Let’s be honest.
If Botox were a pill, the product would be flying off the shelves because which human being on this planet does not want to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles that mar and age the face?
But because it’s an injection administered in a plastic surgeon’s clinic, all sorts of red flags go up in people’s minds, and they wait weeks, months, even years weighing the pros and cons before requesting a consultation.
The fact is this: annual sales of Botox are over 2.8 billion dollars because the smoothing and tightening effects of the botulinum neurotoxin (Botox) is a well-proven fact that needs no further corroboration.
You already know it because you’re on the brink of making a final decision on getting a Botox treatment yourself, so we’re going to give you 4 important pieces of information that may help you make an informed choice in the near future:
# 1: Age Does Not Matter
It’s a common misconception that Botox is an anti-aging fix meant for `older’ women.
This is not true.
All human beings age differently. They come from different gene pools, have different lifestyles and live in different environments. Their bodies, face and skin show these differences, so it’s impossible to put everyone in neat, airtight compartments when it comes to any treatment in life. Botox included.
If you’re self-conscious about lines beginning to develop anywhere on your face, you’re a candidate, even if you’re still in your late 20s or early 30s.
It’s called `preventive’ Botox.
Ask any plastic surgeon, and they’ll tell you that treating resting wrinkles (folds that don’t resolve naturally when you stop laughing, smiling or making any other facial expressions) early can arrest the damages from progressing.
“With precise placement of Botox injections, facial muscles can be `retrained’ to pull in opposite directions and not keep coming together to form wrinkles that will only deepen over time,” explains Dr. Bryan McIntosh.
So if you’re seeing the beginnings of lines on the forehead or around the mouth, eyes or nose, don’t let age deter you. More and more women in their late-20s and early-30s are opting for preventive Botox.
The product is FDA-approved for 18 years and older. For a good reason!
# 2: Dosage Will Be Different
This is another thing people get caught up with when budgeting for a Botox procedure. They assume someone else’s Botox treatment and result will be identical to their own.
It doesn’t work that way because every face is different. The problem areas, strength and size of muscles, metabolism, genetics and the amount of existing damage all vary. A larger face will require more units of Botox than a smaller one. Men always require more units than women. And so on.
By insisting on fewer units of Botox, all you’re doing is your tying your practitioner’s hands, and not letting him/her do the best job for you.
It’s prudent to have some financial flexibility before your treatment. An experienced plastic surgeon will analyze your face and suggest only as much as you need to get the results you are looking for.
# 3: The Results Are Not Instantaneous
This is something you should remember if you’re getting a Botox done right before a major event in your life.
There will be some redness and minor bruising after the treatment, which will of course fade. But the initial results won’t be visible right away because the Botulinum neurotoxin needs time to settle.
You should expect to see results between 3-7 days and the full impact of the treatment will be visible in two weeks. Rarely after two weeks a touch-up treatment is needed.
So schedule your treatment keeping this timeline in mind, if you’re preparing to participate in a special event.
# 4: Botox May Help Relieve Depression
Didn’t expect this one, did you?
But early testing, using a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial design, has shown that Botox can relieve symptoms of depression.
Habitual facial expressions transmit information to the brain, which in turn regulates mood. It’s not hard to see why not frowning, for example, can lull the brain into thinking that all is well, thereby improving mood and balancing your state of mind.
So if you suffer from social anxiety, depression or any other kind of mood disorder, you might experience an unexpected emotional boost from your Botox treatment.
And if you don’t?
Oh, well, you’re looking great anyway!