When wrinkles and fine lines develop with older age, they can have a negative impact on both your appearance and self-confidence. BOTOX® has proven to be an effective therapy for treating these types of issues, and we offer it for both men and women here at The Mack Cosmetic Center in Tampa, FL. If you’re looking for a safe and quick approach to address the signs of aging, here’s how it works and how soon most patients experience results.
How Quickly Does BOTOX® Work?
The results of this therapy normally take full effect for most patients within two weeks, though you may start to notice some improvements in your appearance as soon as a few days after treatment. Before lines, wrinkles, or other noticeable imperfections improve, most patients experience a relaxed feeling in their facial muscles as the first sign that the medication is starting to work.
As the muscles relax, the skin is then under less pressure from muscle movements, which gradually leads to more visible improvements. Everybody’s bodies and genetics are different, though while the time frame can vary, virtually all patients respond by the third week after their therapy session.
What Is BOTOX® Cosmetic?
Collagen and elastin are two proteins that help our skin to stay healthy and firm, though as we get older, our bodies produce fewer amounts of these proteins, leading to sagging skin and many of the other usual tell-tale signs of aging. When we make facial expressions, our skin can no longer bounce back as quickly, and both fine lines and wrinkles often appear and become more noticeable as a result.
This therapy works by paralyzing muscles, whether they’re in our face, neck, or elsewhere, which not only relaxes the muscles but also the skin in these areas. This leads to fewer lines and wrinkles, and because only small amounts of this medication are used, we can target specific locations where these imperfections are appearing without affecting other nearby areas.
What Happens When I Schedule an Appointment?
Initial Consultation
After you arrive for your appointment, there will be a brief consultation where we’ll ask about your aesthetic goals and your reasons for wanting this treatment. This helps us personalize the injections to your needs and we’ll also want to examine your skin and any wrinkles or lines that are present. We’ll ask you about your medical history, as well as any medications that you’re taking, as both blood thinners and anti-inflammatory drugs are contraindicated with this treatment.
Therapy Session
To start your therapy session, we’ll assess your muscles to determine how many units of this medication each one will need, and we’ll then use a small needle to make the injections. This process usually only takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and most muscles will require at least a few injections in key areas. The needle itself shouldn’t be too painful, though we can always numb the areas beforehand with a topical anesthetic if you request this.
What Should I Do After My Treatment Session?
After the injections, you’ll be all finished and ready to go home or back to work. While your skin may be a bit red for a few days, we’ll provide you with ice packs to prevent bruising. You should also take the following precautions to ensure that you receive optimal results from this treatment:
Refrain From Alcohol
For at least the first 24 hours after your treatment, you should refrain from drinking alcohol. Similar to anticoagulants, alcohol has blood-thinning properties, which can have an effect on how your body responds to the injections.
No Strenuous Activities
While there’s no downtime, you should still avoid any intensive workouts or activities that cause a lot of sweating for the first few days because this can weaken the effects of this medication.
Avoid Certain Medications
Although this is a minimally invasive treatment, needle injection sites still need a day or so to heal. You should therefore avoid anticoagulants (blood thinners) and anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen during this time.
Don’t Rub the Injection Sites
Because the medication is still working its way into your muscles and nerves at the injection site after treatment, you shouldn’t rub or massage the treated areas, as this can weaken the effects of the medication.
How Long Do the Results Last?
Most patients can expect to enjoy the results of this treatment for around four months before more injections will be needed. As you return for more treatments over time, you may start to notice the effects lasting longer.
This therapy can sometimes even last as long as six months for those who have been regularly receiving injections. Years of built-up tension in the muscles from stress can keep your muscles tense and overactive, though this therapy can retrain them to relax once more, which can extend the effects of this therapy since relaxed muscles are naturally more responsive.
What Type of Lines Respond to BOTOX®?
Although everyone experiences lines and wrinkles as they get older, not all lines are created equal. This treatment works best for expression lines, which are the type that first appear when you’re younger when making facial expressions but can later become long-lasting and appear at all times as permanent fixtures on the face. When these lines only appear when smiling, laughing, frowning, or making other expressions, they’re called dynamic lines.
When they remain visible at all times, they’re then known as static lines. This therapy has proven to be beneficial for both of these types, though it’s particularly effective for dynamic lines. Static lines can occur for many reasons, but the most common type are those that start as dynamic expression lines and then gradually become more permanent as you age and your skin begins to produce less collagen.
What Areas Can Be Treated With This Therapy?
- Around the eyes
- Beside the mouth
- Center of the nose
- Between the brows
- Across the forehead
- Throughout the chin
What Are Some Benefits of This Therapy?
The following are just some of the many benefits offered:
Minimizes Imperfections
The most obvious benefit of this therapy is that it can minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as other issues, such as sagging eyebrows and excessive gingival display, also known as a “gummy smile.” In many cases, this can make a person appear years younger than their actual age.
Relaxes Muscles
Both frequent facial expressions and long-term stress can lead to muscle tension, which can not only affect your appearance, but also the way you feel. This therapy can relax your facial muscles, leading to a generally relaxed feeling in your face after years of feeling tense.
Boosts Self-Confidence
The positive effect that this treatment can have on a person’s confidence can’t be understated. Once lines and wrinkles are diminished, you’ll most likely feel very confident with your looks, which can potentially improve many other facets of your life, as you may then feel more confident in social scenarios.
Improves Complexion
Tense muscles can affect the skin by pushing it into unnatural positions. By both relaxing muscles and stimulating collagen, this treatment can enhance your complexion and improve skin texture. Many patients report that their skin looks fresher, brighter, and rejuvenated months after treatment sessions.
Prevents Future Issues
New lines and wrinkles can appear at any time in our lives. While this treatment is known for its corrective benefits, it can also prevent many future issues from developing by keeping the muscles relaxed, which can help to preserve the skin’s elasticity, leading to fewer age-related issues cropping up later.
Is This Treatment Right For Me?
If you have fine lines, wrinkles, or any other issues that are caused by facial expressions and aging, you’re most likely a good candidate for this treatment. You’ll also need to be in good overall health with no active skin infections in the areas we’ll be treating, as well as no blood-clotting issues, and you shouldn’t be taking any anticoagulants or anti-inflammatory medications at the time of treatment because these can make needle injections unsafe.
Also, if you’re currently breastfeeding, pregnant, or allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX®, this treatment isn’t appropriate for you. Any other issues or conditions you have will need to be reviewed during your consultation to ensure that you’ll get the best results from this therapy.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
The results of this treatment can take some time to kick in, but once they do, the noticeable improvements can be astounding, and most patients can maintain those results with regular treatment sessions three to four times per year. To get started with BOTOX® Cosmetic, contact us at today The Mack Cosmetic Center in Tampa, FL, so we can schedule your consultation and help you get started on your path back to younger-looking skin and renewed self-confidence.