Why Botox?
This is a drug created on the basis of inactivated botulinum toxins type A. In aesthetic cosmetology, it is used to correct facial contours, reduce facial wrinkles, etc.
Botulinum toxin is actually a powerful poison. However, the proportions used by cosmetologists are absolutely harmless to the body as a whole, but they temporarily relax certain muscles. In the absence of motor activity, the skin is smoothed and the facial contour is evened out.
The drug began to be used in the cosmetology field after successful experience in neurology. For medicinal purposes, the use of Botox is still practiced in such areas as the elimination of:
- facial asymmetry after strokes or with cerebral palsy;
- strabismus;
- spasmodic torticollis;
- headaches;
- bruxism (involuntary grinding of teeth during sleep);
- hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).
Changing muscle activity plays a key role in cosmetic oval shaping with Botox injections. The drug, injected under the skin to a certain depth, affects the muscles or their individual parts, thereby creating the desired relief.
The cosmetology clinic offers you the following procedures:
- biorevitalization of the neck;
- mesotherapy of the scalp;
- biorevitalization;
- plasma lifting;
- injection cosmetology;
- etc.
Botulinum therapy for neck muscles
Injections of botulinum toxin into the neck are carried out for three different purposes:
- Smoothing the anterior vertical muscle cords of the neck, which create a feeling of exhaustion and exhaustion;
- Elimination of horizontal neck wrinkles (the so-called rings of Venus), usually developing in older people and considered a sign of old age;
Botulinum toxin can reduce age-related horizontal neck wrinkles.
- Nefertiti lifting is a procedure for limited changes in the contours of the chin, giving it greater definition and expression.
Although all of these procedures involve injections into the neck (only the Nefertiti lift also involves the edge of the lower jaw), they all differ greatly in the pattern of injection sites and the amount of injection. As a rule, they try not to combine neck wrinkle correction and Nefertiti lifting within the same procedure. Only in cases where both chin asymmetry and neck wrinkles are caused by the activity of the same muscles, they are eliminated simultaneously.
Sometimes botulinum toxin is injected into the neck muscles for therapeutic purposes. For example, it is successfully used for spastic torticollis, tremor of the head or lower jaw, and some forms of cerebral palsy. In these cases, however, its administration requires careful preliminary diagnosis and a mandatory referral from a doctor.
In order to ease head tremors, botulinum toxin is sometimes injected into the neck muscles.
On a note
It is important to remember that the elimination of horizontal wrinkles on the neck must be carried out before the start of the tanning season. The fact is that these wrinkles stand out most of all on the red neck from sunburn, also called the “gardener’s neck.” If you first smooth out the skin in this area, the tan will then lie there very evenly.
How the process works
First of all, the cosmetologist must examine the patient, determine the condition of the skin, evaluate muscle activity, and listen to the patient’s wishes. A qualified and experienced specialist will be able to model the expected result in advance.
This cosmetic procedure is carried out only in a specialized clinic, subject to all safety and sterility rules.
Botox is injected into the muscles of the lower third of the face and neck. This is done in several stages:
1. The face is completely treated with an antiseptic solution (chlorhexidine solution).
2. A marker marks the places where the drug must be injected.
3. At the request of the patient, for more comfortable well-being, the injection sites are anesthetized with a special drug.
4. Botox is injected with a very thin and short needle into the previously marked points.
5. The injection sites are again treated with an antiseptic solution.
6. Next, the patient undergoes a course of familiarization with the recommendations
The procedure takes 15–20 minutes.
Correction of the lower third of the face involves injections into the masseter, mentalis, orbicularis oris muscles, as well as into the subcutaneous neck muscle, which is responsible for drooping corners of the mouth.
The most noticeable effect of changing facial contours is seen when affecting the masticatory muscle. It is quite voluminous, so 3-4 injections are required to achieve the planned result. To avoid the risk of the drug getting into the salivary gland duct and to correctly calculate the depth of the injections, the doctor marks this area taking into account individual anatomical landmarks.
Botox injected into the masticatory muscle does not completely block its action; the ability to chew food is preserved. To avoid unpleasant consequences and overcorrection, the procedure is carried out in two stages with an interval of three weeks.
After Botox is administered, the skin on the cheekbones is noticeably tightened, the contour line becomes clearer, and the oval is more beautiful.
Platysma lift with Botox
Botox injections relax the platysma - the muscles of the neck. Injections are made directly into the platysma cords, which become less pronounced after the procedure. As a result, the skin tightens, the oval of the face improves, and wrinkles from the corners of the lips to the chin disappear. The effect usually lasts 4-6 months. The best results are obtained with Botox injections in combination with flexible fillers. Botulinum therapy for correction of the neck and chin area is recommended for patients 35-40 years old, in whom the platysma cords are very noticeable during a conversation.
