But what if you’d like to leave your crow’s feet and frown lines off the guest list?
We can help you do exactly that with a Botox session at AesthetiSpa. Since we just finished the dishes from Thanksgiving, now is the time to schedule your Botox session to be ready for all of your upcoming parties.
What is Botox?
You would have had to be stranded on the Island of Misfit Toys for the past 19 years to not have at least heard of Botox — it is one of the most famous brand names in the world. The FDA approved Botox in 2002 to address wrinkles and lines on the upper third of the face.
Botox is made of the botulinum toxin type A. This is the same bacterium responsible for botulism in humans. Yes, that sounds scary, and was the initial reason people were very leery of Botox. But there’s nothing to worry about, because in minute doses the botulinum toxin only temporarily paralyzes the muscle it is directly injected into. This serves to stop the muscle from contracting. This is how Botox does its work on facial wrinkles, by paralyzing the muscles.
How does Botox work?
To most people a wrinkle is a wrinkle. But there are actually two types of wrinkles — static and dynamic. Static wrinkles are there all the time for the world to see. They are usually the result of sun damage and a loss of collagen in the skin as we age.
Dynamic wrinkles are different; they are formed by repeated muscle contractions under the skin. When we do routine things like smile or frown or squint, it requires muscle contractions. Over time wrinkles form on the skin surface from these behaviors. Dynamic wrinkles form on the upper third of the face as crow’s feet, frown lines (the 11s), and forehead lines.
Botox is king of the dynamic wrinkle. When injected by our AesthetiSpa team into the muscles causing, let’s say, lines on your forehead, Botox paralyzes those muscles. It does this by simply blocking the signals from the nerve to the brain telling the muscle to contract. Without the message, the brain doesn’t initiate the muscle contraction. And without the contraction, the wrinkle on the surface either doesn’t appear or is dramatically less visible.
The muscle stays paralyzed for about four months in most patients. At that point the muscle will again begin to contract, and the wrinkle will reappear. But you can keep your results by simply having another Botox session. Plus, over time, the muscles injected learn to be a little more relaxed and tend need less Botox and to not form wrinkles that are as dramatic.
It takes about four days for Botox to fully relax the injected muscles, so plan for that when scheduling your session before your upcoming parties. A Botox session takes just 15 minutes or so. Call us at 843-849-9925 to schedule your session.