Botox, eternal youth within reach?
While anti-aging treatments help maintain your skin’s youthful appearance, injections of hyaluronic acid or botulinum toxin and other chemical peels offer effective solutions to combat those first wrinkles. Better known as Botox, botulinum toxin may turn out to be the answer in the quest for eternal youth. Doctor Jean-Baptiste Danvin reveals all.
What exactly is botulinum toxin
Botox comes from botulinum toxin which is naturally synthesized by a bacteria. It is in fact a strong poison, but used in small doses is perfectly harmless. The toxin is ideal for relaxing facial muscles. When injected using micro-needles into the muscles just under the skin, it blocks the transmission of the nerve impulses that contract the muscles that can subsequently relax and that are responsible for the appearance of wrinkles.
The results are visible within 2 to 5 days. The treatment lasts somewhere between 4 and 6 months according to each patient. Another treatment can then be performed if requested. Regular injections protect the epidermis, the most superficial layer of the skin and therefore the appearance of wrinkles.
The objective? The temporary correction of three types of wrinkles:
– Horizontal lines on the forehead due to muscle movement.
– Vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows (glabellar frown lines).
– Eye contour ‘crow fee’ wrinkles.
When should you begin the injections ?
Injections of toxin are a medical procedure and your doctor must ensure you are a suitable candidate to receive the them (not pregnant, no blood clotting or neuro-muscular problems…). How the skin deteriorates depends on many external factors and may be emphasized by smoking or excessive exposure to the sun. Botulinum toxin is most commonly presented as a solution to patients aged 30-35 and over.
A guarantee of eternal youthfulness?
Wrinkles are part and parcel of your facial expression and personality, it would be wrong to want to eradicate them at all costs. The most important is to maintain a harmonious and natural appearance thanks to regular and well-spaced treatments. Rule number one is moderation to avoid an impression of facial paralysis.
