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Is the Botox injection treatment right for you? From cost consideration to safety concerns, be informed before you buy Botox cosmetic injections.
If lines and wrinkles are making you look and feel older than you are, you owe it to yourself to make a smart skin decision. You’ll want to learn everything from the Botox injection technique to if there’s a Botox substitute available like cosmetic lip fillers. Relying on jarred potions that made big promises, but didn’t deliver is really tiring. If you want to put an end to it, Botox may just be your answer.
What is Botox?
Its formal name is Botulinum Toxin Type A and it’s a type of botulism, which is responsible for a particularly nasty form of food poisoning. Also called a Botox shot, the cosmetic wrinkle treatment blocks the nerve signal that tells a muscle to contract.
Since the muscle can’t scrunch up any more, the wrinkles become smooth. For example, when Botox treatments are injected into the eye area they prevent the muscles from creasing, smoothing out those embarrassing crow’s feet.
Are Botox Injection Treatments Safe?
The dose used to treat wrinkles and medical conditions is very small and diluted, allowing it to weaken the muscles in the area where it’s injected. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002, although it was approved for the treatment of medical disorders as far back as 1989.
What parts of your face can you have Botox injected? Officially, the FDA approved Botox for the treatment of glabella lines, which are the vertical creases between the eyebrows. However, doctors safely use the product to treat other areas as well, such as crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead creases. Some medical professionals also use it to treat the vertical lines that form around the mouth and lips.
Does this product have side effects? Like any medical treatment, the anti wrinkle treatment does have side effects. For example, some patients report bruising at the sites of Botox injection treatments. Those who receive the injection to treat glabellar lines may also report headaches, often lasting less than 48 hours.
Botox can trigger more serious side effects as well, including flu-like symptoms, nausea, and respiratory infection. One of the most disturbing side effects happens when the treatment seeps into nearby muscles causing temporary paralysis. This causes a drooping eyelid in some patients. Even though it might be an embarrassing and unsightly effect, a drooping eyelid often resolves in less than three weeks.
Is Botox Permanent?
Patients report the wrinkle-smoothing effects last from three to six months, although some users report good results for as many as eight months. When the wrinkle begins to return, you’ll need to receive another Botox injection treatment.
Even though the results aren’t permanent, the wrinkles become less severe with additional injections, because according to WebMD in the article “Cosmetic Procedures and Botox,” each treatment actually trains the muscles to relax.
So who can perform the Botox injection technique? Cosmetic and plastic surgeons are qualified to administer Botox treatments. In fact, the American Board of Plastic Surgery recommends using a board certified plastic surgeon. The procedure should always be done in a safe setting that provides proper medical equipment and supervision.
In 2009, the FDA approved an alternative injection called Dysport, which has been approved in other countries since the early 1990s. Just like Botox, this treatment uses a diluted Botulinum toxin to temporarily smooth out facial wrinkles.
The Bottom Line
From what is Botox to alternative Botox uses, you owe it to yourself. If you want to find out more detailed information on the subject, here is a comprehensive guide on Botox injections for wrinkles, which explains how it works, what techniques are used, the side effects and dangers, the total cost, and some safety steps you should take before buying Botox.
You never know, Botox treatment may just be the fountain of youth you’re looking for.
