It is becoming increasingly common for women under 30 to resort to Botox to hide possible signs of aging. And this is not madness, but prevention.
The use of Botox has skyrocketed in recent years. More natural and with the aim no longer to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but to prevent them, its demand has made it possible to talk about botulinum toxin without embarrassment and the time has come to banish prejudices about this procedure. Several experts in aesthetic medicine help us answer the 5Ws of Botox: what, how, when, where, and why.
Botulinum toxin is the most effective anti-wrinkle treatment (forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet) ever invented. This is how categorical specialists are, who point to malpractice or the inexperience of some doctors as the culprit for the bad reputation of Botox.
This neurotoxin acts by paralyzing the muscle and, therefore, ‘slows it down, preventing the formation of wrinkles. To achieve a natural result, it is vital to put yourself in the hands of experienced doctors to prevent, attenuate or completely erase wrinkles, depending on the dose, the location of the points, and the expertise of the professional.
When talking about Botox, it is common to think of very artificial finishes, it is common for people who come for a consultation to fear that it will change the expression on their face. We must avoid believing this ‘fake news, since, in the hands of a specialist who knows perfectly how facial muscles work, the result will be, on the contrary, a face with a more relaxed and rejuvenated appearance.
What is it?
Botox is a toxin that has the ability to temporarily numb or paralyze a muscle or parts of it, it performs a tensor effect. This toxin can only be applied on the upper part of the face, that is, on the forehead, between the eyebrows and crow’s feet, acting directly on the muscle, but without being a filler. Its correct application manages to tighten and paralyze the muscles, achieving a wider look and a more rested gesture.
There is no indicated age at which to begin to consider resorting to Botox; it depends on the case of each patient. Genetically speaking, wrinkles can appear on the face of one person many years earlier than on another. Under medical criteria, recommends its use in cases in which the abrupt and permanent contraction of the muscle makes wrinkles particularly pronounced. “When the muscle continuously contracts, in the long run, there is a marked wrinkle at rest, and when it is already incipient, it is the right time to use Botox,”
It is common that, because of the way we express ourselves with our gestures or the type of activity we have, the wrinkles between the eyebrows are more precocious. The therapeutic indication indicates that they should be over 18 years of age. As a general rule, the first wrinkles, those small expression lines, begin to appear after the age of 30-35. It is at that age, just before they become epidemic breakage and it is necessary to use not only more doses of Botox but also fillers and threads when it is usually the time to resort to Botox.
The so-called expression wrinkles, which are those on the forehead, between the eyebrows and crow’s feet, are produced by the contraction of the muscles of mimicry. From the age of 25 to 30, the first wrinkles begin to appear in these areas. Years ago, people used to wait until the advance of wrinkles, flaccidity, and loss of firmness were very pronounced before undergoing surgery and undergoing the typical facelift, blepharoplasty, or cervical lift.
We used to hear phrases like Of course, if you start so soon with surgery you will end up fatal, it’s better to wait, who describes the years before the advent of Botox. When the wrinkle is too marked, Botox is just one of the resources. If we are dealing with an older person, who already has very deep wrinkles, the result will be very good, but it may be possible that the mark of the wrinkle is still visible. In these cases, it is recommended to complement it with a hyaluronic filler.
Prevention rather than cure
At present, people are already talking about preventive Botox: applying it before wrinkles appear so that they never appear. It prevents them from appearing, delaying the signs of aging and avoiding having to treat later an epidermal rupture that will require more treatments.
A dermatologist from Ethos Spa, a popular Botox center in NJ explains that its continued use is not harmful, on the contrary, it will help to age better, with fewer wrinkles, “it can even make the spaces between one treatment and another become more distant in time, and can go from being necessary every 4 months to only every 8-10 months, especially if it is combined with hyaluronic acid.
Tailor-made treatment
Before each infiltration, an exhaustive evaluation is made of each patient to find the treatment that best suits their needs, analyzing in detail whether volume has been lost, where the wrinkles are marked, etc. The study of the face also assesses the effects that would be produced with the toxin.
The botulinum toxin treatment produces a selective neuromuscular blockade, relaxing or paralyzing the muscles of mimicry in the upper third of the face, the duration of the effect lasts from 4 to 6 months.
The effect of progressive relaxation of wrinkles is observed from 4 to 5 days after treatment and has a maximum effect after 10 to 15 days, the importance of not falling into excess: Depending on the injection technique of the toxin and the dose used, we can achieve a muscle relaxation effect (reducing wrinkles), or we can opt, always in agreement with the patient, to paralyze the muscles, obtaining a frozen forehead effect.
It’s not for everyone, but almost
On occasions, dermatologists have refused to perform the treatment on very young people, who do not really need it or in cases of contraindications, such as, for example, having an allergy to egg protein or “especially in cases where there is a loss of volume, which causes the wrinkle to be marked more strongly and there may be what are called compensatory effects.
Since it is not able to contract in that area, the muscle will look for adjacent areas to contract and other wrinkles may be created by compensation”, they suggest using preventive Botox at an early age “in people who gesticulate a lot in the forehead area, because we manage to prevent the forehead muscle from rupturing and, therefore, these wrinkles from appearing”.
Another indication is to space its infiltrations assures, “it should not be abused, at least a period of 2 months must pass between one application and another”, she stresses.
