It seems that no matter where you look, aesthetic clinics are offering Botox injections to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles. However, it is essential to understand what Botox can and cannot do, and if your type of wrinkles will be eliminated with a botox injection.
There are two different types of facial wrinkles: dynamic and staticwrinkles, and each should be treated accordingly.
Dynamic Wrinkles
These wrinkles are caused by muscle movement, like when you squint, smile, or laugh. Common dynamic wrinkles also include the lines on your forehead or the crow’s feet around your eyes. Botox uses different forms of botulinum toxin to relax or temporarily paralyze muscle activity and is a good choice for dynamic wrinkles. It can smoothen wrinkles and restore a more youthful look.
Static Wrinkles
Static wrinkles, on the other hand, are caused by a loss of collagen and elasticity in your skin, or damage caused by smoking or being out in the sun too much. Your skin becomes drier and thinner, and the silhouette of your face changes as you age due to volume loss. Some aesthetic doctors may recommend Botox for static wrinkles, but Hyaluronic Acid fillers are much more effective to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Fillers lift the skin, smooth out wrinkles, restore volume loss and give you a more youthful appearance. For many people, though, a combination of Botox injections and fillers will produce the best results.
Eliminating Lines
A lot of patients are looking at Botox injections are concerned about their facial expressions after the procedure. In these cases, the patient won’t be able to have any form of facial expression in that specific area. It’s possible, however, that some of the injected neurotoxins will spread out of the targeted area into adjacent muscles resulting in less facial expression in that area as well.
The most usual example of this is when the brow muscles are injected with Botox and some of the neurotoxins gets into the frontalis muscle that pulls the eyebrows up, resulting in transverse lines on the forehead. In such cases, there will be a slight loss of the lower frontalis muscle function and the ability to raise the brows will be lessened resulting in reduced facial animation in the lower forehead.
This isn’t a cause for alarm, and this could even be an advantage for people who have repeated undesirable voluntary facial expressions, like twitching.
Limiting the Injection
Patients who would want to keep some form of facial expression in the muscles that are being targeted can ask their aesthetic doctor for less product. As a result, the muscles would still be able to contract; they will also keep some facial expression in that certain area, but the fine lines will not be completely eliminated. Some patients have muscles that are so unyielding that, regardless of how much Botox is used, they will still have some motion.
When Should You Have Botox?
The ideal age to start having Botox injections is when you start to notice wrinkles when your face is resting. It’s normal to have dynamic wrinkles or fine lines and wrinkles that appear with facial motion. Most patients start Botox injections in their thirties, although some may begin as early as their mid-twenties.
Botox must be used only under an aesthetic doctor‘s care. It’s crucial that injections be placed correctly in order to avoid side effects. If you’re considering these treatments to enhance your appearance, look for a certified doctor who has experience in administering Botox treatments. A skilled and properly certified aesthetic doctor will help you determine which options suit your needs best.