In the human question to keep our skin looking as good as it can for as long as possible, there are a lot of thighs that we’re willing to do. Some people have intensive skincare routines, some people use Botox, some people get other types of surgeries, some people do all of the above, and some people just won the genetic lottery.
For those of us that weren’t lucky enough to have skin that can last a while, we need to look into some other options. Fortunately, there are treatments available to us.
If you’re been considering getting some kind of injectable treatment, you probably want to learn as much as you possibly can about it. We’ve gone ahead and done a bit of research so you can understand exactly what this exciting injectable can do for you.
Without any further ado, let’s dive into some very interesting information about this small procedure called Botox.
Table of Contents
What Exactly is Botox?
If you’re new to the world of injectable skincare products, you may or may not be a little confused as to what this one is. To put it simply, it’s extracted from a bacteria that is found in a number of things.
Soils, trees, plants, water, and even the intestinal tracts of animals. This chemical compound is called Botulinum Toxin. This is actually one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances on the planet earth.
The bacterium that Botulinum Toxin is extracted from is called Clostridium botulinum, which is a spore-creating bacterium. Botulinum Toxin is a neurotoxin that can have some pretty serious side effects in some rare cases.
You may be wondering to yourself “if Botulinum Toxin is such a potent neurotoxin, why do people use it?” Well, there are a lot of reasons why we use it for skincare. It’s known as a miracle poison because it has so many benefits for usage on the skin.
In fact, Botulinum Toxin is generally regarded as safe if it’s used properly. The most important thing is to go to a plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Generally, you want someone who knows what they’re doing. The only time it’s particularly dangerous is if the treatment isn’t prepared or given properly.
So, just make sure you go to someone that’s trustworthy and experienced. This isn’t a treatment that you want to be done by anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
How Does the Treatment Work
Now that we understand exactly what Botulinum Toxin is, let’s look at really how magnificent it is for the skincare community. The treatment does a lot, if it didn’t it wouldn’t have earned the title “miracle poison.”
Let’s start off by looking at what exactly the treatment does to your body and then we can go over the benefits. Here’s what the whole process looks like
- The Botulinum is injected into the area where the client wants it, typically the forehead or around the eyes
- The Botulinum enters the muscle and the complicated chemical reactions take place after a few seconds
- Your muscles will be unable to move.
- After some time the paralysis will begin to wear off, but it may still be difficult to move your face too much.
- After about 3-6 months the treatment will fully wear off.
Most of the time the whole appointment will last only a few minutes. The majority of people say that they spend more time in the waiting room than they do getting the procedure done. That means you don’t have to worry too much about planning your whole day around it.
But what exactly does this procedure do? Why is having a small amount of one of the deadliest neurotoxins in the world injected into your muscles a good thing? The results, most people think, are actually pretty incredible. Let’s take a look:
- Relaxes and relieves wrinkles in the area.
- Helps prevent new wrinkles from forming
- Stop migraines
- Prevent excess sweating
- Help with bladder control
- Combat uncontrollable sneezing
- Help with joint support
- Correct crossed eyes
- Reduce or even relieve muscle tension
Of course, a lot of these benefits wouldn’t come from injecting it into your forehead. You would need to discuss the best course of action with your doctor to make sure that you’re getting the best treatment possible for your condition, whether this treatment or another would be right for you.
This can be one of the best treatments out there, but it is good to make sure that it’s going to be right for you. There are other options available if you don’t feel like this treatment would be a good fit, and it’s definitely worth looking into so you’re happy with whatever you end up doing.
How to Prepare for This Treatment
Most treatments require some sort of preparation. A lot of lab tests require for you to fast for up to 24 hours, weight loss surgeries typically require some sort of diet leading up to the surgery, the list goes on. Knowing how to prepare for your treatment is going to be important.
- Avoid red wine for a full week, seven days, before your appointment. Red wine can cause facial bruising that can make the treatment less effective.
- Don’t take any anti-inflammatory medications for up to a week before your appointment. They can cause discoloration and bruising that could hurt the outcome of the procedure
- If you have to take anti-inflammatory medications for a medical reason make sure to bring that with the doctor doing the procedure.
- Abstain from eating garlic for the week leading up to your procedure. Garlic, while delicious, can increase the risk of bruising during recovery.
- Consider adding Arnica before and after the surgery to help reduce the chance of bruising post-procedure.
These are all great for the week leading up to the procedure, but what should you do or not do the morning of your appointment if you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can?
The most important thing for the day of is to not show up wearing any makeup. Makeup can make the procedure more difficult for the doctor that is performing it for you and they’d more than likely just ask you to take it off.
How to Take Care After the Procedure?
The recovery from the procedure is just as important as the preparation. There are a few things that you should do for aftercare to make sure that you’re going to end up with the best possible results from your procedure.
Aftercare is important no matter what kind of procedure you’re having, and we might go over things that your doctor says or doesn’t say. Make sure to listen to your doctor more closely than you listen to us, they’re the ones that know what they’re doing.
Anyways, here are a few things you can do for aftercare:
- Continue taking arnica, especially if your doctor recommends it.
- Don’t exercise until the next morning. Exercise can increase blood pressure and that can increase the chance of inflammation in the patient.
- Avoid any and all makeup for a full day. Makeup can interact with the injection site which can cause infection. These infections typically come with redness and swelling.
- Keep your face clean with gentle facial cleansers. Ask your doctor what they recommend specifically. You might need to skip your normal skincare routine for 24 hours.
- Don’t rub the injection site. Much like applying makeup, this can lead to infections.
- Do facial exercises after a certain amount of time. These will help the treatment take better, your doctor will be able to give you more specifics.
More than likely your doctor will give you aftercare paperwork so you can know exactly how they want you to go about taking care of yourself after the treatment is finished.
Aftercare is usually pretty easy to do, especially if you already do a skincare routine on a daily basis, but it’s important to make sure that you do everything your doctor recommends for aftercare. If you don’t, your treatment might not work as effectively as possible.
If you have any questions at all make sure to discuss them with your doctor. They’ll be able to answer all of your questions in detail so you won’t have to worry. Remember, it’s better to ask a question you think might be dumb than to go without the information you need.
Your doctor will more certainly be happy to answer all of your questions in detail, including information about when you should schedule your next procedure. Most doctors recommend about 12 weeks but depending on your goals and what your doctor says that number could vary.
Getting The Right Treatment for You
Almost everyone in the world wants to make sure that they can keep their skin looking younger longer. Nobody wants to age too soon, and some people would prefer to not have to age at all.
No matter which of those apply to you, knowing about the treatments that you have available to you can make a world of difference in your life.