Botox for beginners
June,16,2021
One of the most well-guarded secrets to wrinkle free faces for quite some time is hushed under the guise of a secret skincare regime or just called good genes and diet! While the not so good effects of Botox are more publicized than its sheer benefits, Botox under the care and hands of a skilled Doctor is still a well-kept industry secret.
SO WHAT IS BOTOX?
Botox is ironically a trade name that gained popularity as there was only one company that had this treatment available called “Botox”, and the name stuck, just like Xerox for copy printers or Kleenex for tissue. As a treatment, interestingly the substance Botox was researched in the 1960 for a completely different purpose – by an ophthalmologist to help patients who were squinting or had uncontrollable blinking. So, by injecting Botox into the forehead and eye muscles, this showed very desirable results
Slowly the applications of Botox started being used to help with skin wrinkling for anti-aging as well since the skin seemed smoother for much longer than topical applications of creams and superficial treatments. It has taken a lot of calculations and measurements of precise doses to be injected for doctors since then to know exactly how much Botox should be used to give the face the desired results.
HOW DOES BOTOX WORK
So, we all know that our face muscles (or rather muscles all over the body too) contract and expand as needed – for activities (walking, lifting, dancing etc.), facial expressions (frowning, talking, laughing etc.) and so on. These muscles work on signals sent from the brain to the muscles, so for e.g. – if we are tickled, the brain sends a signal to the face muscles to start laughing as the sensation is felt. These signals are all sent through nerves – called NERVE SIGNALS
What Botox simply does is that it blocks these nerve signals to specific muscles – so that the muscles are not too overworked and so the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is reduced. This kind of benefit is used most popularly for the forehead muscles (for forehead wrinkles and lines) brow muscles (for thinker's lines between the brows) and eye muscles (fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes) aka crow's feet.
Once injected with Botox, the muscle is blocked from contracting and so the lines and wrinkles visible when those muscles are used are suddenly not visible anymore. Which means that while you still are using the muscles for exactly the same functions as before getting botoxed, just the visibility of those muscles being used gets reduced.
OTHER USES OF BOTOX
It is a general misconception that has given Botox a bad rep (primarily due to incorrect doses on the face being highlighted). Botox has many therapeutic applications that go beyond anti-aging as well
• For facial muscular corrections like jaw clenching, eye squinting, eye alignments
• For medical reasons like bladder control, muscle spasticity, migraine headaches, and others
• One of the most popular corrective ways Botox is used is to reduce excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) by injecting it into the armpits and soles of feet for immediate control of sweat glands
• Even in children with cerebral palsy or muscle spasms, Botox is considered safe as a treatment to help them.
BOTOX FOR ANTI-AGING
While there are many other applications for Botox, the most popular remains that for facial anti-aging and using it to keep wrinkles and lines at bay. And with it the most asked question – is Botox a safe treatment to consider?
Just like with any medical or injectable dose, Botox is considered safe enough to be used not just once but repeatedly once the medical history as well as the reasons are cleared by a medical Doctor. The amount of dose injected should be correctly diagnosed as well by only a qualified Doctor who understands the complexity of facial nerves and muscle structures. Most if not all Botox cases that have gone wrong have been due to either the incorrect dose or due to it being used by an unqualified or unskilled practitioner.
Under the care of an experienced and qualified Doctor, Botox is and continues to be absolutely safe to use.
WHAT IS BABY BOTOX?
Before you start looking horrified at the concept of getting babies botoxed, relax please. Baby Botox is the name given to a treatment that uses Botox in adults (definitely not babies) but in micro or lesser doses that make a traditional Botox treatment.
A lot people opt for Baby or Micro Botox as it is also known as a trial treatment to see how the effects of Botox suit them and their expectations of the treatment before deciding to go for the complete Botox session, while others who want to see a reduction in the creases and expression lines but still want to have an expressively natural appearance opt for this treatment as well.
This treatment also works great for muscles that are thinner and smaller than others (like the muscles around the mouth, jaw line, nose etc.) that are vastly helped with micro doses of Botox and do not need the high volume of a regular Botox sessions.
All other pre and post protocols remain just the same as regular Botox, with the exception of the volume of Botox being used.
WHAT IS MESO BOTOX?
Another innovation to use Botox is Meso Botox, which can actually be seen as the most innovative and next gen use of Botox for not only targeting muscles but more to helping the skin look and feel fabulous
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT
Unlike Botox or Baby Botox, the Botox is injected NOT in the muscle but higher up in the skin layers
So, unlike traditional or baby Botox that would work on paralyzing the entire portion of the muscle, Meso Botox would only offer changes to the texture of the skin and also treats conditions like acne (excessive oil secretion), micro aging (open pores, fine lines and premature wrinkles) or even the general lifting of the face.
1. Meso botox has great potential as an anti-aging treatment especially for glow
2. Neck bands and neck lifting
3. Reduction in skin conditions in the cheeks like open pores and sagging
4. Acne and excessive oil prone skin concerns
5. Scalp dandruff and excessive seborrhea conditions
Also due to the highly diluted doses used in Meso Botox, the applications for how it can help the skin get more highlighted rather than the muscles as well as the potential side effects and drawbacks of a traditional Botox are taken care of very effectively as the injection sites are in the skin and not the muscle regions.
Also, as it is a very diluted version, the effects are very subtle and cannot make any changes to the muscle or deeper layers of the face, making it quite different from the injectable results of Botox on the muscles.
WHICH BOTOX IS BEST FOR ME?
