Botox: if you’ve gotten it before, it’s probably because you saw someone else’s results and loved them. If you haven’t, you’re probably living with FOMO and are ready to experience it for yourself. You’re in luck, because at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Fort Worth, TX, where our lead plastic surgeon Dustin C. Derrick, MD specializes in Mommy Makeovers, we are proud to offer this anti-aging injectable and are ready to help you experience all of its anti-aging benefits.
How Many Times Can You Get Botox?
You can get Botox every three months or as needed. It completely depends on the type of look you’re going for and your preferences. To maintain the most consistent-looking appearance, it’s recommended that you schedule a follow-up treatment as you notice the gradual return of your lines and wrinkles and begin to regain movement.
However, the choice is yours. Some patients are perfectionists and can’t go longer than three months before scheduling a follow-up appointment, but others are happy to wait a little longer between treatments.
Every Three Months
You don’t want to schedule injections any sooner than three months after your last injection for safety reasons. On average, this anti-aging injectable delivers results for three to four months at a time. If you’re a fast metabolizer, meaning your body metabolizes the injectable ingredients quickly, you can expect your results to wear off every 12 weeks or so.
Perfectionist patients know exactly when this will happen and plan their appointments accordingly so that they don’t have to live with wrinkles any longer than needed. If you love the effects that this injectable has to offer, then plan on scheduling your follow-up appointments every three months to maintain that wrinkle-free face year-round.
Every Six Months
Some qualify as slow metabolizers. That means their bodies don’t metabolize the injectable ingredients as quickly as others, and as a result, they enjoy long-lasting results. If this describes you, you’re one of the lucky ones and may only need two to three follow-up treatments each year to maintain a wrinkle-free face.
As Needed
Others who are a little more laid back in their beauty routine aren’t so quick to schedule follow-up treatments. Whether they’re slow metabolizers or they don’t mind seeing some light lines slowly reappear, they will schedule appointments as needed. Some patients just get so caught up in the business of their daily lives that they forget to schedule follow-up treatments.
If you’re the kind of person that is more laid back about your beauty routine but wants to get on top of maintaining a regular injection schedule, we can help. One of our team members can help you schedule your treatments accordingly; all you have to do is show up, and we will take care of the rest.
Before Special Events
Some people choose to get Botox before a special event to get that fresh-faced look. From weddings to high school reunions, men and women alike choose to get this cosmetic injectable injected into their muscles a few weeks before their big day.
Doing so helps smooth lines and wrinkles to help them achieve a more youthful and well-rested appearance. If you are looking to get this cosmetic injectable before a special event, we must warn you: after one treatment, you’ll most likely be hooked and become a regular Botox devotee.
Botox: All of Your Questions Answered
How Can I Ensure That I’ll Get the Best Results?
If you’ve never experienced anti-aging injections before, it can be hard to find a reputable office and an injector that you can trust. To get the best results, you should visit a board-certified plastic surgeon who is skilled in the art of facial anatomy.
When you choose a board-certified plastic surgeon, you can ensure professional, care, and natural-looking results. When you choose our office for your anti-aging needs, you can walk in with confidence, knowing that you’ll have nothing to worry about and can only expect the very best.
You Get What You Pay For
When it comes to your face, you don’t want to skimp. You can find discounts on this injectable, but that doesn’t mean that you should choose the cheapest option. As a cosmetic injectable, Botox is the OG. It’s trusted, and it’s a top-of-the-line product. However, your injections are only as good as your injector. Discounted injections from an unskilled injector can lead to catastrophic results.
How Many Units Will I Need?
The total units necessary to help you achieve your goals will vary based on the areas you want to treat and the size of the muscles in those treatment areas. Some larger muscles, like the forehead muscles, require more units than areas with smaller muscles. For example, if you choose to treat your crow’s feet, you may need fewer units since the muscles around the eyes are smaller and weaker than the forehead muscles.
During your initial consultation, we will review your treatment areas and then create a treatment plan that includes the total number of units we plan on injecting in those certain areas to help you get the best results possible.
What Areas Can I Treat?
This anti-aging injectable is approved to treat three specific areas of the face. It can smooth forehead wrinkles, soften crow’s feet at the outer corners of the eyes, and erase frown lines that form in between your eyebrows. It also has some medical uses and can treat hyperhidrosis, a condition where the individual experiences excessive underarm, hand, or foot sweat. It also has several off-label uses, which will vary based on the injector, their skills, and your aesthetic goals.
