Aging can do a number on your self-esteem. The signs of aging that show on your face, like wrinkles and fine lines, can be troublesome and distracting. If you’re unhappy with the way aging is changing your face, call the boutique office of Salas Plastic Surgery in Miami, FL to talk about the benefits of Botox.
What Is Botox?
Botox is a cosmetic injectable made from the bacterium clostridium Botulinum. It’s a purified protein considered a neuromodulator that was first approved by the FDA to treat uncontrolled eye spasms. The medical community found it worked to isolate muscles that were causing unwanted movement and block the nerve signal from reaching the muscle.
Soon after, it was discovered the same result could be observed when isolating the muscles that caused certain wrinkles. It wasn’t long before the benefits of Botox were well known, making it the number one physician-administered cosmetic treatment in the world.
What Does Botox Treat?
The benefits of Botox reach far beyond what most people realize. It’s not just the cosmetic world that reaps the rewards of this injectable. We’ll start where Botox began, in treating medical conditions.
Muscle Twitching and Stiffness
Botox will not only treat the original condition for which it was approved, eye twitching, but also spasms in other muscles. If you’re experiencing upper body muscle spasms, Botox is approved to treat these uncomfortable and distracting movements. This treatment can be used on spasms affecting the:
- Eyelids
- Neck
- Face
- Shoulders
- Arms
- Hands
It’s also been shown effective at relieving the stiffness associated with muscle seizing. There’s even evidence to suggest it can be an effective addition to the treatment of certain types of arthritis.
Migraine Headaches
The FDA approved Botox for the treatment of chronic and severe migraine headaches for people who suffer from 15 or more per month. The exact cause of migraine headaches isn’t known, so the exact reason this is an effective treatment isn’t completely understood either. The medical community suspects it’s effective because it blocks the message of pain from sensory nerves from reaching the brain.
Patients receive this treatment every 12 weeks in the head and neck areas to effectively relieve the painful symptoms of these debilitating headaches.
Excessive Sweating
Also called hyperhidrosis, constant and excessive underarm sweating can be embarrassing and socially frustrating. Patients who plan their wardrobes around frequent sweating and always feel dampness under their arms even in the absence of stress can benefit from talking to their doctor about this treatment.
When a small dose of Botox is injected into the treatment site, it blocks the nerves that supply the sweat glands and prevents them from producing sweat. These shallow injections have been shown to reduce sweating by up to 90%.
Incontinence
A Duke University study recently showed that regular Botox treatment worked better than a surgically implanted nerve stimulator to treat severe incontinence in women. It works by blocking the ability of some nerves to communicate with the bladder. The results are:
- Less incontinence
- Less nighttime urination
- Longer intervals of being able to hold urine
Bell’s Palsy
Bell’s palsy is a condition in which one side of a patient’s face becomes weak or paralyzed. It affects only one side of the face at a time and is caused by a trauma to a cranial nerve. Botox can help treat the symptoms when injected to either side of a patient’s face. When injected into the paralyzed side, it can relax tightened and possibly painful muscles and prevent facial tics.
If injected into the non-paralyzed side of the face, it gives a more cosmetic result. This treatment can relax movements on the dominate side of the face, giving the patient a more balanced look even when talking.
The Cosmetic Benefits of Botox
You already know Botox is popular and that it can help with anti-aging concerns. You may not know the extent of the aesthetic benefits this treatment can bring.
Lines and Wrinkles
Probably the most well-known reason for treatment, many patients seek this benefit more than any other. Over time, as we make repeated expressions our skin can start to look like a road map of our emotions. Frown lines that furrow our brow can make us look constantly angry or upset, even when we’re not. Forehead lines can become deeply etched, making us look much older than we are or feel.
Injections of Botox block the nerve’s signal from reaching the muscles that cause these wrinkles. When these muscles relax, the skin on top of them that holds the wrinkles smooths out. The result is a happier and younger-looking appearance. This treatment can effectively address:
- Frown lines between the eyebrows
- Deeply etched forehead lines
- Crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes
- Bunny lines on the side of the nose
Brow Lift
Your brow’s position depends on how the muscles above and below it are working. The frontalis muscle lifts your eyebrow, the corrugator muscle pulls the eyebrow down and toward the center, and the orbicularis oculi muscle positions the tail of the brow.
