What Specific Wrinkles Does BOTOX® Treat?
For years, the most popular cosmetic treatment in the world has been BOTOX® and similar wrinkle-relaxing injectables. Professional studies and surveys reveal that millions of treatments happen around the United States each year, with patients seeking a smoother-looking face in order to appear refreshed, rested, and more youthful. At Dermatology Group of Arkansas, BOTOX® remains a highly popular choice—though many patients come in having heard of the treatment, but wondering what it can actually do.
There are many uses for BOTOX®, but the treatment has three specific cosmetic approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Here’s a closer look at those wrinkles.
Frown Lines
The technical term for these wrinkles is “glabellar lines.” They’re named for the glabella, which is the area of the forehead between and above the eyebrows. When you knit your eyebrows together, the glabella moves along with them. Over time, this repetitive motion can cause small lines to appear. These lines most commonly develop as two short, vertical creases. In addition to the nickname frown lines, they are also called “11s.”
Forehead Lines
Raising and lowering your eyebrows, whether because you are making a facial expression or squinting, also moves the skin above on your forehead. As with the glabella, the constant motion that plays out over years and decades can gradually cause creases to form. These horizontal forehead lines, often referred to as furrows, can run almost from temple to temple, becoming deeper over time.
Crow’s Feet
Squinting and smiling alike contribute to the formation of crow’s feet, which may resemble thin bird claws to some people, but most often appear as fine lines the radiate toward the temples from the outer corners of the eye. Technically known as lateral canthal lines, these wrinkles are also happily known as smile lines due to the expression related to their appearance. Having crow’s feet may be considered a sign of a life well lived—since it’s filled with so much smiling—but many people want to smooth them out all the same in order to achieve a more youthful appearance.
BOTOX® can be applied to more areas than just these three. Using the injectable for a cosmetic treatment apart from frown lines, forehead lines, and crow’s feet is known as an “off-label” use. These are commonly performed around the country, with experienced injectors providing treatments to relax bunny lines next to the nose, provide a slimmer-looking jawline, and more.
Ready to learn about what BOTOX® could do for you? Reach out to the injectors at Dermatology Group of Arkansas by sending a message online or calling 501.227.8422.
When Can You First Expect to See the Effects of a BOTOX® Treatment?
How long does it take BOTOX® to work? Our Little Rock-based Dermatology Group of Arkansas team knows that questions like this—“Why are my BOTOX® results taking so long?” and “Why doesn’t BOTOX® work right away?”—are familiar to many people who are considering wrinkle injections.
The primary ingredient in BOTOX is a neurotoxin derived from a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. Used in very small, purified doses, it relaxes facial muscles as a way of making moderate to severe facial wrinkles less noticeable. The injections are very shallow, made just beneath the surface of the skin in the target muscle. One of the main advantages of this procedure is getting fast results. However, the results for this treatment won’t show instantly. The effects will begin after a couple of days, and then the maximum effects are typically seen 10 to 14 days later. Most patients will notice some improvements within around three to four days after their injections, but the timeline for results will vary depending on several factors.
The results for botulinum toxin treatments will show up faster when they are used for finer lines, such as crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes and small forehead lines. The medication may work more slowly on deeper or more etched-in lines, like wrinkles on the forehead or between the eyebrows. The concentration of the product and the way it is injected into the muscle will influence the final results.
The reason for the “wait” is because it takes time for the muscle to absorb the neurotoxin, after which the chemical will stop or weaken the muscle contractions causing the wrinkles. It takes a short while before the protein tells muscles to “shut off” and the chemical acetylcholine is silenced. The area that was treated will soon appear to be smoother and more refreshed.
If at first you don’t think the treatment gave you the results you want, wait for the full 10 to 14 days for it to settle in.
Our Little Rock-based team at Dermatology Group of Arkansas will explain more about how injectable treatments can soften wrinkles—and what to expect in terms of timelines. Call us at 501-227-8422 or 1-800-225-8422 or submit a contact form online and schedule a consultation.
Does Sunscreen Completely Protect You from Harm?
Chances are good that you already know how too much sun exposure can be highly damaging to your skin. This is because it accelerates premature aging while increasing the risk of skin cancer. But is sunscreen the best form of protection? Our Little Rock-based team recommends that patients wear sunscreen during all times of the year—even when it’s cloudy or they’re spending most of their time indoors. However, sunscreen does have its limits.
Sunscreens are ideal for preventing painful sunburns, spots, wrinkles, fine lines, and the breakdown of the skin’s collagen. Just like cleansers and moisturizers, sunscreen is an essential part of a good skin care routine. Sunscreens should be broad-spectrum, meaning that they provide protection against the most dangerous types of ultraviolet radiation, and have an SPF of at least 30.
With this in mind, you should also remember that there’s no type of sunscreen that blocks UV radiation 100 percent. In fact, studies show that sunscreens only block about 55 percent of the free radicals produced by UV rays. Furthermore, your sunscreen won’t provide enough protection if it’s expired, you don’t use enough of it, you miss certain areas on your body, or you don’t apply it frequently enough. Sunscreen also won’t provide unlimited protection against sun exposure.
Instead of solely relying on sunscreen, it should be part of a multifaceted plan to protect your skin against sun exposure. To get the best protection for your skin, you should combine sunscreen with these other measures:
One way of enhancing the effects of your sunscreen is by pairing it with an antioxidant. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s excellent for your skin. Sunscreen and vitamin C work in tandem to boost each other’s effectiveness. Vitamin C also helps to counteract the damage caused by ultraviolet light and unstable molecules called antioxidants. It brightens the skin while reducing fine lines and brown spots. Combining this ingredient with sunscreen will be more effective for sun protection than just using sunscreen on its own.
Furthermore, stay in the shade or under an umbrella if you can, and use physical barriers like hats, sun-protective clothing, and sunglasses.
Get more advice on sun protection from the team at Dermatology Group of Arkansas. Call us at 501-227-8422 or 1-800-225-8422 or submit a contact form online and schedule a consultation if you would like to discuss cosmetic treatments.