Botox is a prescription drug made from the Clostridium botulinum bacterium that is used to temporarily paralyze muscle activity. According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, botulinum toxin injections are the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure available. In fact, last year, Americans underwent more than seven million Botox treatments.
What Does Botox Do?
Botox injections are primarily used to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles by blocking signals from your nerves to your muscles, preventing them from contracting. This causes the wrinkles to relax and soften. Botox is most useful in treating:
- Frown lines between your eyebrows
- Crow’s feet, which are the lines that extend from the corners of your eyes
- Forehead furrows
How Is Botox Performed?
Administering Botox injections takes just a few minutes and doesn’t require anesthesia. A numbing medication or cream can be applied to the skin beforehand, if you’re worried about discomfort. Your doctor will use a thin needle to inject a small dose of Botox into your skin or specific muscles.
Results usually take a few days to appear and will last anywhere from three to 12 months. Maintenance injections are needed if you wish to continue treatment beyond the initial dose.
Some temporary bruising at the injection site is common but beyond that, side effects are rare. They may include headaches, drooping eyelids and a crooked smile. In rare cases the botulinum toxin may spread to other parts of the body and cause problems.
Contact a medical professional right away if you experience muscle weakness, vision problems, trouble speaking or swallowing, breathing difficulties or loss of bladder control.
Botox can be dangerous if administered improperly, so be sure to choose a skilled and certified doctor who is experienced with Botox injections.
Is Botox Right for Me?*
Botox is one of the most common skin treatments in the world. That being said, it’s not for everyone. While it’s safe and effective for most men and women, you should speak to a team member at Lake Jackson Medical Spa if you identify with any of the following situations:
- Nursing
- Pregnancy
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Drooping eyelids
- Facial muscle weakness
Your doctor takes your current health and medical history into consideration before recommending Botox injections.
Is Botox Painful?
Botox is one of the most painless cosmetic treatments out there. However, since your doctor administers the product into your skin through an ultra-thin needle, you might feel the prick of the needle and mild discomfort following the injection.
The injection itself shouldn’t be painful enough to require anesthesia. Most people don’t feel it at all.
After the injection, you can feel comfortable resuming your daily activities. You might experience tenderness or redness in the injection site or have a headache for a few hours immediately after. Don’t worry, this is normal and should stop within a couple of hours.
Is Botox Permanent?
Since Botox blocks nerve signals in the face muscles, its effect can’t be permanent. Also, you won’t start noticing results until at least one week after the procedure. Your skin will continue to smoothen out over time. In most cases, you’ll see noticeable results within a few months.
The team at Lake Jackson Medical Spa recommends that you book a follow-up visit four months after the first injection to determine whether you need additional treatments. Regular Botox injections prevent wrinkles from returning.
Get in touch with the team at Lake Jackson Medical Spa today by phone or online to learn more about the benefits of Botox.
*Individual results may vary
Millions of American choose to go through Botox treatment to fix stubborn lines and wrinkles related to age. At Lake Jackson Medical Spa in Lake Jackson, Texas, Stephanie Herrera, MD, offers high-quality Botox treatment to women looking to restore their skin’s youthful glow. To learn more about how you can effectively reduce signs of aging, book an appointment online or by calling the office.
