In a TED Talk by Anjan Chatterjee called How your brain decides what is beautiful, Chatterjee noted that men biologically search for attractive women who are both youthful and mature. These women have large eyes, full lips, narrow chins, and high cheekbones, along with being healthy, shown by women having symmetrical facial features.
The contrast between youth and maturity in an ideal women is fascinating as men biologically valued high cheek bones as an indicator of a woman being mature enough to be a good wife and mother. Where do wrinkles and aging fit into all this? In a culture that values youth, these considerations can be difficult.
However, one possible consideration is having those wrinkles and lines reduced through Botox injections. Thus, you regain a more youthful appearance. To help you decide here’s 8 Things to Know Before Having Botox!
What is Botox?
Botox comes from an organism found in the soil of forests, near water, in mammals and fish, and in the gills and innards of crabs and shellfish. As well, this Botox organism is known as “Clostridium Botulinum,” Furthermore, this bacteria and its “spores” can become “vegetative cells” which increase until they create the Botulin toxin (a fatal neurotoxin) which in great amounts can cause the disease of Botulism.
Nevertheless, the Botulin toxin is fantastic for treating many medical conditions and for cosmetic procedures in tiny doses. Toxins such as Botox focus on the nervous system by blocking “nerve impulses” causing muscle contractions. Botox is, primarily, used as a toxin to treat deep lines, wrinkles, and ‘set facial expressions’ that can make women’s face (or a man’s face) appear harsh.
As well, Botox is FDA approved and has been used “off-label” for wrinkles and set facial expressions such as forehead lines, crow’s feet, “marionette” lines at the corners of a person’s mouth, and smoker’s lines occurring around a person’s lips. So, you don’t have to worry, in small amounts, Botox is safe.
What Does A Botox Cosmetic Treatment Do?
Botox works well because a small amount of the toxin mixed with saline solution is injected into a person’s face to stop facial muscles from contracting. Moreover, Botox isn’t a dermal filler as it interrupts nerve impulses and facial muscle contractions. Facial muscles below wrinkles cause lines as women age and Botox works to soften and smooth out these deeper lines.
Since Botox reduces nerve impulses it briefly restricts facial muscles from contracting and shortening, they can’t move and cause worse wrinkles. Botox is a fantastic way for a woman and men to achieve a more youthful-look with little fuss.
What’s The Difference between Botox and Dermal Fillers?
Lines in a person’s face that are “relaxed” lines do not work well with Botox. They’re better treated with dermal fillers. Dermal fillers work to rid a person`s face of fine lines and wrinkles while Botox, on the other hand, lessens deeper lines. It works best at reducing ‘facial expressions’ that cause a person to appear angry or upset. As well, Botox is considered a ‘poison’ even though it is used as a medical treatment for health conditions that aren’t cosmetic.
As well, facial fillers injected into person’s face are made from Hyaluronic Acid (HA) which is a naturally occurring sugar in the body. As people (especially women) age their supply of HA diminishes. This means the chemicals that once supported their skin lessen resulting in lines and wrinkles. A common brand name for facial fillers is Juvéderm which is produced in various forms.
What Happens in a Botox Consultation With Your Doctor?
Botox minimizes harsh facial expression and deeper lines and it also lasts most patients between three to six months per session. Patients desiring Botox should make an appointment at a professional medical spa, where they can point out certain lines on their faces they dislike, to their Doctor.
Then, their Cosmetic Doctor will look at not only treating these ‘specific lines’ but will also look beyond a person’s facial lines to develop a plan to treat a woman’s face in its entirety. If a Doctor only treats a single facial line, this can appear unnatural or out of place on a person’s face.
As well, many women, come into their Doctor’s office to receive Botox, as their friends or people they work with have mentioned the person’s consistent upset or tired look. When this is the case, it’s not usually one line causing a tired or upset facial ‘impression’ but there are numerous aspects that the Doctor will look at along with treating that ‘particular’ facial expression.
How Often Are Botox Injections Needed?
Many people are concerned with how long Botox injections last. The majority of women (and men) will notice that their Botox injections last three to four months and two to three injections a year are required on average. Nevertheless, there are other aspects that influence how long Botox injections last for each person.
For one, the age of a woman (or man) receiving Botox injections makes a difference as people who are older have reduced muscle tone and the results of Botox fade quicker than they would for a younger person with stronger facial muscles.
Also, the structure of your face and your facial expressions, whether you smoke, how healthy you eat, and how well you care for you skin through having “facials, microdermabrasion,” and other “facial resurfacing” methods, can affect how long a treatment of Botox lasts. It’s also vital for people to use sunscreen on their faces, daily, as skin less damaged from the sun will improve the longevity of Botox treatments.
