Botox Injections
If you’ve started noticing new lines, wrinkles, and folds when you look in the mirror, you’re not alone! As we age, the collagen in our skin begins to disappear, causing plump, youthful skin to develop wrinkles and an aged look. However, Botox treatments are an incredibly popular treatment for reducing forehead wrinkles and minimizing age lines. Despite its popularity, this procedure is still the basis of many rumors and misconceptions.
Have you considered seeking Botox treatment? Below, we’ll dive deeper into this skin care procedure, clear the air, and tell you everything you need to know about the costs and benefits of
What Are Botox Injections?
Botox is a cosmetic treatment that uses injectable material to relax the skin, smoothing wrinkles on the face. It works by using botulinum toxin type A to temporarily paralyze the facial muscles, reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the skin. It works by:
1. Improving Collagen Production
As we age, collagen production in our dermis, the middle layer of skin, begins to break down, leaving it looking thin, wrinkled, and baggy. In studies, Botox injections have been shown to improve and promote collagen production in your skin, plumping out wrinkles and pushing away age lines.
2. Movement
As we age, some wrinkles in our skin develop due to repetitive motions. Also known as laugh lines, these lines aren’t simply products of lost collagen but rather the creases and folds generated by the expressions we make regularly. This can be caused by excessive frowning, smiling, or squinting.
The Botox procedure blocks specific chemical signals that cause your facial muscles to relax. By interrupting these communications, muscles that cause facial wrinkles are temporarily paralyzed, allowing them to relax and smooth out.
However, despite the many benefits of this procedure, many highly qualified practitioners remain cautious about Botox injections, worried that in some cases, it might have too much of a paralytic effect, resulting in uneven eyebrows and drooping eyelids. As such, this procedure must be carefully completed by a trained medical professional.
Receiving Botox Injections: What’s Involved
To decide whether Botox injections are right for you, you’ll want to have a solid grasp of the procedure, its effects, and any potential side effects. So, to give you a comprehensive view of the treatment, we’ll cover everything involved in a Botox treatment.
1. How much Botox is used for forehead treatments?
In most cases, practitioners inject roughly 10 to 30 units of Botox into the skin of the forehead, with four units spread out along five different sites. For the first treatments, the professional will use low dosages to ensure that you respond well to the procedure. After a few weeks to see how your skin handles Botox, you’ll return for the remainder of your treatment.
2. Where is Botox applied on the forehead?
Typically, Botox dosages come in 50-100 units, and roughly four units are placed along five strategic nerve sites along the forehead.
3. How long does Botox last?
For newer patients, treatments tend not to last as long and will require additional injects spread out every three to four months. After using Botox for an extended time, you may notice longer-lasting results that need fewer visits.
4. Is forehead Botox safe?
Yes! Botox is FDA approved to be a safe and effective treatment for minimizing forehead lines and wrinkles. However, injecting too much of the Botox material can result in temporarily droopy eyelids and facial muscles. As such, you’ll want to work closely with a trained medical professional that is thoroughly knowledgeable about the procedure.
5. How many Botox sessions are required?
In most cases, Botox treatments last roughly three to four months. However, if you use it repeatedly, your muscles may begin conditioning themselves to contract less, resulting in fewer needed treatments and extended results.
The Cost of Forehead Botox
The price for Botox injections can vary depending on several factors, including the location, how much material is needed, and the practice you choose. Typically, one can expect the cost of each treatment to be between $300 and $500.
Potential Side Effects
As with any medical treatment, Botox on the face carries with it several risks. So you’ll want to perform the necessary due diligence before and after Botox treatment to minimize risk. In 2009, the FDA updated its safety warnings for the procedure by stating that if Botox were to spread from the injection site, it could potentially trigger symptoms of Botulism. This condition can cause weakness, difficulty breathing, and more.
However, it must be noted that side effects like those mentioned above are typically associated with failures in the injection process itself. Therefore, if you perform due diligence and use medically trained providers that are board-certified, any risks or side effects will be minimized.
Botox Aftercare
Following your Botox treatment, there are several things you can do to reduce any side effects. This includes avoiding intense exercise, gently exercising the muscles in your face regularly, and avoiding making contact with the skin around your injection sites.
• Avoiding Intense Exercise
Heavy exercise can cause the injected material in your face to move beyond the injection site, potentially causing facial paralysis and Botulism infections.
• Gently Move the Face
You’ll want to exercise your facial muscles regularly by gently moving them around. This will ensure that muscle groups will retain strength despite the effects of your skin treatment.
• After receiving Botox, you’ll want to limit your makeup use for several days after the procedure. Applying makeup can cause you to rub your skin, potentially dispersing the Botulinum toxin to other areas of your face.
Winston Salem Dermatology is Your Dedicated Skincare Experts
Throughout the triad, there’s one name you can trust for all your skin care needs. Winston Salem Dermatology is proud to offer a wide range of cosmetic and medical services to help you feel and look better! From Botox injections for wrinkle reduction to IPL therapies for improving skin tone, we do it all!
And not only are we experts at providing a wide range of cosmetic procedures, but we’re also qualified to treat many different medical conditions, including Rosacea, acne, psoriasis, and more.
So, if you’ve been thinking about seeking Botox treatments for your wrinkles and lines, you’ve come to the right place. Our medical professionals are happy to provide you with the care you need to maximize your skin’s youth and beauty. Call us today at (336) 774-8636. Your youthful glow is right around the corner!