Recommendations before and after the procedure
In preparation for cosmetic facial contour correction with Botox, it is necessary to take into account a number of prohibitions and restrictions. These include:
- consumption of any alcoholic beverages;
- taking antibiotics.
A cosmetologist must be aware of the patient’s use of any medications and previous illnesses. This information is necessary to exclude allergic reactions due to incompatibility of medications or individual characteristics of the body.
In general, the procedure is tolerated comfortably, with little pain and does not cause any complications or hematomas.
After correcting the oval of the face using a Botox-based drug, you should adhere to certain rules for some time:
- You cannot take a horizontal position for 5 hours;
- It is forbidden to scratch, massage the face or touch it at all, especially in those places where the skin was punctured;
- it is necessary to limit the consumption of alcohol and potent drugs;
- Visiting the solarium, sauna, bathhouse is prohibited.
For an hour afterwards, you should smile, grimace as often as possible and do a set of exercises in which all facial muscles will be involved. This promotes rapid and uniform distribution of the drug.
Strict adherence to the cosmetologist’s recommendations is necessary to avoid diffusion of Botox into other organs or tissues, which can lead to undesirable consequences.
Stages of the procedure
After a preliminary consultation and conclusion, the doctor sets a date for administering the drug. For two days you need to follow a diet and other recommendations. At the clinic, the doctor cleans the skin, marks it with a marker, and, if necessary, applies local anesthesia.
The injection is carried out with a cosmetic syringe with a thin needle. Small bumps form at the injection sites. Within a few hours they disappear. After this, the patient is under observation for about 2 hours. A cold compress is applied to the injection site to reduce swelling.
In the next two weeks, you must follow your doctor's recommendations. The effect becomes noticeable within a few days and lasts for more than six months. If side effects occur, you should consult your doctor again. Treatment with traditional methods cannot.
Advantages of the method
Since Botox for eliminating cosmetic problems has a targeted and temporary effect, it successfully copes with the elimination of small facial wrinkles and irregularities. The reason for correcting the oval of the face is:
- increased work of the facial muscles;
- natural age-related changes;
- individual characteristics;
- mechanical damage.
If a crease forms on the skin, then Botox may simply not be able to cope with such problem areas of the face. In this case, you will have to resort to additional methods of influence, so the rejuvenation process will be longer.
What problem areas can be solved with Botox?
Botox injections into the chin reduce muscle tone, resulting in relaxation of the lower part of the face. Due to the blockage of the nervous system, muscle movement stops for a certain time. Relaxing the jaw temporarily solves the main problems associated with age-related changes:
- Smoothing wrinkles in the chin and under the lower lip.
- The double chin is removed, but its formation is not associated with the appearance of fat deposits.
- Relaxing the muscles reduces the severity of creases that have formed in the nose area.
- The commissures of the mouth rise.
When to perform the procedure
A very popular, but very controversial question: at what age will the use of Botox be the safest, but most productive? Many people believe that correcting or changing the shape of the face in this way is an exclusively age-related procedure and should be done only when the external signs of aging can no longer be hidden by any cosmetic products.
Reasoning in this way, women make the main mistake - they waste time. Facial muscles lose their natural elasticity with age, and the skin, under the influence of multiple external factors, also undergoes irreversible changes. Therefore, correction of facial contours with Botox in this case may not have the expected effect or its duration will be much shorter.
Corrective facial procedures using Botox can be performed starting from the age of 25. At this time, the skin has not yet lost its elasticity and is easily amenable to cosmetic modeling.
Contrary to the popular belief that the use of botulinum toxins in cosmetology negatively affects health in general, this method of rejuvenation has earned considerable and justified popularity.
Botulinum toxin injections into vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows
(wrinkles of anger)
It is to the appearance of vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows that your loved ones react like this: “Don’t frown, don’t be angry!” This type of wrinkle is the result of the interaction of two muscles - the corrugator supercilii (the muscle that wrinkles the eyebrow) and the Procerus (the “proud muscle”). Procerus or the proud muscle is fixed in the region of the glabella, and starts from the nasal bone. The result of its action is not only facial expressiveness, but also transverse folds above the bridge of the nose.
To correct this area, botulinum toxin injections are used - from 8 to 16 units - they are given to both muscles responsible for the formation of wrinkles.
