Heres the thing: the word Botox used to have a negative connotation and would conjure up images of overdone celebs and real housewives. But our generation is seeing things differently and is harnessing the power of Botox/Dysport to continue looking fresh and youthful as we age!
If Botox freaks you out, take a breath and keep reading because we all start where you are sitting, sister.
First off: what is Botox? Botox is a neurotoxin (onabotulinumtoxin A) derived from plants, like all of the best things are.
Although Botox is the most widely recognized name for this neurotoxin, there are actually many different types such as: Dysport, Xeomin, Jeveau, etc, but that is a blog post for another time. But we will use the term Botox for ease of understanding (and to save me from typing all of those names over and over).
Botox works by weakening or paralyzing certain the muscles of the face which prevents them from contracting aka causing wrinkles. The most commonly treated areas are the forehead lines, the 11’s (glabella) and the crows feet.
And here are the top 3 reasons why you need to be doing it now:
1. To maintain skin elasticity: You can think of the muscles and skin of your face like a rubber band. The more you stretch that rubber band over time (ie, making facial expressions), not only do you get wrinkles but you get sagging skin and loss of elasticity. The reason it is so important to prevent loss of elasticity is because once its gone, its gone. The only way to restore the appearance of tightened skin after elasticity has been lost is a surgical facelift, and who wants that? To confirm this theory, researchers at UCLA conducted a study on a set of identical twins. One twin was given regular treatment with Botox over a period of 13 years and one was not. Unsurprisingly, the twin with regular Botox treatment had fewer lines at rest and improved skin elasticity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17116793/.
2. To avoid unnecessary filler down the road. When we lose elasticity as mentioned above, we are left with extra, sagging skin in addition to deep creases. The problem with this is, once it gets to this point we can’t just shoot the area up with Botox and call it a day. We have to inject filler (think a gel like substance that restores volume) to the area to smooth out the crease before using Botox. Why is this a problem you might ask? Well go ahead and touch your forehead right now. There isn’t much volume there, right? Thats because we don’t naturally have volume in our forehead the same way we do in our cheeks, lips, mid-face, etc. So when we add volume there to fill lines, it looks off. Theres something unnatural about it because we aren’t used to seeing volume there. THAT is the weird looking forehead you picture when you picture overdone Botox, and it comes from putting filler in an area where we naturally shouldn’t have a lot of volume.
3. Lift, Lift, Lift. Another fun thing that happens as we age, we start to get a very subtle drooping of our eye brows (again, the elasticity thing.) This is why as we age we use our forehead muscles more and unconsciously lift our eyebrows so we look more awake. When Botox acts on the muscle it causes a tightening effect which allows for a very subtle lift (about one millimeter). This won’t make you look like you stuck your head out of the car door, it will just make you look awake, refreshed, and alert. In addition to smoothing out the big wrinkles, Botox smooths out the micro-creases in your skin and shrinks pore size to allow for a sheen smooth appearance, and as a plus your makeup will sit beautifully on your skin! This effect also takes place on the sebaceous glands in the face which can help if you struggle with acne or breakouts.
IMHO, the ideal time to start Botox is between 25-30 years of age. This will allow you to use natural, low doses, and will keep you looking like YOU. Just the version of you that sleeps a lot and manages her stress well.
If you are looking for a place to get Botox/Dysport in Denver, at Skin DEN Aesthetics I specialize in treating patients with preventative Botox. I utilize a very specific dose and technique to give a natural result that will have you glowing. You can book an appointment at skindenaesthetics.com.
Follow me on Instagram at @skinden_aesthetics for more anti-aging tips!
Xx,
Michelle Paty FNP-C
Wife. Mom. Injector. Entrepreneur. Skinthusiast.
