By Aesthetica Med Spa
Imagine what your face would look like if you could just iron away those wrinkles on your forehead, literally erase those “11 line” furrows, and diminish your crow’s feet? What can accomplish all of this with relatively no pain and minimal risk? Easy answer – a neurotoxin, which is a product that disables the ability of the nerves in those areas to communicate with the muscles in the same areas. In other words, you try to frown or squint and your muscles just will not allow you to make that skin-damaging movement. The neurotoxins approved for cosmetic use in the United States include Botox®, Dysport®, and Xeomin®.
While that word neurotoxin sounds scary, it just means that once injected into a muscle, the nerve signals to the muscle are blocked. The muscles don’t get the message that they’re supposed to contract. As a result, your wrinkles relax and soften. Even if you try to frown, you can’t contract the muscles that cause the creases between your eyes. The results show up in a day or two and within two weeks, it looks as if someone took an iron to your forehead and crow’s feet, and physically erased those wrinkles. The results last for about 3 to 5 months and the effectiveness gradually reduces over time as the product dissipates. Sometimes, the length of time your neurotoxin lasts is related to your overall metabolic rate, and high metabolic rate people will usually go through their neurotoxin at a faster rate. If you are an exercise king or queen, you can usually expect your neurotoxin to last a little shorter period of time.
Most people do not realize that there are 105 different muscles in your face alone. Now that is a lot of muscles in a relatively small area of your body. So injections must be expertly delivered by a seasoned and skilled professional. The actual treatment involves injecting the neurotoxin into the particular muscles causing the wrinkles. You’ll be asked to frown and squint your eyes so the technician can precisely mark the optimal injection site. Ice packs or an anesthetic cream applied directly prior to treatment may make the process almost unnoticeable and without pain. Several units of the product will then be injected into the areas you wish to improve. It’s a fairly quick process using a very tiny insulin type needle. By in large, this is the simplest treatment done in medical spas, and has the least potential for negative outcomes. Additionally, you may rest assured that the toxin does not become systemic. That simply means that it does not circulate throughout your body. Instead, it stays where it is injected.
After the treatment you might have a little swelling at the injection sites that could persist for thirty minutes. They simply look like a small red bump, but quickly disappear. Rarely will you have a bruise, but it is possible. You’ll also be instructed not to lie flat, workout, or rub the treated area for 4 hours after treatment. You will want the neurotoxin to stay where your practitioner has placed it, and any sort of manipulation could cause it to migrate to other areas.
Be patient patient after your treatment. While you will see results in 1-2 days, the majority of improvement will be most noticeable after 10 days to two weeks. So, if you’re planning to look your best for a special event, schedule this procedure a few weeks before hand.
If you have had lines and persistent wrinkles for years, other treatments will be necessary to further mitigate and eliminate these damaged areas of your skin. These might include laser treatments, fillers, and topical collagen building creams. The bottom line is, however, wrinkles are treatable and can effectively be improved without pain and downtime. Enjoy your new relaxed look!
Dr. Sharon M. Sneed