Features and contraindications
It is strictly contraindicated to undergo Botox procedures in the following cases:
- during pregnancy and lactation;
- in the presence of acute neurological or infectious diseases;
- with severe allergic reactions;
- for bleeding disorders;
- while taking antibiotics;
- oncology;
- individual hypersensitivity to the drug;
- trypanophobia – fear of injections.
Immediately before the facial contour correction procedure, all possible complications and risks are discussed with the cosmetologist.
There may be slight redness at the sites where the skin is punctured, but it goes away on its own within an hour or a few days.
In order for botulinum toxin to take effect and the facial muscles to relax, a certain period is required. Usually this is 10–14 days. After this period, the drug reaches the peak of its effect, which lasts up to six and sometimes up to eight months.
The period of active action of Botox depends both on the individual characteristics of the body and on external factors.
The effect weakens gradually and disappears completely over time.
To avoid the development of resistance - resistance to the action of the drug in neuromuscular fibers, it is worth taking breaks between procedures. In addition, regular correction of the oval of the lower part of the face using Botox can develop a persistent reflex, due to which the frequency of contraction of facial muscles decreases. However, the procedure must be repeated periodically.
Active sports activities speed up metabolic processes in the body. This fact may help reduce the duration of the correction effect.
In order not to resort to the procedure too often, the cosmetologist takes into account all the nuances and individually selects the dosage of the drug.
Platysmaplasty in Moscow: the effect of the procedure
At the BL clinic, injection techniques are used for neck and chin lifting:
- fillers based on hyaluronic acid, which restore lost volume and make the skin firmer and more elastic;
- botulinum therapy, which smooths out facial wrinkles;
- Belgian drug Profhilo, which has a complex lifting effect.
The latter contains high-molecular and low-molecular concentrated hyaluronic acid. A drug:
- has a pronounced lifting effect;
- improves local blood circulation;
- provides a reinforcement effect;
- moisturizes the skin, gives a natural glow;
- removes age spots;
- stimulates the production of its own hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin.
After an injection neck lift, the contour of the chin becomes clear, folds and wrinkles are smoothed out. The skin is rejuvenated, jowls disappear. The effect lasts up to 8 months. The procedure is repeated as prescribed by the doctor.
Botulinum toxin injections in the eyebrows
The location and shape of the eyebrows can determine a lot: the degree of fatigue, the level of fatigue, mood and even age. If the eyebrows are low and almost hanging over the eyes, this indicates extreme fatigue. And vice versa - high, gracefully curved eyebrows make the look open, and the face looks younger and more cheerful. And this applies to all types of eyebrows - from thin threads, fashionable in the middle of the last century, to those that are relevant today - beautifully curved and thick.
The movement of the eyebrows is provided by several muscles, but the frontalis muscle actively raises the eyebrows.
To give this muscle the ability to raise the eyebrow, an injection of 6 to 10 units of botulinum toxin is given in the area of the lateral edge of the orbit. Thus, it is possible to weaken the action of the orbicularis oculi muscle, and the frontalis muscle will easily raise the eyebrow.
Botulinum toxin injections in the area of the upper and lateral parts of the nose
Wrinkles on the back of the nose appear when a person smiles or laughs - that is, for the most part, these wrinkles are associated with positive emotions. True, sometimes wrinkles on the back of the nose are a consequence of correction of the area between the eyebrows - compensatory hyperactivity occurs when blinking. That is why it is recommended to additionally inject Botulinum toxin into the horizontal wrinkles of the dorsum of the nose when correcting wrinkles between the eyebrows.
In this case, a botulinum toxin injection is injected 1-2 units into one or two points (depending on the length and depth of the wrinkles).
Botulinum toxin injections in the area around the eyes
This area of the face is the most attractive, because it is the eyes that determine the feelings and interest in the conversation of the interlocutor. The wrinkles that appear in the corners of the eyes are called “crow’s feet” - they are the result of active activity of the outer portion of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The thicker the skin, the later the wrinkles appear, but the more pronounced they are - deeper and more visible. In a person with thin skin, they occur earlier, but will be lighter and more superficial.
Around the eyes there are static (constant, visible at rest) and dynamic (appear only during facial expressions) wrinkles. If a person laughs often and willingly, then the early appearance of dynamic wrinkles is inevitable. And you can smooth them out with the help of Botulinum toxin injections. If static wrinkles appear, then it is advisable to combine the administration of Botulinum toxin with the use of hyaluronic acid fillers.
To eliminate facial wrinkles in the eye area, two techniques for administering the drug are used - subcutaneous and intradermal. It is enough to administer 6 to 10 units of botulinum toxin injection at the outer edge of the orbit.