While some people notice having Botox treatments more often results in each treatment of Botox lasting longer, other people can develop a “resistance” to the Botulinum toxin and find they need an increased amount of Botox treatments to have their desired result. A small amount of people also find they develop antibodies making their bodies’ immune to Botox’s anti-aging effects.
Do Botox Injections Hurt?
Such as having a booster shot or a flu shot, needles can hurt, and in a similar way, Botox injects may hurt people prone to feeling pain from immunizations. However, the needles used when Botox is injected are so tiny that a patient feels minimal discomfort.
Moreover, you can have the area of your face where you’re receiving Botox injections numbed with a “topical anesthetic cream” or by using an ice pack for around 10 to 20 minutes before you have your Botox injections.
Furthermore, it isn’t recommend that you have injections in the same injection site more than every three months. As with any medicine injected into your body, a person’s immune system can also create “antibodies” to Botox. This may result in Botox injections being decreasingly effective for you in subsequent Botox treatments.
What Are the Side Effects of Botox?
There are minor side effects to receiving Botox injections that can include having an infection at the injection site, the injection site becoming tender and sore, and having swelling, redness, minor bleeding, and bruising.
Other usual reaction symptoms to Botox might include having dry mouth, being extra fatigued, having a headache, and having neck pain. However, some of these symptoms could be due to having an allergy to the Botulinum toxin.
If you’re experiencing allergies to Botox you’ll probably have other allergic reactions such as itching, wheezing, asthma, a rash, red welts, dizziness, and fainting. These are similar allergic reactions people can have to pollen, fungi, or furry pets.
Nonetheless, if you experience difficulties breathing, or are feeling extremely dizzy, or as if you’re going to faint, ensure you contact your Doctor quickly or call emergency services if your throat feels it’s ‘closing in.’ Less than one percent of patients have extreme allergic reactions to Botox and it takes 24 to 72 hours for Botox to fully and noticeably take effect, so you could possibly experience allergies later on.
Moreover, it should also be noted that a person should never receive Botox injections at a friend’s ‘Botox Party,’ at their friend’s home. A medical office is safest place for receiving Botox injections and is also more hygienic. As well, if you’ve any side effects while receiving Botox injections they can be treated “immediately” at a medical office, while not at your friend’s house.
What Are Less Common Side Effects of Botox?
One of the most rarely reported Botox reactions is numbness due to the fact that your muscles have been ‘temporarily paralyzed’ by the treatment. Symptoms such as facial numbness, “droopy eyelids,” muscle spasms, muscle twitching, and movement of the Botulin toxin to other facial muscles, are all possible, but less common side effects of Botox. However, these affects will go away in a short time, as your Botox treatment fades.
As well, feeling numb or being without “physical sensation” from facial Botox injections isn’t considered a problem as Botox isn’t an ’anesthetic.’ Numbness only occurs when a person can’t move a facial muscle when Botox spreads past the injection sites to nearby muscles.
Nevertheless, having muscle spasms shouldn’t be an effect of Botox as it’s used as a medical treatment for ‘muscle spasms’ in those who suffer from medical conditions such as “essential belpharospasm, hemifacial spasm, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia,” and “temporomandibular joint disorder.”
In fact, Botox can treat many medical disorders a person wouldn’t think it would be able to treat being a neurotoxin. Botox is able to treat over 20 medical conditions and more uses for Botox, medically and cosmetically, are being researched and discovered often.
Final Thoughts
While facial fillers such as Juvéderm are a better idea for fighting finer lines, Botox is a better for harsh lines in upset or angry ‘facial expressions.’ Botox also doesn’t only target a single line or wrinkle you dislike but is a series of injections (two to three a year) to soften and provide youthfulness to your face. It’s ‘a plan’ for more vibrant skin all around.
In addition, while both Botox and Facial fillers have their place in non-surgical cosmetic procedures, Botox is a 10 minute treatment that can aid women and men in feeling younger in only a few treatments. It’s a confidence booster for both women and men.
Lastly, Botox can help women, (and men) feel cheerier and have a better outlook on their life while performing everyday activities at work; being out with friends or colleagues for a drinks or dinner, and taking care of their kids. Botox can also aid people in feeling more attractive to their partners due to an increased sense of self-esteem on date nights, and as a whole in life.
Working on your youthful vitality on the outside is as significant as finding a way to remain young on the inside, no matter your age.
