Botulinum toxin - a beauty injection that prolongs youth

Unfortunately, there is still no youth elixir that would completely eliminate the aging process. But you can still prolong the youth of your skin. The beauty industry offers many anti-aging treatments, among which botulinum toxin injections are extremely popular. This is a drug that quickly and with minimal side effects eliminates facial wrinkles on the forehead, in the corners of the eyes, between the eyebrows. How does he work? Who suits? Are there contraindications? All these questions will be answered by estet-portal.com.

Where did the newfangled rejuvenation technique come from

Initially, botulinum toxin was not used for cosmetic purposes. It was first used to treat the eyes. How can this be? After all, it is, in its essence, the most powerful natural poison that causes severe poisoning (botulism), which often ends in death. But, in the 1950s, scientists discovered that if it was properly purified and diluted, it was not harmful to health. It even makes a remedy that can be used for medicinal purposes, as it perfectly relaxes muscle spasms.

So, in the 70s of the last century, Alan Scott (an American ophthalmologist) tested a medicine based on this toxin on his patients suffering from involuntary eye closing. And after a while, the patients were on the mend. Other doctors liked this idea so much that they began to use it for the treatment of strabismus, and later in cosmetology itself.

During one of the procedures, doctors discovered a rather interesting side effect: wrinkles completely disappeared at the injection sites. The patient, in addition to getting rid of the spasm, received the effect of rejuvenation. His face looked relaxed and friendly. This case was the impetus for the use of this method in cosmetology.

After the approval of the use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes, its popularity quickly spread around the world. And today, beauty injections are made in many beauty salons.

The nature of wrinkles and how botulinum toxin works

There are several types of wrinkles. Some occur as a result of natural age-related changes, when collagen begins to break down, as well as damage accumulated as a result of exposure to ultraviolet rays, poor ecology and other factors.

Other wrinkles are independent of age. They occur in those areas where facial expressions are very mobile. This is the forehead, bridge of the nose, skin around the eyes and mouth. That is why they are called mimics. The mechanism of their appearance is as follows: while we smile, frown, or wince, the nerve endings located in the muscle tissue of the skin give the muscles a signal to contract. The shortened muscle gathers the skin into small folds, and when relaxed, returns the dermis to its original position. With age, this muscle load becomes more and more difficult for the skin, so the folds are not always smoothed out.

Botulinum toxin, being a complex protein, makes the muscles less susceptible to nerve impulses. Without receiving a command from them, they do not shrink. Thus, being in a relaxed state, the folds are smoothed out, and new ones do not appear.

It is worth noting that the purpose of such a procedure – relieve increased muscle tone without disturbing facial expressions. That is, it does not provide for the immobilization of the whole muscle, but only parts of the fibers that are responsible for the formation of wrinkles. This effect lasts up to 4 months, after which the drug leaves the dermis without a trace, the muscles become active again, and the folds return. Therefore, beauty injections must be repeated periodically.

Who is suitable for botulinum toxin injections, and for whom – no

Botulinum toxin is commonly used as an injection. Such injections are suitable for those over 30. It makes no sense to start doing them earlier. After all, young skin is quite elastic and mimic wrinkles are smoothed out by themselves. Cosmetologists recommend doing such a rejuvenating procedure for the following problems:
•    "crow's feet";
•    horizontal forehead wrinkles;
•    wrinkles between the eyebrows;
•    creases above the upper lip;
•    wrinkles at the corners of the mouth.

You should also not resort to beauty injections during menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, while taking antibiotics. If these contraindications are neglected, rejuvenation with injections can result in adverse reactions in the form of asymmetry of the facial muscles, paralysis of the eye muscles, abnormal articulation or increased salivation. The same effects are observed if the dosage of the active substance is incorrectly calculated.

How does the anti-aging injection procedure work

First, you need to prepare for the upcoming manipulations. For a few days, you should stop using antibiotics and drugs that have a bad effect on blood clotting. The same applies to alcoholic beverages. And on the day of manipulation, you should not do physical exercises and resort to hard physical labor.

Before, the cosmetologist examines the face, determines the places where mimic wrinkles have accumulated the most and marks the points where the procedure needs to be performed. Also, the specialist calculates the correct dosage of the drug.

Entrust your face only to a trusted specialist. Surrendering to the hands of an incompetent cosmetologist, you can get an overdose of the drug or get infections.

Before the procedure, the patient must remove makeup, cleanse the face and put on a special cap, under which he will hide his hair. The skin of the face is treated with an antiseptic. Botulinum toxin itself is injected deep into the dermis with a thin needle. This process is practically painless. In some cases, it may feel like a mosquito bite. Therefore, the specialist recommends applying an anesthetic cream before injections. The procedure itself is short-lived – at most 30 minutes. After all the manipulations, the face is treated with an antiseptic and coolants. The desired effect does not occur immediately, but somewhere 3-6 days after the session.

How to take care of your skin after the procedure

Injections – it's not an operation. After them, you can immediately return to normal life. But since the injections leave behind small wounds, careful care is needed for the face. Immediately after the procedure, you need to take a walk in the fresh air, and not go to bed. And it is desirable to limit facial movements. Also, in the first few days, it is recommended to apply cold compresses to the treated areas. By doing this regularly, you will avoid problems such as swelling and redness.

In order for the healing to be successful, do not forget about the following restrictions:
•    do not take medicines that interfere with normal blood clotting;
•    do not touch your face with your hands, especially with dirty ones;
•    do not drink alcohol;
•    keep your head down;
•    do not engage in sports and heavy physical labor;
•    do not go to the sauna, bath, solarium and other places where you can overheat.

Entrusting your face to an experienced cosmetologist, as well as properly caring for your skin after injections, your face will be pleasantly transformed. Instead of mimic wrinkles in the mirror, you will see smooth, rejuvenated and beautiful skin.