Lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging are unavoidable in life without treatment, as the skin produces less collagen as we get older. Luckily, BOTOX® is not only highly effective at treating these types of imperfections, but the effects eventually wear off, making it a safer option than surgery or other treatments. Despite its temporary effects, our patients here near Kansas City at Mia Bella Donna Medspa of Overland Park, KS normally enjoy long-lasting results before touch-up treatments are needed.
How Long Does BOTOX® Last?
This therapy typically lasts around four months, though for some patients, it can last up to six months. Factors that can affect this include your metabolism and genetics, as well as lifestyle factors, as keeping a healthy diet and taking care of your skin can help extend the results.
Also, patients who experience the effects lasting much longer than four months are normally those who schedule regular treatment sessions. This therapy can have cumulative benefits over time because it relaxes the facial muscles, which can make them more responsive to this medication over time.
What Conditions Can It Be Used For?
Forehead Lines
When we’re experiencing stress or making strained facial expressions, lines in our foreheads tend to become more obvious because of the large frontalis muscles in the area that tense up. By treating these muscles with just a few injections, we can normally reduce or eliminate the appearance of forehead lines.
Frown Lines
Glabellar lines, which are more commonly known as “frown lines,” are vertical lines that develop between your eyebrows, and for many patients, they can be quite deep. Three muscles in the forehead and eyebrow areas, the procerus, corrugator, and frontalis muscles, are normally responsible for these lines, and all normally respond quite well to this medication.
Crow’s Feet
If you have horizontal lines and wrinkles that span out sideways near the outer corners of your eyes, these are crow’s feet, though they’re technically called periorbital wrinkles and lateral canthal lines. Sometimes these issues are only noticeable while smiling, though for many people, they can become noticeable at all times.
Lip Lines
Lines that appear in the upper lip or just above it are lip lines, or perioral lines, and we can normally treat the small muscles in the mouth area that cause them. These lines can be quite rare for those who are in their 40s or younger and tend to gradually develop for most people when they’re in their 50s or 60s.
Marionette Lines
Technically known as melomental folds, marionette lines are the lines or creases that typically extend downward from both sides of the mouth toward the chin. While BOTOX® has proven to be quite effective for these folds, in some cases, we may need to combine it with other therapies for better results, depending on their depth within the skin and other factors.
Nose Lines
Lines that extend downward in the center of the nose or on either side of it can often be treated as well. These lines are sometimes referred to as “bunny lines” because they’re more noticeable with any facial movements that move the nose, such as wiggling the nose, which bunnies are known for doing.
Pebble Chin
When the chin takes on a rough or rocky-looking appearance, this is referred to as a “pebble chin” or “cobblestone chin.” Wrinkles and dimples can form throughout the chin area to create this condition, though they, too, can be suppressed with this therapy by relaxing the nearby muscles that cause them.
Nasolabial Folds
You may have deep lines that extend slightly outward and downward from both sides of the bottom area of the nose. These are nasolabial folds, and although this treatment can sometimes be effective when they’re mild, we occasionally need to use other treatments or combine them with BOTOX® to minimize these.
What Will Happen During My Appointment?
1. Consultation
The initial consultation is a straightforward one where we’ll simply ask you about your health history, any diseases or active infections that you might have, and whether you’re taking any medications that might interfere with this therapy, such as anti-inflammatory medications or anticoagulants. This is just to ensure that this treatment is right for you, as injections aren’t safe for those who have certain diseases or are on contraindicated medications.
2. Assessment
During the consultation, we’ll also want to assess any skin issues that you currently have, whether it’s lines, wrinkles, or another issue. We’ll want to look at your facial or neck muscles as well, so we can determine how responsive they’ll be to this treatment and how many units of the medication we’ll need to use, as everybody has different muscle activity and tone.
3. Treatment
After the brief consultation and assessment, we can start this treatment immediately by having you sit or lie down while we administer the injections into the target muscles. The injections aren’t normally too painful, but we can always apply a numbing agent to your skin before we get started if you should need it. The injection process typically takes about 15 to 20 minutes for most patients, and you’ll be ready to return home or to work immediately afterward.
