Botox Injections: Purpose, Procedure & Results
An average injection of Botox takes less than 15 minutes. It is a minimally invasive procedure that provides a patient with a long-lasting result, no matter whether it comes to facial rejuvenation or health improvement.
So, what exactly is Botox? What purpose does it have? How is it injected? And, finally, what are its results? Let us find answers to these questions together by means of checking out the information below.
What Is Botox Cosmetic Treatment?
Before delving into the discussion of Botox cosmetic treatments, it is essential to mention that botulinum toxin type A (which is the main active substance of Botox) has two main applications, namely aesthetic and medical.
Botulinum toxin type A is a naturally occurring substance that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. With its exceptional power to affect the work of the body and facial muscles, it is useful and dangerous at the same time. While being applied for cosmetic and medical purposes, it might also cause potentially fatal disease botulism.
The aesthetic application of Botox assumes the usage of the product to enhance and rejuvenate the overall appearance of a patient. While the medical application of Botox, in its turn, is realized through the treatment of such muscle or nerve conditions as:
- Urinary incontinence (or, as it is also called, overactive bladder);
- Neck pain;
- Severe underarm sweating;
- Lazy eye;
- And other medical conditions related to the work of muscles.
In other words, Botox is a brand of prescription medicine that might be used by healthcare professionals for both cosmetic and medical treatments. Only professionals with license can buy botox on Dkderma.
Botox is not the only brand that produces solutions based on botulinum toxin type A. Such trademarks as Dysport, Xeomin, Azzalure, Bocouture, and so on are based on the same active substance. Thus, it is up to a healthcare practitioner and a patient to decide whether to use Botox or any other botulinum toxin product to treat different cosmetic or medical conditions related to muscle activity.
So, Botox cosmetic treatment is the procedure of aesthetic medicine that involves the administration of botulinum toxin type A into a patient in order to treat a number of cosmetic issues related to the work of muscles.
What Is the Purpose of Botox Injections?
The main purpose of cosmetic Botox injections is to enhance and rejuvenate the overall appearance of a patient. They are primarily used to take care of dynamic wrinkles.
While the effects of Botox are mainly visible when it comes to dynamic wrinkles, dermal fillers are primarily used to treat static ones.
When being more precise, the cosmetic Botox treatment is oftentimes applied to reduce the appearance of:
- Mild to severe forehead lines and wrinkles;
- Mild to severe frown lines;
- Mild to severe crow’s feet lines;
- And other facial wrinkles that occur with age as a result of active facial movements.
Depending on the depth of facial folds, lines, and wrinkles that need to be treated with Botox, a healthcare professional will define typical doses of the product. Usually, Botox Cosmetic is advertised in either 50U or 100U.
In other words, the main purpose of Botox injections is to effectively fight different age-related skin imperfections, such as wrinkles, folds, or fine lines.
How Does the Procedure of Botox Injections Look Like?
A safety note: Due to the fact that Botox belongs to prescription medical products, it is intended exclusively for professional usage. In other words, only licensed healthcare practitioners with medical education might perform the procedure of Botox injections.
No matter whether Botox injections are used as muscle relaxants to take care of poor bladder control or wrinkle reducers to treat frown lines, the procedure of the product’s administration works as follows:
- Above anything else, health and wellness professionals should run a detailed analysis of the overall health conditions of their patients. This way, they will exclude the presence of any contraindications to the procedure (such as ongoing skin infection, allergic reactions, and muscle or nerve disorders);
The ignorance of any contraindications to Botox injections might lead to a number of serious symptoms, such as general muscle weakness, trouble raising the eyebrows, difficulty breathing (or even trouble breathing in severe cases), difficulty swallowing (or trouble swallowing), or vision problems (such as blurred vision, double vision, or decreased eyesight). In the most severe cases, these complications might even be life-threatening. Therefore, do not forget to inform your healthcare practitioner about all your medical conditions and all the medicines you are currently taking before the procedure.
- After excluding the presence of any contraindications to the injection of the product, a healthcare professional might start administering botulinum toxin to a patient. According to its treatment protocol, Botox should be injected intramuscularly into the affected muscle;
The composition of Botox does not include lidocaine hydrochloride or any other local anesthetic. However, a healthcare professional might apply a topical cream to the injection site before the procedure to reduce the feeling of discomfort during it.
- Once the procedure is over, a patient might experience a number of side effects, such as redness, itching, swelling, or bruising at the injection site. If it is the case, a patient should contact a healthcare practitioner and ask for instructions on further actions.
The working principle of Botox (or any other botulinum toxin product) is pretty straightforward. Here is how it functions: after being administered into a patient’s body, botulinum toxin starts blocking signals that go from a patient’s nerves to muscles. As a result, the affected muscle relaxes, which eventually leads to the reduction of wrinkles around the injection site.
What Are the Expected Results of Botox Injections?
After the injection of Botox, a patient might expect to see an immediate result. Namely, the appearance of such skin depressions as forehead lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet lines will be substantially reduced as soon as the procedure is over.
However, the full result from the injection of Botox might appear within the time period of up to 14 days after the treatment. During this time period, a patient should not take certain medical products (like blood thinners, anti-inflammatory drugs, or cold medicine).
To maximize the result of the Botox injection and minimize the risk of complications, a patient should not undergo direct sun exposure, stay away from excessive heat, and avoid rubbing the injection site for the first 48 hours after the procedure.
When speaking about the duration of the Botox result, it is essential to mention that the product is not capable of providing a patient with a permanent result. The main reason for it is that muscle activity that is temporarily blocked by botulinum toxin has a tendency to gradually return with time.
On average, the result from the injection of Botox might last from 3 to 8 months. However, it strongly depends on a patient’s individual health condition, skin type, age, and lifestyle.
As soon as a result of the Botox injection fades away, a patient might undergo the procedure one more time. This way, the effect of the treatment might be substantially prolonged.
Final Words
All in all, Botox injections belong to safe, efficient, and long-lasting methods to treat both health problems (like urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, or excessive sweating) and aesthetic imperfections (such as dynamic wrinkles). They might be characterized as minimally invasive procedures with natural-looking results.
So, how about taking advantage of Botox injections and substantially prolonging your youthful appearance? Remember, your beauty is unique and one of a kind! So, make sure to take proper care of it!
