Having a good skincare routine, eating a healthy diet, and ensuring that you get proper sleep can all slow down some of the signs of aging, such as lines and wrinkles, but we can’t stop time. Although our bodies will inevitably age, Botox therapy can be an effective intervention by reducing the appearance of lines and flattening wrinkles. Here at Bentley Skincare & Wellness & Wellness in Springfield, MO, we’ve treated many age-related issues with great success, and our patients vary widely in age from young to old.
With zero downtime, no recovery period, and a therapy process that takes minutes, the benefits of this treatment are obvious and extend well beyond the skin’s surface. Revitalizing your appearance can improve many facets of life, from social interactions with others to rebuilding self-confidence. So if you’re curious about whether this treatment can help you, here’s an overview of how it works and why it can be effective at any age.
What’s the Best Age for Getting Botox?
While Botox can be an effective treatment for lines and wrinkles at virtually any age, there are some additional benefits in starting regularly scheduled therapy sessions before the signs of aging first appear. This medication can prevent some lines and wrinkles from forming while also preventing the worsening of some of those that may already be present.
For this reason, many of our patients opt to start treatments earlier in life as a way of maintaining their youthful looks. However, even those who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s can still take advantage of the preventative benefits of this therapy, as new lines and wrinkles can occur at any age.
How Does Botox Work?
Botox is the brand name for Botulinum toxin type A, a neurotoxin that can block nerve impulses and relax muscles. It’s a safe and effective form of therapy that’s used in the treatment of lines and wrinkles on the face, as well as many other medical conditions. Once it relaxes the muscles beneath the skin, the skin itself is then able to relax, which can temporarily eliminate or reduce the signs of aging in treated areas.
What Types of Issues Can It Treat?
Expression lines, which are the lines that appear when you make facial expressions, are the type of lines most responsive to Botox, though other types may also respond well in some cases. The following are different types of expression lines that are regularly treated with this therapy:
Crow’s Feet
Periorbital lines, also known as crow’s feet, are the lines that branch out from the outer areas of the eyes when smiling, though they can become static and remain visible even when you’re not smiling.
Frown Lines
Vertical-running lines found just above the nose are called glabellar lines, but most people simply know them as frown lines, and they often respond very well to this therapy.
Forehead Lines
Wide lines that run parallel to each other in a horizontal pattern across the forehead are called stress lines, and they are among the most common types of lines that we treat.
Bunny Lines
When scrunching your face, you may notice diagonal or vertical lines on the bridge of your nose. These are known as bunny lines and they can be quite common after the age of 40.
Lipstick Lines
Perioral lines, which are also called lipstick lines because they appear just above the lips, are vertical lines that first appear when puckering the lips but gradually become more obvious as a person gets older.
Marionette Lines
The vertical lines that descend downwards on both sides of the mouth are called marionette lines or melomental folds, and while some of our other treatments may be more appropriate for this condition, Botox can help in some cases.
Cobblestone Chin
A bumpy appearance around the chin area is most often a condition known as cobblestone chin, which can become more exaggerated and noticeable with certain facial expressions.
What Happens During Treatment?
After arriving for your appointment, we’ll get started with your therapy session by disinfecting the skin in the areas where you’ll be treated. We’ll then inject the Botox solution, making multiple injections in these areas with a tiny needle that shouldn’t produce any pain. You can expect your therapy session to take no more than twenty minutes, and our patients are often surprised by how quick and easy the entire process is.
How Quickly Does It Work?
After your therapy session, it may take a few days or up to a week before your facial muscles begin to relax. The full effects of this treatment may take up to two weeks to be seen, at which point lines and wrinkles in the treated areas should be considerably less visible than before.
During this time, it’s important that you remain healthy, eat a balanced diet, ensure that you’re drinking at least eight glasses of water per day, and avoid excessive heat and sunlight. All these things can have an effect on the medication and how well your muscles respond to it.
How Long Do the Effects Last?
The effects of this treatment will normally last anywhere between three to five months for most patients, though it’s not unusual to notice the results lasting as long as seven months. Those who have experienced longer-lasting effects have normally returned for regular treatments every three to four months for many years.
After a few years, the facial muscles can become retrained by this therapy where they learn to relax normally after facial expressions instead of remaining tense. Also, this therapy can boost collagen levels in the skin, which can have residual effects over time on the texture of the skin and how quickly it bounces back to its normal state after the facial muscles have relaxed.
What Makes the Effects Last Longer?
Aside from receiving regularly scheduled treatments that can eventually lead to longer-lasting effects, the following are some of the other factors that can play a role in how long the effects last:
Stop Smoking
Smoking cigarettes or consuming tobacco can have negative effects on your skin and can weaken the effects of this treatment. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can deprive the skin of nutrients and oxygen by narrowing blood vessels.
Avoid Stress
Your skin needs collagen to look healthy and to recover back to a smooth state after facial expressions, but stress can deplete collagen in the body, which not only leads to more lines and wrinkles but also makes it harder for this medication to work effectively.
Avoid Sunlight
While vitamin D is extremely important to skin health, and sunlight helps stimulate vitamin D production, too much sun exposure can have negative effects on our skin. UVA rays from the sun can damage your skin, which can affect how long this medication lasts and how effective it is.
Eat a Good Diet
Our skin needs vitamins, minerals, and plenty of fluids every day to maintain a healthy appearance, which can affect the potency of this medication and the duration of its effects. There’s strong evidence that zinc can play a role in how long this treatment lasts, so it’s important to ensure you’re eating healthy and including zinc and all other essential nutrients in your diet.
Slower Metabolism
Your metabolism is a major factor in how long this medication will last within your system because your body eventually breaks it down and removes it from the treated areas. Those who have high metabolisms may notice the effects wearing off sooner than those who don’t.
What Makes Botox a Safe Treatment?
This therapy has been shown to be much safer than alternative treatments and surgeries for many different reasons. Its temporary effects and minimally invasive nature are some of its most obvious advantages, as well as the fact that microneedles are used, so there’s virtually no pain or downtime after each treatment session.
It’s also performed here in our clinic by a skilled and well-trained professional with experience in administering injectables, and the injections can be specifically targeted, so nearby muscles and structures remain untouched while only the intended muscles receive treatment.
Schedule With Us Today
Botox therapy has proven its effectiveness in the treatment of expression lines and wrinkles and has given many of our patients both renewed confidence and healthier-looking skin. To see what this treatment can do for you, contact us at Bentley Skincare & Wellness & Wellness in Springfield, MO today. After scheduling your initial consultation, we can assess your skin and come up with a treatment plan that will help you achieve your skincare goals.