Regardless if it’s just your mother-in-law or boss’s spouse you’re having to make small talk with, at Gaines Plastic Surgery we can help make sure your frown lines and crow’s feet aren’t invited to your holiday get togethers. Botox injections can be your secret Santa when it comes to these signs of aging.
What is Botox?
Unless you’ve been hanging out in the jungles of Borneo, you’ve likely heard of Botox. It’s one of the world’s most famous brand names, which is surprising when considering it is made primarily from the botulinum toxin type A, the same bacteria that can cause botulism. Ah, but way back in the 1950s scientists found that when injected in very minute amounts into a muscle, the botulinum toxin temporarily stopped that muscle from contracting. Botox was born from that research.
At first, Botox was approved for the control of involuntary eyelid spasms, clinically known as blepharospasm. Since that initial FDA approval, Botox has also been approved for a variety of uses, everything from migraine headaches to urinary incontinence to excessive sweating. But it was when the FDA approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002 that Botox became legendary. That approval was for using Botox to erase frown lines (the 11s between your eyebrows) and forehead lines. Since then, the FDA has added crow’s feet (at the outside of the eyes) to Botox’s approvals.
How does Botox work?
Botox works by blocking the nerve messages sent from the muscles to the brain. By blocking the acetylcholine that transmits nerve messages to the brain, the brain never receives the message to contract the injected muscle, so it remains at rest. For certain muscles on the upper third of the face, this can stop wrinkles from forming. That’s because when we make many expressions, such as frowning or showing surprise, we engage muscles around our eyes and on our forehead. These are known as dynamic wrinkles — crow’s feet, the 11s, and forehead lines — and they all occur on the upper third of the face, the expressive area.
When Botox is injected into, say, the muscles creating your crow’s feet, the muscles stay relaxed, so they don’t contract and create your crow’s feet. Botox blocks the nerve messages and keeps the injected muscles relaxed for about 4 months before the muscle begins to contract again. At that point, another Botox session with Dr. Gaines will maintain your results moving forward.
So, why not have Dr. Gaines inject some Botox and put your crow’s feet or forehead lines on the naughty list? It takes about four days after he injects Botox for it to fully relax the muscles and erase the associated wrinkles. Remember that when scheduling your session. Call us at (352) 333-9600 to make your appointment.