How Botox Works: Getting to Know Cosmetic Injections

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How Botox Works: Getting to Know Cosmetic Injections

Isn’t it strange that many people don’t know much about how Botox works beyond the occasional jokes about it in movies and television shows. To start educating you on this beauty treatment method, we’d start by saying it has many applications. It is also used to treat different medical conditions.

While the drug is potentially dangerous if used incorrectly, its ability to cure rather frustrating medical conditions is immense. Apart from being able to cure medical conditions, it’s also an integral treatment in the cosmetic industry. This is one of its most popular uses. 

Strangely, though, the concept of how Botox works is still shrouded in mystery for many people. Even some of those who have gotten Botox treatments in Toronto before seem a tad clueless. Others are just entirely taken aback by the astounding Botox results. 

For these reasons, we’ll be taking you through Botox in its entirety. Among others, you’ll learn what it is in detail, how Botox works, and what to expect during the procedure. 

What is Botox?

Before learning how Botox works, it’s imperative that we first understand what it is. The first shocker you’ll receive in that regard is that Botox is an incredibly dangerous toxin. That’s right! The toxin comes from a bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum. 

Like we said earlier, this toxin is incredibly dangerous, capable of killing millions of people if intended for that reason. But, from it, Botox is extracted and applied to the human body in incredibly small quantities. In these quantities, it can do a lot of good with little to no side effects.

How Do Botox Treatments in Toronto Work?

To understand how Botox works, you need to know that Botox is essentially a neurotoxin. Naturally, it primarily aims at your nervous system. Its sole purpose is to prevent muscle contraction by halting the nerve signalling process that stimulates movement. Essentially, it causes muscle paralysis. Confused? Let’s explain further.

You see, before your muscles contract, your nerves first send out a chemical “messenger”. The name of that messenger is acetylcholine. As a messenger, it travels to the point where the muscle cells meet the nerve endings. The messenger then pairs itself with the muscle cell receptors, stimulating contraction or otherwise. 

So, in a way, you can say that acetylcholine is one of the most important factors for muscle movement. Well, in doing its job, Botox ensures your body cannot produce acetylcholine thereby restricting muscle movement. This is what we mean by the muscle paralysis effect of Botox.

What Are the Cosmetic Uses of Botox? 

Hypothetically, say you get Botox Injections in your forehead, the muscles there will be momentarily paralyzed. As such, your frown lines will begin to disappear. The same goes for other parts of your face, where lines and wrinkles keep popping up. 

To be a bit more specific, people go through the Botox treatment procedure for the following cosmetic reasons:

  • To remove the ugly cobblestone skin that often appears on the chin. 
  • To get rid of the lines that hang around the corners of the mouth. 
  • To reduce the forehead’s horizontal creases. 
  • To eliminate crow’s feet. 
  • To remove glabellar lines from the eyebrows and achieve smoothness.

Botox Treatment Procedure: What To Expect

Having learned how Botox works, if you’d like to get the injection, you should know that you can’t take alcohol a week to the treatment day. Additionally, you can’t take aspirin or any related drug two weeks to the treatment day. 

For cosmetic purposes, Botox is essentially an injection. As such, it should only take a few minutes to complete the procedure. Additionally, you’ll not be needing any anesthesia for this process.

The procedure starts with your medical aesthetician diluting the Botox powder in a saline solution. Then, it’s inserted directly into the neuromuscular tissues in the area of concern through injection. Usually, a cosmetic injector will use a small needle to administer the injection. This way, you don’t feel any discomfort.

After learning how Botox works and getting the injection, you usually will need to wait a few days for it to take effect. Sometimes, you may only need to wait for 24-72 hours. In other cases, you may have to wait between five to seven days. However, this is quite rare. 

Just after you take the injection, your cosmetic injector is likely to tell you to sit upright for four hours. Additionally, you may have to take a quick break from working out and rubbing the Botox injected area.

How To Recognize Botox Treatment Results

The best way to confirm if your Botox treatment has started working is by looking in the mirror. If the Botox is already inducing paralysis in your brows, for example, you’ll notice that the muscles there aren’t as tense as they used to be. As such, the fine lines and wrinkles will begin to disappear into smooth blends of fine skin.

In case you’re wondering what to expect from Botox treatments, you should keep in mind that just one or two weeks after the treatment, you may feel a little different. The injected area may feel just a little heavy or tight. But, this sensation should disappear by or before the end of the second week following your treatment.

How Long Does a Botox Treatment Last?

The effects of Botox usually remain visible for several months after the first treatment. But, the average time is about four to six months. To know if the drug isn’t working anymore, once again, look in the mirror. When Botox starts wearing out, you’ll start to see fine lines reappearing on your face. At this point, it’s time to go for another treatment. 

But, you should keep in mind that as time goes by, you won’t need as many Botox injections anymore. This is because the continuous use of Botox will train the muscles in the affected area to relax and stop contracting involuntarily.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Botox Treatment?

Once you know how Botox works, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem using this cosmetic treatment to improve your appearance. One of the most common benefits is that it removes fine lines and wrinkles effectively. But, outside the obvious benefits, why else should you consider getting Botox treatments in Toronto

The FDA approves it

Not all drugs make it to this level. For a drug to get approved by the FDA and Health Canada, it must’ve undergone a significant number of clinical trials. It also must be safe for human use with little to no side effects that can potentially put your life or health in danger. The fact that Botox is FDA approved is a good thing because it means the procedure is safe.

It is non-invasive

For most cosmetic procedures that offer dramatic results, you’d have to go through surgery. Examples include surgical facelifts and liposuction. But, what makes Botox so great is that there’s no need to cut you open for it to work. Of course, a needle goes under your skin. But, the needle is so tiny that it hardly leaves a mark. Plus, the procedure is over in a few minutes without leaving a surgical wound or scar. 

