No matter how many new techniques and technologies are offered by cosmetology clinics and salons, the so-called "beauty injections", or botulinum toxin (IB) injections, remain very popular. About what questions patients often ask about these injections, what they fear, what effects they expect from injections, and how you can avoid unpleasant side effects from these procedures, estet-portal.com learned from a practicing cosmetologist.
Ksenia Krentsiv, cosmetologist BEAUTY SALON "SOFIYSKIY"
For what indications can a cosmetologist recommend IB to a patient?
Botulinum toxin injections are recommended for patients to eliminate muscle spasm and correct signs of aging. The owners of live facial expressions, mimic wrinkles form early on the face - above the bridge of the nose, around the eyes, nasolabial folds. The formation and location of wrinkles are purely individual for each. After 50 years, the rejuvenating effect of botulinum toxin injections is quite insignificant, in this case, surgical lifting can be recommended, and additional injections of botulinum toxin will help to maintain the result longer.
Does it happen that patients themselves ask for IB? What do they want to correct with this?
Yes, this also happens - when the patient has undergone anti-aging procedures, the skin structure has become elastic, the complexion is bright, and mimic wrinkles have remained the same. And then botulinum toxin injections work wonders: they partially block the transmission of nerve impulses from the central nervous system along the nerve fiber to a certain area of the face, and muscle contraction does not occur. After a certain time, the spasm disappears and the habit of acquired facial expressions – e.g. frown.
What kind of questions do they ask?
What effect will the drug have on the body, its safety? What will happen to the face after the injection of botulinum toxin, how will the face look after the procedure? How long will the effect last and how many times and after what period of time can the procedure be repeated? At what age is it better to start botulinum toxin injections?
At what age can botulinum toxin preparations be used?
As such, there are no age restrictions, because such drugs are used not only to eliminate signs of aging and correct active facial expressions, but also in the treatment of hyperhidrosis, persistent headache, are used in proctology, ophthalmology, in the treatment of cerebral palsy and in many other branches of medicine, if there are relevant indications.
How quickly can a patient see results after botulinum toxin injections and how long does it last? What course is usually recommended to maintain the result?
The most pleasant thing is that the patient is getting younger right before our eyes, while taking into account the individual characteristics of the body. The maximum effect occurs within 2 weeks and lasts up to 9 months. To maintain the result, I recommend repeating the injection. Mobile muscles are partially restored after 4 months. Full recovery of muscle function occurs after 5-8 months. To achieve a stable and long-lasting effect, I recommend administering the drug 2-3 times a year.
What cosmetic procedures can be combined with botulinum toxin injections? Which ones are undesirable and why?
The introduction of botulinum toxin preparations can be combined with procedures aimed at moisturizing, regenerating and rejuvenating the skin - these are masks, creams, serums. I recommend limiting thermal procedures and intensive facial massage techniques, it is also undesirable to do warming masks, because in this case the drug is excreted from the body faster and its period of action is reduced.
What can really fix IB and in what cases (even if the patient really wants it) is the drug powerless?
There are certain indications for the administration of botulinum toxin preparations, including mimic wrinkles and some signs of aging: horizontal wrinkles in the forehead and vertical wrinkles between the eyebrows, "rabbit wrinkles", "crow's feet" near the outer corner of the eye, pronounced nasolabial folds , wrinkles on the neck.
Botulinum toxin preparations are not very effective where irreversible aging processes appear in aged patients (after 60 years), a rejuvenating effect is unlikely to be obtained. In addition, there are areas on the face - the area around the mouth, cheeks and chin - where botulinum toxin injections are ineffective, and it is more expedient to use biopolymer gels to even out the relief and eliminate wrinkles.
Are there any contraindications to IB and which ones?
The procedure for administering botulinum toxin preparations has a number of contraindications:
- pregnancy and lactation period,
- increased body temperature,
- herpetic rash on the lips,
- menstruation,
- any inflammatory process in the body,
- skin injury at the site of the procedure,
- use of antibiotics, anticoagulants, hormonal agents,
- individual intolerance to the components of the drug,
- myasthenia gravis, hemophilia, chronic and acute diseases of the liver and lungs,
- rehabilitation period after any other operation.
Is there any special preliminary preparation required for the procedure of botulinum toxin administration?
Having made a decision to prescribe botulinum toxin injections, the doctor must prescribe a general medical examination, ask the patient in detail about her well-being and recent diseases, and collect a detailed medical history. A few days before the procedure, the patient should be advised to refrain from physical activity: this is due to the fact that increased blood circulation in the facial area can cause uneven distribution of the drug. On the eve of the procedure, you should refrain from alcohol and spicy food.
What rules of conduct should be recommended to the patient after botulinum toxin injections?
It is undesirable to visit saunas, solariums, you should not stay in direct sunlight for a long time, you should refrain from intense facial massages and warming masks. But useful measures after injections of botulinum toxin will be supportive procedures for facial skin, aimed at moisturizing and restoring the skin.
Are there any possible complications after botulinum toxin injections?
I will immediately note that the side effects after injections of botulinum toxin are reversible. And yet, with some overdose or if the needle gets into the wrong muscle, the drug can cause complications: for example, spasm of the eyelids, lowering of the eyebrow, impaired mobility of the upper lip, local subcutaneous hemorrhages - bruises. The danger of botulinum toxin poisoning, which some patients worry about, is practically absent, because the toxic effect can only manifest itself when an amount of the drug is administered that is hundreds of times higher than the standard therapeutic and cosmetic doses.
However, individual intolerance to the components of the drug – in the form of swelling and an allergic reaction, but this, unfortunately, is very difficult to foresee in advance. Although, as practice shows, a thorough survey of the patient before the procedure can help in identifying probable intolerance. As a positive side effect of botulinum toxin injections, there is often a decrease in the fat content of the skin in the forehead area, the disappearance of headaches.
What specific sensations (considered normal) can a patient experience after botulinum toxin injections and for how long?
The category of moderate and transient effects after botulinum toxin injections includes pain at the injection site, slight headache, bruising, swelling, which disappear within a few hours (and up to several days) after the procedure.
For patients seeking to achieve perfect smoothness of the face with the help of "beauty injections", I always recommend keeping natural: sometimes it's worth leaving the "zest" characteristic only for you – perhaps small wrinkles that give the face a unique charm.
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