Dynamic wrinkles are caused by contractions of the delicate underlying facial muscles every time you smile, laugh or frown. The more emotion you show, the deeper these wrinkles and lines are likely to be. While you may have earned every one of your worry lines, you don’t have to show them anymore.
Botox blocks impulses from the nerve to the tiny facial muscles that are related to expression lines. Botox relaxes the muscles so they do not contract. After treatment, the overlying skin remains smooth and unwrinkled while the untreated facial muscles contract in a normal fashion, allowing normal facial expression to be unaffected.
Botox injections have been used safely and effectively for over twenty years to treat many ophthalmological and neurological disorders. Pain specialists and Orthopaedic surgeons have used botox for years to alleviate muscle spasm. Each year thousands of patients receive Botox treatments for a variety of conditions and it is quickly becoming a popular treatment for reversing the visible signs of ageing.
Cosmetic denervation with Botox is a simple and safe procedure in experienced hands. Using a tiny micro-needle, a very small amount of Botox is injected, very precisely, into several locations on the face. Because the needle is so fine and only a small amount of liquid is used, the pain associated with the injections is minimal. Most patients compare the sensation to a bug bite. No sedation or local anaesthetic is required, and you can resume normal activities immediately. Some patients experience a slight bruising at the injection site, this can be covered over with make-up.
Temporary bruising is a possible side effect. Though very rare, in some cases, the toxin can migrate and cause a temporary weakness of nearby muscles such as asymmetry of facial expression or drooping of an eyelid, again, this is rare and temporary and can be revised with medication. Under-correction can be treated with a top-up treatment (with no extra cost to the patient), this can occur because we aim to avoid over-correction facilitating the most natural result. These aspects will also be discussed at length with you before your treatment.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding, myasthenia gravis and blood coagulation disorders.
Drug interactions can occur when botulinum toxin is used concomitantly with other medications. Since these medications can alter the effects of botulinum toxin, you must ensure that I am aware of current medications you are taking, especially aminoglycoside antibiotics, anaesthetics and muscle relaxants. Please let me know if you take aspirin.
If the wrinkle is caused by muscle movement or is simply less visible without contraction, then Botox can smooth these out and give you a more youthful and pleasant appearance. However, this procedure cannot improve wrinkles due solely to ageing and sun-damaged skin since they are unrelated to facial muscle contractions. These types of lines or folds can benefit in most cases from other treatment modalities such as peels or fillers (Collagen, Restylane and others). Botox injections will not improve sagging skin or replace the need for a facelift or brow lift.
Unfortunately, Botox injections are a temporary solution for the treatment of dynamic wrinkles. The effects of the injections last from three to six months. To keep the effect you will need to have injections about two to three times a year. The early clinical studies indicate that the duration of treatment benefits is increased over time so that you should require injections less frequently in the future. This is partly due to the fact that patients break their habit of contracting certain muscles like frowning.
Also, the duration of effect varies from patient to patient. I hope you find this information helpful. It is important to note that a more in detail discussion about the indication for this procedure, the procedure itself and possible side effects adjusted to your specific needs takes place during consultation.