It requires little to no downtime 

Other cosmetic procedures may leave you feeling incredibly sore. What’s worse is that you’d have to take time off your regular life just to recover. In the case of Botox, you’d still have to follow the directives of your medical aesthetician. But, essentially, you don’t need to stay holed up at a hospital for several days, taking drugs to reduce the pain from surgery wounds.

It offers dramatic results

Unlike some other non-invasive cosmetic treatments, Botox results don’t take long to become apparent. Some treatments can take as many as three months before results become fully visible. This is especially so for procedures that directly aim to improve collagen production in your body. Botox, on the other hand, will have you looking younger and stress-free in less than two weeks. 

The effects are long-lasting 

In addition to offering dramatic results, the effects of Botox can last for several months after your first treatment. Past patients here at Canada MedLaser report that they didn’t have to deal with lines and wrinkles for six months after their treatment. 

What’s more interesting is that your facial muscles will begin learning how to relax as time goes on. That way, even after Botox starts wearing off, they won’t contract and cause wrinkles immediately.

What are The Potential Side Effects of Botox? 

We’ve spent most of our time learning how Botox works and what benefits the drug offers. But, there are a few side effects that come along with it as well. They include:

  • Bruising. This is quite common, especially because the procedure needs an injection to work. But don’t worry, it’ll go away very soon after it appears. 
  • Drooping eyelids. Unlike the first, this one isn’t so common. It usually happens when the Botox moves around, causing other muscles in the face to get paralyzed. Still, it’s not much of a problem. It should be gone in three weeks.
  • Headaches. These are typically not very common among Botox users. If you do get this side effect, though, you should expect to feel better in a few days.
  • Drooling or crooked smile. 
  • Swelling and little amounts of pain at the injection site
  • Dryness in the eyes or excessive production of tears
  • Flu symptoms or a general feeling of being unwell
  • Weakness in muscles close to the injected area
  • Numbness. 
  • Upset stomach.

Keep in mind that most of these side effects are very rare, temporary or both. Botox isn’t likely to cause any major health problems. However, to be on the safe side, you should first speak to your medical aesthetician before getting the treatment. They’ll be in the best position to let you know how your body will react to the drug. Additionally, you must ensure that your Botox provider in Toronto is competent and certified to give you safe Botox injections. 

Who Are Those That Shouldn’t Use Botox?

The line for a Botox procedure can get pretty long sometimes. Typically, there’s not much of a restriction as to who can get the treatment. But, it’s best if certain people avoid the procedure. 

For example, if you’re pregnant, you want to stay away from Botox. The same holds true if you’re breastfeeding a child. Additionally, people with a neurological disease shouldn’t use Botox, and neither should people who are allergic to the protein in cow milk.

Related article: Dermal Fillers Injections Uses, Limitations, Qualifications and Candidate

Does Insurance Cover Botox?

Most insurance companies do not offer cosmetic Botox as a part of their package. This is because it is a cosmetic procedure. It is something you decide to do, not something you have to do. However, you should still confirm with your insurance company. They’ll be in the best position to let you know what they can offer under the circumstances.

What Are The Alternative Uses of Botox?

The conversation about how Botox works goes beyond the drug’s cosmetic applications and finding out how long the effects will last on your face. Botox is also useful for a few other things. Keep reading if you’d like to find out how Botox works outside cosmetic use:

It is useful for brow ptosis 

Brow ptosis is also known as brow. It is a condition where the brow muscles are constantly causing that part of a drooping the face to droop. As such, patients often look tired and unhappy even when they are feeling perfectly fine. In a way, you can say that it’s an involuntary facial expression. 

Now, this condition is sometimes caused by biological factors. As long as the patient exercises and eats healthy, there can be a change. But, more often than not, patients need a level of intervention. This is where Botox comes in. It relaxes the muscles in the area and prevents drooping brows.

It stops hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that forces patients to sweat uncontrollably, excessively, and unpredictably. The worst part is even under cool temperatures, this condition still forces its patients to break out in beads of sweat. It can be very discomforting and embarrassing for most people who’ve had to go through the challenge.

With Botox, it is possible to manage this condition. The drug can help control localized sweating areas. Indeed, patients will have to repeat treatment every couple of months. But, logically speaking, it’s a better idea than developing a skin condition from all that sweat.

It mitigates the pain that comes from migraine

If you want to use Botox to manage your migraine, you must manage your expectations. For starters, you should keep in mind that the drug will not help you cure migraine. Instead, it will help you manage symptoms such as nausea and excessive light sensitivity. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Botox Treatments in Toronto

Here is what you need to know: 

Q1: Is Botox for women only?

No, it isn’t. While reading about how Botox works, it’s possible to get the wrong idea about the procedure being for women only. After all, there are a lot of female models in Botox commercials. But, men can use the procedure too.

Q2: Does Botox make your face look unnatural?

No, it doesn’t. However, this is partly dependent on the expertise of your medical aesthetician. You see, Botox is often administered in doses. If your cosmetic injection provider is qualified, licensed, experienced, and good at their job, they’ll know the right dose to give you. That way, you’ll maintain a smooth and natural face. 

In Conclusion

Learning about how Botox works is one of the most important steps to take before getting the injections. In this article, we’ve given you a breakdown of the procedure and every other piece of information you’ll need. But it’s not enough to read about it. After all, those wrinkles won’t erase themselves.

In the end, you should speak to an expert medical aesthetician before getting Botox treatments. Here at our medical spa in Toronto, we have experienced medical aestheticians who can chart an effective Botox treatment plan for you. Get started by booking a free consultation session today!

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