What is Botox?
Botox is the trade name for Botulinum Toxin, a neurotoxic protein that temporarily paralyses muscles when injected. Although it is admittedly a poison, when injected in minute amounts into a muscle underneath the skin surface, Botulinum Toxin relaxes the muscle causing the overlying skin to appear smoother. Thus, making it a popular anti-wrinkle treatment in the aesthetics industry.
Botox benefits extend from the purely cosmetic, this was discovered as a side effect of medical use. It can be used as a treatment alternative for Bruxism (teeth grinding) by relaxing the jaw muscles, excessive sweating known as hyperhidrosis, by blocking the nerves that control the sweat glands, and other medical conditions such as chronic migraines. However, Botox is most commonly used to help smooth fine lines , wrinkles and expression marks on the skin, and prevent new ones from forming – otherwise known as preventative Botox.
The Steps:
Preparations - marking up skin
Inject Botox into the target areas
The Aftercare:
It takes a 3-7 days for the muscle relaxer to kick in. Results last around four to six months. However, there isn’t any downtime. Avoid direct UV exposure in the early days.
The Safety Need-to-know checklist:
Procedures that involve needles are only worthwhile if you put safety first as a botched job will leave you worse off than how you came in and can lead to serious health complications:
Check credentials - make sure that the practitioner that is carrying on your procedure is a trained and qualified professional. If you can, also check online reviews or ask a friend of a friend
Keep things clean - Make sure that your clinic setting is clean to avoid risk of infection.
Know what is going on your face - Make sure that the products being injected are FDA approved or CE marked and that you have any intolerances before you jump into the procedure