Do I Need to Bring Someone With Me to My Treatment?
Sometimes patients like to bring a best friend or family member to their appointment for the company or emotional support, especially if they’re apprehensive about needles in general. However, the patient quickly finds out that these injections are virtually painless, and even those with needle phobias can make it through their appointment with ease.
Before we administer the injectable into your treatment areas, we can apply a topical numbing solution to your skin to completely numb the area. This injectable is fitted with a hair-thin needle which, combined with the numbing solution, helps the injection insertion process feel virtually painless.
Is There Any Downtime?
This anti-aging injectable is minimally invasive. That means you won’t have to plan around much downtime, but you will need to care for your skin, especially your treatment sites, during the 48 hours following your injection appointment. You’ll be asked to avoid strenuous workouts for 24 hours to avoid increasing blood flow to your treatment areas. Additionally, you need to avoid situations or environments that increase your body temperature.
This includes saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, and even hot showers or cooking over a hot stove or grill. You should also avoid alcohol for 24 hours after your treatment, as well as any medications and supplements that act as blood thinners like vitamin E, fish oil, ibuprofen, and other forms of anti-inflammatory medication. These directions are only temporary, and once those few days have passed, you can go back to your normal daily routine.
Can I Make My Results Last Longer?
You cannot change the rate at which your body metabolizes the ingredients in this injectable, but you can help improve the health of your skin so that your results look even better. Staying hydrated, committing to a morning and evening skincare routine, and eating foods that promote skin health will help your results look that much better.
This injectable can’t remove lines and wrinkles, but it can’t give you healthy skin. Healthy skin requires a commitment and investment in your skin and through the right lifestyle choices and products. Additionally, you can add a zinc supplement to your morning routine as studies have shown a positive correlation between individuals who have high levels or adequate levels of zinc in their body and long-lasting results from the injectable.
Will My Face Still Move After My Injections?
The goal of this cosmetic injectable is to relax the muscles responsible for the formation of lines and wrinkles. The goal is not to completely freeze the muscles so that you have no movement or lack the ability to express altogether.
Your expressions will be less exaggerated, which will help smooth current existing lines and wrinkles and prevent the formation of new ones. This cosmetic injectable is both a preventative and prescriptive treatment because it helps prevent wrinkles while treating your current ones.
Can I Combine This Treatment With Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers and wrinkle-relaxing injectables like this one go hand-in-hand. Dermal fillers can treat what Botox cannot. Neuromodulators treat the upper half of the face and the lines and wrinkles that form due to repetitive expressions and dynamic movements over time. Dermal fillers add volume below the skin’s surface to areas that have hollowed as a result of the natural aging process.
Using these two cosmetic injectables simultaneously can help you achieve the most youthful appearance, but you certainly don’t have to use them both. The choice is up to you. If you only want to treat expression lines on the upper half of your face, you can certainly do so and achieve beautiful results.
Is This Injectable Safe?
As a product, this cosmetic injectable is completely safe. It’s been used by injectors and patients all over the world for well over 20 years. It’s been studied, tested, and proven to be an effective way to combat dynamic wrinkles. When you choose an office like ours with skilled injectors, you will have even more confidence that the injectable and the injection process are completely safe.
Should I Worry About Tolerance?
Some patients may develop a mild tolerance to the ingredients in this injectable. All that really means is that their body has found a way to metabolize its ingredients and render them less effective. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but if it does, our injectors can create a treatment plan that helps ensure the best results, regardless of how your body reacts to the injectable.
Sometimes all it takes is a higher dosage to ensure long-lasting results and avoid tolerance. Keep in mind that when you read forums or articles about tolerance, those experiences are often worst-case scenarios. Tolerance doesn’t affect everyone, nor is it as prevalent an issue as some may want you to think.
Smooth Away Your Lines and Wrinkles
Smooth, wrinkle-free skin is only a few painless injections away. If you’re ready to invest in your appearance, we’re ready to help you achieve the most beautiful and natural-looking results. Contact us today at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Fort Worth, TX, to schedule a consultation with our lead plastic surgeon, Dustin C. Derrick, MD, so that he can answer all of your Botox or Mommy Makeover questions.
