receive.
During a consultation with our team, our providers will discuss the number of units you’ll likely need to achieve your aesthetic goals.
6. It’s Important to Choose the Right Provider
While many clinics offer Botox treatment, it’s important to choose a medical team with the credentials, expertise, and training to perform the treatment properly.
Explore Botox Treatments with Columbus Facial Plastics
At Columbus Facial Plastics, our Botox procedures are performed by either our board-certified plastic surgeon or one of our registered nurses or nurse practitioners.
Because of their training and credentials, our providers understand the anatomy of your face, the function of your muscles, and therefore the right amount of Botox you’ll need to get your results.
To learn more about Botox injections with our team, contact our clinic in Columbus, OH today!
