What Is BOTOX®?

Most people have heard of BOTOX®, but their knowledge is often limited to promoted stereotypes and, sometimes, misinformation. In this blog, we will explore just what BOTOX® is, how it works, and how it is being used by today’s anti-aging professionals.

The Science

As you age, your face naturally develops lines. These can appear as moderate to severe forehead and frown lines, laugh lines, and crow’s feet. Changing facial expressions causes these lines to be visible.

BOTOX® treatment is used to decrease facial lines and creases, helping the skin appear natural and smooth. It is an injectable treatment made of botulinum toxin. 

During treatment, a tiny amount of botulinum toxin is injected into specific muscles – the ones that cause undesirable facial lines and wrinkles. Originally used to treat dysfunctional muscles and eyelid spasms, it was realized that patients using the injections had fewer frown lines. Cosmetic uses were then investigated, and BOTOX® as an anti-aging option was born.

How BOTOX® Works

BOTOX® is not a solution for static wrinkles, which are those visible when the facial muscles are relaxed. However, for lines caused or made more prominent by muscle contractions, BOTOX® is a game-changer.

It uses teeny tiny amounts of the botulinum toxin to stop the nerve endings from communicating with the muscle. As a result, the muscle is temporarily paralyzed. Lack of movement prevents the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles, leaving the skin smooth and supple.

BOTOX® can be used to decrease the visibility of already existing fine lines and wrinkles, or it can be used to slow the formation of them. 

BOTOX® Uses

Traditionally, BOTOX® has been used for cosmetic purposes. It is the first and only treatment approved by the FDA to temporarily reduce the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines, forehead lines, and crow’s feet. BOTOX® is the #1 selling treatment of its kind. BOTOX® is a cost effective skin care service that has been used for years.

Aside from its use as an anti-aging tool, BOTOX® has gotten attention for many other applications. Time Magazine covers this in detail in their story, BOTOX®: The Drug That’s Treating Everything. While it obviously cannot treat everything, it has been shown beneficial for relieving chronic migraines, depression and anxiety, eye twitching, jaw grinding, and more.

All Your BOTOX® Questions Answered

In our upcoming blog series, we will answer the most asked questions about BOTOX®. We will cover things like who is a good candidate, how much BOTOX® costs, what to do after botox, the safety of this treatment option, and more.

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