“Everything you need to know about Botox” by M. Mellie
by fitness enthousiast Melissa Mellie
Cosmetology is a billion dollar industry today. Botox has emerged as one of the most popular cosmetic treatments worldwide. Women and young girls are hastening towards the Botox treatment nowadays. Botox or Botulinum toxin A is the purified toxin of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism. It is popularly accepted as non-invasive anti-wrinkle treatment. Tiny, over-clenched facial muscles account for crow’s feet, frown lines, and other facial wrinkles. Apart from wrinkles it is used to treat brow furrow, lazy eye, and uncontrollable blinking and some medical conditions.
Table of Contents
Myth vis-à-vis Botox
Mostly widespread myth about Botox is that it makes you look younger. No, is doesn’t. It either makes your skin look smoother or puffier. A little more than required or a little at the wrong place can result in too smooth or too puffy skin. Both the manifestations are unpleasing.
Working of Botox
Botox works as a paralyzing agent. The toxin is injected via a needle. Due to the Botox being injected into a muscle, it cannot contract like before, resulting in wrinkle softening. The injections may cause a little tinkling sensation to most of the people. It normally takes three to five days to obtain full results. Effect subsides in a few months. As muscle resume their activity, the lines and wrinkles return to propel you for another Botox treatment.
Usefulness of Botox
Botox can fix minor imperfection in the region of the face and neck and around the nose. Botox injections are occasionally used to trim down the look of protruding ears. Botox combined with laser peels may bestow an even more youthful appearance. These are cosmetic benefits. Medically, it is helpful in cervical dystonia, chronic pain, enlarged prostates, migraines, overactive bladders, and neuropathy.
Risks implicated
The most common side effect of Botox shots is short-term bruising making the area sore. The needle, substance or both can cause soreness. Swelling or redness may also be experienced at that place. The muscles injected may turn weak or stiff. These side-effects are brief and fade away in a week. If not, then consult a doctor.
When given on the face, the side-effects are headaches, indigestion, nausea, eyelid drooping, difficulty in breathing and speaking, difficulty in swallowing and weakness in other muscles. These side effects may occur in few patients and subside in a couple of days to weeks. Botox bestows a smoother, finer looking skin. Repeated treatments on the face can lead to a frozen appearance. Besides recent studies showed that repetitive applications of Botox lead to a much less effective result!
Precautions
Patients are advised not to rub the areas around the eyes when administered on the face. This may result in leakage of the toxin from the site of injection to surrounding regions of the face and neck.
Botox treatment can be taken for migraine, excessive sweating or muscle spasms. The side effects that occur in treating the above are skin infection, allergic reaction, back or neck pain, fever and pharyngitis. Everyone may not contact these side effects but there is always a threat. But these too may subside in a day or two.
Serious side effects include: Flu-like symptoms, respiratory infection and temporary drooping of the treated muscles. Though these manifestations are unusual but have been encountered by some people. There is evidence that Botox travels to other parts of the body and remains for a long time.
Choose your practitioner with care
Unfortunately, there have been instances where the procedure has gone wrong and led to health complication because of wrong administration or higher quantity of the toxin. A highly skilled practitioner or cosmetologist should be entrusted the job. Only a specialized doctor can guide on the process and also establish whether the poison is indeed needed and the watch health consequences as well. Also, a certified brand of the toxin should be used. The health watch should be established as Botox treatment increase antibodies in the system. With the increasing number of Botox treatments, the antibodies become less effective. Have a look at our Directory of Board Certified Doctors that have an expertise in Botox.
Botox or no Botox
Looking at the risks involved, it is advised to stay away from any cosmetic treatments including Botox. Maintaining a good skin care regimen for healthy skin is the best way out. Even FDA initially approved the toxin for medical treatments. Later some doctors uncovered the cosmetic benefits of Botox. I would recommend daily skin care starting at a very early age so that no Botox treatment is needed. Even ageing is beautiful. Experience it!