TRADITIONAL BOTOX
If you are looking for a clean slate from existing wrinkles that are showing up as visible furrows and deep lines and are aware that the use of these muscles is going to have both short- and long-term damage done to the visible smoothness of your skin OR have chronic problems with the more intricate muscle groups like excessive sweating, muscle spasms etc. then the Traditional Botox is the way to go.
BABY BOTOX
If you look in the mirror and see lesser muscle related wrinkling and want to offer your skin a more refreshed and relaxed look but are not yet sure you want to commit to the doses of a true Botox treatment then Baby Botox is for you.
MESO BOTOX
If on the other hand you are not looking for any change in the way your muscles act, or show up but have more skin related concerns like fine lines, open pores or a general need to lift and tighten your cheeks, neck and lower face then the highly diluted Meso Botox is the solution you should opt for.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BOTOX
BOTOX IS A TOXIN THAT IS POISONOUS AND DANGEROUS TO USE FOR HUMANS
If we go purely by science, then yes, Botox is a strain of the botulinum toxin. There are in fact actually 7 categories of Botulinum toxins. But after strict testing and guidelines only 2 are approved and can be used for humans (type A and B), out of which only Type A is cleared for cosmetic uses as it’s a purified protein version of the strain so it’s considered absolutely safe vs. other strains or not for human use strains of Botox toxins.
Currently there are 3 brands of Botox in the market using Botulinum toxin -Botox, Dysport and Xeomin.
BOTOX DIDN’T WORK ON ALL ON MY WRINKLES
Botox is designed to work only on wrinkles caused by muscle movement called “dynamic or moving” wrinkles. These lines are generally due to actions of smiling, frowning, squinting, and other facial expressions. Other wrinkles caused due to lack of collagen or sagging skin (called static wrinkles) cannot be treated with Botox, but have fantastic results with another treatment called Fillers.
BOTOX WILL MAKE YOU LOOK PLASTIC AND EXPRESSIONLESS
While the badly “Botox-ed” celebrities are to blame for this fear, it’s generally not seen at all in most other cases. (Most regular folk get botox and people they interact with can’t even tell the difference, apart from the fact that they look relaxed and well rested.)
Having said that, the “frozen face” look is easily avoided by only getting Botox done with a Doctor with proper training, expertise and experience.
Botox is as much about art as it is about medical skill. Always opt for a doctor who has a good aesthetic eye and knows exactly how much botox would be needed and the sites where it will be injected to give you the perfectly rested look, without making it look overdone.
POINTS TO CHECK WHEN CONSIDERING BOTOX
Check for the previous work done by the Doctor you are considering to visit for your Botox treatment, check for as many before after images as possible to see the skill and expertise.
Ask about dose required for you specifically. While most Doctors will ethically administer only the required doses, knowing what is your general requirement is important so you can be in control of your treatment even if you switch Doctors.
Check about how long results will last as most Botox results last for 3 to 5 months, but it is variable on your lifestyle and muscle movements, so for those who use facial expressions more extensively, the results may wane faster than those who do not.
Plan your Botox treatment well, so that it is not interfering with your social calendar as well as allowing you ample time to deal with any side or after effects if they arise, especially if it is your first time doing the treatment.
CONCLUSION
Look for a holistic approach to anti aging – while Botox is great to arrest the look of certain wrinkles, if the rest of the face is showing signs of aging, hyper pigmentation, uneven skin tone or just lack of good texture, the botoxed areas unfortunately showcase aging much more. Work in Botox to be part of other treatments you can do for your skin like tightening and firming facials, aesthetic collagen boosting treatments as well as anti pigmentation facials to not only boost the results of Botox but compliment them to give your face a younger and healthier appearance.
Remember – Botox is a preventative treatment for anti-aging. While it can help with fine lines and wrinkles, it is not a filler – it cannot fill deeply set in wrinkles. So, start early and prevent deep wrinkles from setting in, in the first place rather than then doing treatments to reduce the appearance of those deeply set wrinkles.
Some commonly asked questions about Botox
How does botox work?
Botox® is inserted in the upper layer of your skin, numbing cream is used to maximise the patient's comfort level.
Does it hurt or bruise?
Depending on how sensitive your skin is, the effects may vary but, on an average, there may be some mild red spots at the injection sites, but they are gone the next day. Overall, the discomfort with Botox® is very minimal, especially in relation to the phenomenal results.
How long will it take to act and show visible results?
Botox starts showing its visible results from 1 to 7 days after treated.
How long does it last?
Again, this depends individually for some it last up to 3 months whereas there are certain people who need Botox® only every six months.
What are the side effects?
There are no side effects as such if administered correctly, however extreme side effects in rare cases could include muscle weakness, bruising, bleeding, pain, redness, drooping eyelids where it has been injected or fever, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth.
Can I wear makeup after getting a botox treatment?
You can use makeup right from the very next day as application of makeup on the day of the treatment is not advisable
When can I exercise?
You can resume your exercise and fitness routines after 24hrs (any heavy exertions are not advisable for a few days though
When can I have my next facial?
You can resume your beauty treatments after 7 days, however please check with your doctor regarding the details of the facials and he/she will be able to advise the recommended gap (as different facials involve different technologies)
When can I start using my creams / skincare?
You can resume your skincare regime right from the very next day
To learn more about BOTOX or to find out if you’re the right candidate for it, book a consultation with our Doctors:
Call: +912242792222
Whatsapp: +919821221279
Email: wecare@theagelessclinic.com