You have a quick and effective option for preventing lines and wrinkles with Botox®. While many people know this injectable treatment smooths out expression lines, Botox® can also prevent them from developing. However everyone can make facial expressions from childhood on. When is the right time to start?
Wait until a faint line remains when the muscles relax to start your Botox journey. Don’t wait until that faint line becomes a deep furrow. And don’t jump the gun by seeking injections for an area where absolutely no trace of a line remains after the frown, squint, pucker or eyebrow raise relaxes.
What are Botox® Injections?
Each time you smile, laugh, or frown, your facial muscles pull on the skin. For young people, the skin has enough elasticity to bounce back. With age and repetition, the creases last between facial expressions and can become deep lines and wrinkles. Botox® works by blocking the nerves that signal your facial muscles to contract. This lets the muscles relax and releases tension on the skin, allowing it to become smooth and younger-looking.
What Does Botox® Treat?
Botox® is FDA-approved to treat horizontal lines across the forehead, vertical lines between the brows (glabellar lines), and crow’s feet around the eyes. Even before its approval for aesthetic uses, Botox® had approval for a wide variety of medical conditions such as muscle spasms.
At What Age Should I Get Botox®?
While Botox® has gained widespread recognition for its ability to improve even deep expression lines, it can also prevent them from developing. Since these dynamic lines come from the movement of specific muscles, relaxing those muscles stops them from pulling and creasing your skin and creating fixed wrinkles.
Many people now start having preventative Botox® in their late 20s, 30s or 40s. Botox® has been demonstrated as safe for long-term use. If you start Botox® when you see the very first hint of dynamic lines at rest, it will reverse them and stop them from progressing to full blow wrinkles. Without repetitive muscle activity, the lines and wrinkles will not form at all.
What Results Will I See With Botox®?
Results from Botox® start to appear within a week and full effect is appreciated at two weeks. If you have had Botox® to prevent lines and wrinkles, you will see other improvements. You will not see skin creasing when you laugh, smile, or frown depending on the treated area. You may see an attractive lift to your eyebrows bringing more attention to your eyes. Your skin will appear smoother. Results from Botox® typically last three to four months. Some people, especially those who have had several treatments, feel satisfied with their results for up to six months.
Am I a Good Candidate for Preventative Botox®?
Good candidates for preventative Botox® are usually in their late 20s to early 40s and have few if any existing lines and wrinkles. Botox® works safely at almost any age, but best results occur when the patient doesn’t wait until they have deep lines and furrows to begin treatment.
Take the Next Step
If you have further questions about Botox®, we encourage you to schedule a consultation at Krauss Dermatology. Call us at (781) 416-3500 or fill out our online contact form. We look forward to taking care of you.