What is Botox and what is it used for?
Botulinum toxin, or Botox, is a purified substance that’s derived from bacteria. In other words, it “is basically a very diluted concentration of a neurotoxin.” This neurotoxin is used to block the nerve signals to the muscle in which it was injected. When you do this, the muscle is not able to contract and is, in turn, weakened or paralyzed temporarily. The end result is the diminishing of unwanted facial wrinkles and lines.
Botox is used for a variety of things but is most often used to lessen the signs of aging. If you’re in your 20s, 30s or older, you’ve probably started to notice those less-than-desirable facial wrinkles almost everyone has. Years of smiling, frowning and even laughing can cause creases in our faces and beyond, so if you don’t like what you see, Botox might be a good option for you.
Who is a good candidate?
While we don’t administer this minimally invasive treatment to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, it can be used in just about everyone else who has fine lines, wrinkles, a gummy smile or skin dimpling of the face they want to get rid of.
There are a lot of people who start using Botox in their 20s, and honestly, what’s amazing about it is that it’s preventative. One of the things that happens is that once we start to age and deep lines start to develop, they’re kind of permanent cracks in the skin or the dermis, and ideally we would like to prevent that from happening in the first place.
What is the recovery?
Recovery is probably one of the top reasons patients seek out Botox. Unlike other facial procedures like facelifts or brow lifts, which can take weeks to recover from, there is relatively no downtime needed after Botox injections. So, whether you have a demanding career, are a parent or both, Botox can be a great solution for those unwanted creases if you’re in a pinched for time.
