Botox is an extremely popular treatment to fight back against the signs of aging, and there are very good reasons for this. It’s an effective treatment, but it’s also a simple and minimally invasive one. Here at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Forth Worth, TX, it’s one of our most requested treatments and can be finished in just about ten minutes. Dustin C. Derrick, MD is the lead plastic surgeon at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW for Mommy Makeovers in Fort Worth, TX, and offers complementary treatments like Botox because of how well they work.
While it does take a little time for you to see your final results from this treatment, you can normally expect to see an improvement in just a few days. Your results will depend on your own unique physiology as well as the severity of your aging issues. If you’re considering getting this treatment, keep reading to learn more about what to expect, and then contact us to set up a consultation!
How Quickly Does Botox Show Results?
This treatment works very quickly, so it does not work immediately. For most people, the facial muscles relax immediately and a noticeable difference can be seen in just a couple of days. However, you shouldn’t expect final results from each treatment until about one to two weeks after treatment. The precise time it takes for your treatment to get to work depends on your metabolism.
Botox is a neurotoxin that interferes with neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters communicate messages from your brains to your muscles, telling them to contract. While Botox will immediately stop the messages transmitting to the muscles that are causing your wrinkles to form and deeper, it will take a little while for your body to process the remaining neurotransmitter messengers in your system and for your skin to completely relax.
More About How It All Works
This treatment works by interfering with the neurotransmitters, which temporarily paralyze muscle activity. Specifically, a neurotoxin blocks the chemical signal coming from your nerves and going to your muscles. This allows the muscles to relax, which allows the skin to soften. And while the earliest treatments with Botox had a reputation for causing people to look “frozen,” we’ve come a long way since then. With a skilled injector, you never have to worry about this. The treatment will be targeted to paralyze only the muscles causing your wrinkles while leaving the rest of your muscles free to express.
Even better, Botox can also increase your natural production of collagen. As we age, our bodies tend to produce less collagen, and this means our skin doesn’t have the support it used to have and has trouble recovering from movement, leading to permanent lines and wrinkles. You have probably noticed that when you were younger, they were certain lines that would form on your face when you made expressions. However, they would always smooth back out when you stopped making that expression. Your skin could do this because of collagen.
As we get older, lack of collagen makes it much harder for our skin to do this, so it starts to fall into the lines that it’s been making for years every time we smile, too, frown, or make any other kind of movement with our faces. By increasing collagen production, we make the skin more resilient against this kind of damage and reduce the lines and wrinkles.
Does This Treat the Same Issues as Dermal Fillers?
Not exactly. While both dermal fillers and neurotoxins are designed to combat wrinkles, they work against different types of wrinkles. The wrinkles that form when you make a facial expression, the ones that disappeared instantly when you were younger and are now beginning to form lines, are called dynamic wrinkles. When we are younger, they only lasted as long as we make the expression.
There is another type, however, known as static wrinkles. These develop naturally with age rather than as a result of facial expressions. They tend to be the effect of a lifetime of skin damage from sun exposure, smoking, and poor diet, as well as the natural loss of collagen and elastin that comes with age. While lifestyle choices can accelerate the formation of these wrinkles and genetics can also play a part that no healthy lifestyle can stop, we all see these wrinkles eventually.
Botox can treat both types of wrinkles, however, it is generally much more effective against dynamic wrinkles because of the way it affects muscle activity. Meanwhile, dermal fillers are the exact opposite. For some people, a combination of dermal fillers and neurotoxin treatment is the best way to reach their goals.
What’s the Right Age for Botox?
The FDA has approved this treatment for everyone over the age of 18, and it’s appropriate for anyone from that age all the way up to as old as you can go. It’s your choice and depends on your goals. Some people don’t really think about this treatment until they start to notice serious wrinkles forming. Others prefer to treat wrinkles and signs of aging before they begin, and Botox can be a very effective preventative treatment.
Most of us tend to notice the first signs of aging in our early 30s, but there are some people who will begin to see lines and wrinkles in their mid-20s, while others will not really develop them until their 40s. Genetics and lifestyle have a lot to do with this. It’s never too late to try to prevent wrinkles from forming, and often the earlier you get started the more effective the treatment will be. Additionally, when you have regular treatments with this neurotoxin, you tend to need fewer treatments and less of the product as time goes by.
About Treatment
Consultation
Your first step is always to come to talk to us so that we can take a look at your skin, discuss your treatment goals, and discuss your health and medical background. This will allow us to understand if this treatment is the best one for you, how much of it is needed to accomplish your goals, and if it will be safe for you. This is a very safe treatment generally, but in rare instances, there are some medical issues we need to rule out that could mean we would need to seek a different solution for your needs.
Treatment
We will give you a numbing cream if you like, though most people don’t find extremely thin needles to be painful. We will then inject the product into multiple locations designed to treat the muscles that are causing your wrinkles while leaving your other muscles untouched. Each dosage is extremely small and the application is precise.
Aftercare
There are no significant aftercare instructions and this treatment requires no extensive downtime. Immediately after treatment, you can go home, back to work, or proceed with your normal schedule. You won’t feel drowsy, won’t be in pain, and won’t need someone to drive you. The only things you need to do are be sure not to lie down for at least four hours, avoid rubbing and touching the treated area, and avoid drinking alcohol or exposing yourself to excessive heat for a couple of days.
It’s also a good idea to protect your treatment area from the sun, so be sure to wear sunscreen, hats, or other protective gear when you go outside. However, this is good practice whether you’ve had a treatment or not. Staying out of the sun will keep your skin healthier and resilient for longer.
How Long Does This Treatment Last?
Again, a lot of this depends on your unique physiology, but most people see the effects last for several months before they need another treatment. Over time, your body will break down the neurotoxin and remove it, allowing neurotransmitter chemicals to signal to the muscles once again. Those muscles will begin moving, and the wrinkles will return.
However, the more often you see treatment, the longer your results tend to last. As the muscles relax regularly, they gradually “learn” not to contract when they’re not actively needed. While most patients see results that last about three or four months initially, it’s not uncommon to have results lasting five or six months after you’ve had treatment for a while.
Get Started Today
This treatment is an excellent way to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles and even minimize moderate to more severe wrinkles while also rejuvenating your skin and increasing collagen production. Is it the right treatment for you? Come see us at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW in Forth Worth, TX so we can help you decide! And if you have any questions about the Mommy Makeover and would like to schedule a consultation with Dustin C. Derrick, MD at Cosmetic Surgery of DFW, give us a call at (817) 529-4314.
