How Does Botox Work?

Whenever you smile, frown, sneeze, yawn, or make a facial expression it engages your facial muscles which allows them to contract. This causes the overlying facial skin to form wrinkles and lines (dynamic wrinkles). Over time, due to repeated facial muscle use, these lines become more prominent, giving the face a heavily aged appearance. As the skin loses strength and elasticity, many of these wrinkles can become permanent even when the facial muscles are at rest (static wrinkles).

Botox is an injectable product that contains a purified form of a protein called botulinum toxin type A that works as a neuromodulator. When injected into the facial muscles, Botox is able to stop the nerves from sending signals to the facial muscles which prevents them from contracting and causing the skin to wrinkle and crease.

Dynamic Wrinkles Vs. Static Wrinkles

There are two main types of wrinkles: static wrinkles and dynamic wrinkles.

Dynamic Wrinkles
Dynamic wrinkles are the ones you see form on the skin when you smile, squint, frown, yawn, or make any sort of facial movement. Dynamic wrinkles form because the underlying muscles stretch and contract and cause the skin to stretch. When we are younger, the collagen and elastin in our skin keep the skin tight, strong, and smooth even after being stretched. Over time, the skin is unable to maintain its elasticity and dynamic wrinkles become more prominent. This is why skin treatments like IPL and Morpheus are important along side Botox.

Static Wrinkles
Static wrinkles are the ones that you see on the face even when the muscles are at rest. As the skin is repeatedly contracted and stretched out and loses its strength and elasticity, these wrinkles become a permanent part of the face. Over times due to repeated facial muscle use, dynamic wrinkles can become static wrinkles.

Botox Before & After

The Benefits of Botox

Botox is an FDA-approved product (for some indications) that is able to prevent dynamic wrinkles from forming so that your skin remains smooth while you smile or make other facial expressions. This will also help to prevent static wrinkles from forming as the skin is not stretched out and creased as much over long periods of time.

Botox can be used to effectively treat wrinkles and lines that form all around the face. This includes sensitive and delicate areas such as around the corners of the eyes and mouth. Botox can safely be used to treat:

• Forehead wrinkles
• Frown lines (brow furrows)
• Crow’s feet
• Bunny lines around the nose
• Gummy smile
• Smile lines
• Masseter (jaw slimming) and TMJ
• Chin wrinkles also called Orange pill
• Nefertiti and neck lines
• And, many other areas. Botox can decrease sweating, improve headaches, stop tooth clenching, and more.

Other Uses for Botox®

Botox has a variety of non-cosmetic uses. Botox is a popular and effective treatment for excessive underarm sweating (hyperhidrosis). When Botox is injected into the area underneath the arms it prevents the nerves from triggering the sweat glands in the area which reduces the amount of sweat produced. Botox can also be used to treat issues such as migraines and teeth grinding. While some uses of Botox are FDA approved, others are “off label”. Your doctor can tell you their experience with each application.

What to Expect from Your Boston Botox Treatment

Botox injections are performed in-office at The Spiegel Center in Newton near Boston. The injection process only takes around 30 minutes to perform. While Botox injections produce little-to-no discomfort, a topical anesthetic can be applied to provide additional comfort. The face will also be cleansed and the areas where the injections will be made may be marked.

Botox is a non-surgical and minimally invasive treatment. Little to no downtime is required following your Botox treatment in Boston and most patients are able to resume their normal activities right away. There may be a small amount of redness as well as some light swelling or a small bruise around the injection sites.

Botox Results

It can take several days before you begin to see the results of your Botox treatment. After three to five days, the muscles should begin to weaken. More dramatic results should be visible after 10 days or so. Botox is often able to provide results that last for around three months or more. Routine Botox injections can be performed in order to maintain your results. Botox is one brand of botulinum neuromodulator that may be used. Others include Xeomin ™, Dysport ™, and Jeuveau ™.

Botox Cost

Each patient is unique and will have different areas of the face they want to address. The cost of your Botox treatment in Boston will be based on the amount of Botox needed to reach your desired aesthetic results. Price can be determined during your consultation at The Spiegel Center, where your Botox treatment is curated to achieve your aesthetic goal, rather than “By the unit”.