4. Aftercare
While there’s no downtime with this therapy, we will make a few recommendations that you should follow over the next few days after treatment so that you can get the most optimal results. This includes not massaging or rubbing the areas where the injections were made, as doing so could weaken its effects in the target areas. You should also refrain from drinking any alcohol and avoid excessive sunlight exposure for a few days.
How Soon Does BOTOX® Start Working?
After your injections, the medication goes to work immediately by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that affects muscle contractions. However, this medication can’t block the existing acetylcholine that your body produced before your therapy session, so it can take some time for your body to naturally deplete this before the full results of this treatment will be seen.
For this reason, everybody responds to this treatment differently because acetylcholine levels can vary from person to person. While some patients may start to see strong results within just a few days after their injections, it can take two to three weeks for others to respond.
How Often Will I Need Additional Treatments?
Once you start this treatment, it’s your choice whether you’d like to schedule treatments only when your skin issues return and new ones arise or whether you’d prefer to schedule your appointments regularly to stay on top of your skincare goals.
Occasional Treatments
When you schedule occasional treatments only when you need them, this is known as a corrective approach. While this approach can be quite effective at treating lines, wrinkles, and other issues that have already developed, it doesn’t work so well at preventing those that haven’t appeared yet.
Regular Treatments
If you’d like to prevent future wrinkles, lines, and other imperfections from forming, then you’ll want to schedule your treatments regularly every three to four months. This can help you maintain the results of this therapy, so you’ll always look your best, and it helps to delay the appearance of many imperfections while fully preventing others.
What Are Some Benefits of This Treatment?
It Treats at the Source
Instead of treating the skin, this medication goes directly to the source of the problem, which is muscle contractions. By relaxing your facial muscles, the skin is no longer being irritated and pushed into positions where lines and wrinkles are developing.
The Results Look Natural
Unlike surgical treatments, which can often look unnatural, the results of this therapy look very natural because nothing is being augmented or altered with incisions or surgical tools. Your skin is no longer being stretched when your muscles relax, and we use conservative amounts of this medication, so you’ll still be able to make facial expressions.
It’s a Gentle Approach
Using a small needle that shouldn’t produce any significant pain, we inject the medication into your muscles, and the injection marks are very tiny, barely noticeable, and heal quickly. Because it’s minimally invasive, it’s a much gentler approach than surgery or other treatments that require long recovery periods and downtime.
It’s Been Widely Tested
This therapy also has a proven track record for being safe. It’s been thoroughly tested for over 30 years, both in practice and in clinical lab settings. Around the world, millions of people are using BOTOX® for cosmetic purposes every year, and adverse effects are quite rare.
Treatment Is Quick
The injection process here near Kansas City often takes less than 10 minutes, making it both convenient and quick for those who have busy schedules. It’s quite common for patients to schedule their treatment sessions in the middle of the day and return to work or everyday activities immediately after.
Proven Effectiveness
No other antiaging therapy has proven its effectiveness over the years quite as much as this one has. Most expression lines and wrinkles respond well to this treatment, and most patients will see some improvements by the first or second week after treatment.
It’s Cost-Effective
Because the injections are performed on an outpatient basis, this treatment can be much more cost-effective than those that require overnight stays in hospitals. You typically won’t have to return for more treatments for at least three to four months, which can also make this approach a much cheaper one for patients than other, more costly treatments.
No Sedatives Involved
Aside from applying a topical anesthetic to the skin if our patients request it, the only medication we use for this therapy is BOTOX®, so there are no sedatives involved in the treatment process. This makes it a much safer option than other treatments, as you’ll be able to drive yourself home directly after your appointment if you need to.
Long-Lasting Results
Although this treatment is temporary, the results typically last about four months and up to six months after the injections are made. Unlike creams, ointments, or other topical treatments, you won’t have to apply anything daily, and the results can normally be maintained with just a few return visits every year.
Schedule Your Consultation
With an initial treatment session and then regular touch-up treatments three to four times per year, many lines, wrinkles, or other age-related imperfections can be corrected or prevented. To see how BOTOX® can revitalize your appearance, contact us at Mia Bella Donna Medspa of Overland Park, KS to schedule your consultation today.