When a skilled physician strategically places small injections in your brow area, the result is a more open look. One of the greatest benefits of Botox is its ability to give eyebrows an enviable arch.
Jawline and Jowls
There are few things more dreaded in the aging process than jowls. If yours result from your muscles pulling that area of your face down, Botox can help relax the hold those muscles have, and the appearance of jowls will soften. When treatment includes injections into the specific nerves that feed these muscles, your jaw can look visibly lifted and more contoured.
This is most effective on mild jowls. More severe issues may require different treatments.
Treating a Gummy Smile
Do you notice your top lip disappears when you smile or you show more gums than you’d like? Botox can help you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted. When injected strategically, it can relax the muscles that pull your lips too far up, revealing your gums. You’ll still have a beautiful smile, but you’ll just show a lot less of your gums.
This can also help if you’re dealing with asymmetry of your smile. Sometimes a patient will have a crooked smile they’re unhappy with. Botox can work to relax the side that’s more active to bring the right balance to a smile.
What to Expect
When you and your doctor decide the benefits of Botox are the right choice to address your concerns, there is no preparation necessary. This treatment is one of the easiest and quickest for your doctor to perform.
Many patients schedule their appointments on short breaks from work and immediately return to the office afterward.
Your Appointment
On the day of treatment, your doctor may apply a little numbing cream to the treatment area just to ensure you’re completely comfortable during your session. A series of injections will be made to achieve the desired result. When the doctor is finished administering the injections, you can go home and back to your normal routine.
Appointments can last anywhere from ten to thirty minutes depending on the area being treated.
Results
The results from Botox take between three and seven days to appear. When they do, you’ll notice your lines start to fade and the areas you’ve had treated take shape. You’re left with a younger-looking and more pleasing appearance.
Typical results last between three to four months. If you follow your doctor’s recommendation for follow-up and maintenance appointments, you can enjoy seamless results.
Why Choose Botox?
With so many cosmetic treatments available to patients, why do so many choose Botox as their “go-to” treatment?
It’s Effective
Let’s face it: this is the number one result we’re looking for. When lines on our faces smooth, we just look younger. The results are also very natural looking. Gone are the days when people had to worry about looking “frozen”. If you’re choosing a skilled physician to administer this treatment, you’ll still have natural movement but without the lines and wrinkles.
It’s a Self-Esteem Boost
This isn’t about how others perceive you or your attractiveness, it’s about how you feel about yourself. When you like what you see in the mirror, your confidence is boosted, and this will show in everything you do. If you have a wedding or reunion in the near future and are dreading pictures being taken or how you’ll feel when you see old friends and family, a little confidence boost is all it takes for you to completely enjoy yourself.
Patients have reported feeling more confident in the personal, social and professional lives. One of the unexpected benefits of Botox is to feel like a better version of yourself, and it happens to almost every person who opts for this treatment.
It’s Quick and Easy
If you’re looking in the mirror thinking you have to spend a lot of money and commit to a long downtime to get amazing results, you don’t. These injectables are one of the quickest treatments offices offer. When a highly-skilled physician is addressing multiple issues on one patient, it takes less time than a tooth cleaning appointment and can erase a lot of years from the appearance.
It’s Cost-Effective
Compared to more invasive and involved treatments and procedures, Botox falls into the economical category. You won’t pay tens of thousands of dollars for an invasive procedure that requires weeks of downtime. This treatment is easy on your calendar and your wallet. We don’t recommend choosing a provider based solely on price. Even in the most prestigious offices, this will be one of the most inexpensive treatments offered.
It’s Safe
The FDA approved Botox decades ago, and it’s been proven safe and effective for cosmetic usage. Over 11 million people worldwide have used Botox, and it’s only gaining in popularity. It’s used in 96 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. Its popularity is driven by the results it delivers.
It’s critically important that you choose your provider carefully. The safety of this treatment is only as good as the experience of the person injecting it. Many people may decide where to go for Botox based on price alone and shop discount sites for treatment, this can be a mistake. The best scenario is for a board-certified physician to be the one administering the injections. When used by a skilled professional, the results can be unrivaled.
Call for a Consultation
It’s never too late or too early to invest in your appearance. The best investment you can make is to choose a doctor who is highly trained and expertly skilled to get you the best possible results. Call Salas Plastic Surgery in Miami, FL to schedule a consultation. We are a boutique office dedicated to helping our clients look their absolute best. We look forward to speaking with you soon!
