Aside from liposuction and boob jobs, Botox (and other injectables) have become more and more popular. It’s a great, non-surgical way to smoot out the wrinkles on your face and even prevent the formation of some wrinkles. And it’s quick and little to no downtime. Here are 5 interesting things about Botox that you probably didn’t know.
What is Botox?
Botox is actually a shortened name for botulinum toxin or Onobotulinumtoxin A (that’s a mouthful), which is actually a neurotoxin used to “freeze” muscles. Cosmetic surgery practice today, is using 4 different types of Botox:
- Botox®,
- Dysport®,
- Xeomin® and
- Jeuveau®
The main purpose of Botox (no matter which time you go for) is to block nerve signals from reaching your muscles and prevents them from contracting. When muscles contract, we start forming wrinkles on our skin. So, in order to prevent that from happening, cosmetic surgeons simply “freeze” your muscles and provide a smoother, much younger appearance. It can also be combined with other rejuvenation methods for a better effect.
What do we use it for?
You might think that it is ONLY used for smoothing out facial wrinkles. But that’s not all! Botox can also be successfully used on other conditions such as excessive sweating, eye twitching, overactive neck muscles, migraines and jaw pain.
Some might even get a Botox injection to correct an overly gummy smile, smooth out their dimpled chin and even soften a square jawline. It’s not only for aesthetic purposes.
What results can you expect from a Botox treatment?
Cosmetic treatment need time before they can be noticed. But unlike surgical treatments (which can take up to several weeks, depending on the type of surgery of course), Botox usually takes about 14 days to show its full effect. Some patients even report that they’ve seen results as early as 3 days after their initial treatment.
As Botox starts working on freezing the facial muscles, you will notice that the wrinkles are starting to smoothen and diminish.
But if the area you treated has more prominent wrinkles or the area is big, maybe one treatment won’t be enough. Your cosmetic surgeon will be able to tell you how many treatments will you need, so it’s best to schedule a consultation and discuss the details with him.
Phases of the treatment
The entire Botox treatment procedure can be divided into two phases.
During the procedure
A Botox procedure, usually takes about 20 minutes. But depending on the treated area and of course the amount of Botox that is used, it could take more or less.
This treatment doesn’t require any kind of numbing or anesthesia, since the needle that is used to inject it is really thin and fine. You probably won’t even feel it.
However, some patients to experience slight discomfort and are nervous before the treatment. In situations such as this, it’s best to inform your injector so he/she could apply some numbing agent.
After the procedure and during recovery
Unlike cosmetic surgical procedures, there’s literally no recovery or downtime with Botox. Immediately after the treatment you could fee some soreness and swelling around the injection site, but this is totally normal and to be expected.
After the treatment it’s important that you don’t touch the treatment site, massage it or rub your face. This could cause the Botox to migrate somewhere else and you won’t get the smoot, youthful look and feel you wanted.
Swelling and discomfort usually subsides in 24 hours and you can take over-the-counter pain killers or apply cold compress if you want to.
