What Is Botox And What Can It Do For You?

Botox is actually a brand name given to the neurotoxin Clostridium Botulinum responsible for temporarily paralyzing muscles. Dysport is another brand name for the same neurotoxin.

If you have wrinkles or fine lines that worsen with expression, Botox or Dysport can work to diminish those. Even if you don’t have wrinkles yet and you’re looking to prevent them from ever forming, Botox or Dysport can be used to prevent wrinkles from ever forming.

Botox or Dysport works by temporarily paralyzing the muscles that cause these wrinkles. For example, the wrinkles that appear on your forehead when you raise your eyebrows are caused by the contraction of the muscles used to raise your eyebrows. Similarly, there are muscles that cause the wrinkles to form between your eyebrows when you make an “angry” face or along the sides of your eyes when you smile.

By injecting a small amount of Botox or Dysport into these wrinkle-causing muscles, we can weaken the muscles and thus soften the wrinkles that occur with expression.

Over time, the more these muscles are used, the deeper the wrinkles become and eventually will be apparent even without muscle contraction; they will essentially become permanent. For example, those lines around the eyes or the “11s” that some people have between the eyebrows even without smiling or making an angry face. In order to prevent those from occurring altogether, it is beneficial to start Botox or Dysport injections in your 30s or even 20s.

How Much Botox Do I Need & How Often?

Since only a very tiny amount of Botox is used, the muscles are only weakened and not completely paralyzed. If you are unable to make any expression or have a “frozen face” look, this means too much Botox has been used.

Ideally, you should be able to make expressions with your face and not have any wrinkles appear. However, the effect of Botox is temporary and will usually last around 3-4 months at which time you would need to repeat the injection.

The forehead is where most men and women see fine lines and wrinkles as they age whereas the crow’s feet are often the first lines we notice as we age. Other ways Botox can be used are for a brow lift, especially for those that have a hooded or low set brow, jawline contouring, enhancing the lip pout, teeth grinding, face slimming, migraines and excessive sweating.

Be sure to ask a qualified physician at your consultation to see how Botox or Dysport can be best used for you.