Highgate Dental Practice
beauty-and-aesthetics-banner-1
 

How Botox works

Botox works by relaxing the muscles on the face that cause wrinkles. When we express ourselves, such as talking and smiling we constantly use our facial muscles, resulting in lines and wrinkles to develop on the face. Over the years these lines and wrinkles can become deeper and more prominent. This is especially the case in people who are very expressive when they talk, who may frown at times of stress or squint to avoid the sun.

When Botox is injected into the face, the skin overlying the muscle appears smoother giving a more youthful appearance. The commonest areas where wrinkles are formed are in the frown area, on the forehead and the crow’s feet.

Botox is not a permanent treatment and its effects wear off with time. The treatment can be repeated every 3 months although sometimes the effects can last longer in those people who have regular treatment. This is because with regular Botox treatments you can break the unconscious habit of forming excessive expressions such as frowning. Botox treatments are also used as a preventative treatment to prevent the formation of future wrinkles.

The doctor can tailor the strength of the treatments to your needs so you can retain some movement of the facial muscles, so called “Mini Botox”.

Before the injections are given the skin is cleaned with an antiseptic. The treatment itself is quick and painless. Botox is injected with a tiny needle which feels like a very small pin prick. Pain relief is not required, however if requested a numbing cream can be applied before the procedure.

The whole treatment takes around 5 to 10 minutes to complete and after the treatment you can drive or head back to work immediately, no recovery period is needed. It is an extremely safe procedure with very few risks involved. It can take between 4 to 7 days for the treatment to work and the effects last for an average of 3 months.