Botox is among the first responses anyone will give when asked to name a common cosmetic treatment.
Botox is an FDA-approved neuromodulator that has been around for a long time. It is widely available and easily accessible and Botox treatments are hugely popular for addressing the common signs of aging like crow’s feet, fine lines, facial wrinkles, forehead lines, and frown lines.
Anyone considering Botox will have several questions including how the treatment is given, how it works, does it hurt, how long does the treatment last, and what are the risks? Safety in cosmetic treatments, both surgical and non-surgical should be a paramount consideration, so let’s look at how safe Botox is.
What Is Botox?
The first thing to know is that Botox is a brand name but just like Hoover has become a generic name for a vacuum cleaner, Botox is used in lay terms for all types of neurotoxins. However, not all of these products are the same, so if you are considering an anti-aging treatment you need to research Botox and some other types to decide which is better for you. Alternatives include Dysport, Xeomin, and Daxxify.
(p.s. One of the most important checks to make is whether a treatment is FDA-approved. Be sure that the website is a .gov website.)
A Botox treatment is the administration of botulinum toxin injections. The key ingredient of botulinum toxin type A is clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.
Its most common application is to combat the physical signs of aging, mostly on the face but it can also be used for medical conditions such as neck spasms (cervical dystonia), excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), TMJ, teeth grinding/clenching (bruxism), neck spasms (cervical dystonia), an overactive bladder, lazy or crossed eyes (strabismus) and chronic migraines.
In cosmetic use, Botox injections work by blocking specific chemical signals in your nerves that cause your facial muscles to contract. The effect reduces wrinkling, smoothing out fine lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet. The most common areas to which it is applied are between the brows, the forehead, and the outer eye area. appearing ironed out and smoother.
An excellent alternative to invasive plastic surgery such as a facelift, most preferably, Botox should be administered by professional, board-certified practitioners.
Are There Any Side Effects To Worry About?
When you undergo the treatment under the supervision of a trained medical professional or aesthetic physician, Botox is considered a safe and effective procedure.
As is the case with any kind of cosmetic injection, there are always a few potential complications that could arise for any patient depending on their reaction to Botox. Though rare, some of the side effects of Botox injections include:
- Slight headache pains
- Flu-like symptoms without actually having the flu
- Feeling of dry eyes and/or excessive tearing
- A drooping smile
- Drooping eyelids
- Increased drooling
- Facial muscle spasms
It is important to stress that these side effects are temporary and will eventually subside as your body accepts Botox. Patients are also likely to experience some minor levels of pain, swelling, and bruising around the injected sites, but these too will subside within a few days.
In some very rare but extreme cases, patients have been recorded as experiencing more severe adverse effects, and these include things like muscle weakness, chronic migraines, difficulty speaking and swallowing, difficulty breathing, blurred vision and other vision problems, and the onset of incontinence or an overactive bladder. If any of these occur for you, then you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
As with all types of cosmetic surgery procedures and wider medical procedures, there is always the chance of something more severe happening. It is worth reiterating, however, that the more serious side effects of Botox we have listed above are incredibly rare, and are not representative of the vast majority of completely satisfied patients.
Does Botox Hurt?
The question of whether or not Botox hurts is a common question from prospective patients. The answer is not that straightforward because it depends on each patient and how well they respond to things like needles and their pain threshold.
In general, most Botox patients tend to report that while the immediate injection feels slightly uncomfortable and like a small pinch, it is no different from any other type of injection.
Depending on the practices of your cosmetic professional, a topical numbing cream might be applied to the injection sites to reduce discomfort.
In terms of aftercare, you should avoid temperature extremes like applying ice to the face or spending any amount of extended time out in the full sun, as this can cause pain during the recovery period.
Is Botox Safe To Use Over Time?
If you want Botox, it is a commitment to treatment for quite some time because the results are not permanent. You will need regular top-up treatments, the frequency of which will depend entirely on the individual patient. The good thing about this is that Botox is reliable.
Botox first earned approval from the US Food And Drug Administration in 2002 as a recommended temporary cosmetic treatment. In the following decades, thousands and thousands of patients have adopted Botox injections as a regular part of their cosmetic beauty routine. As the effects of muscle relaxation are only temporary, it is generally recommended that patients undergo top-up procedures every three to four months depending on how quickly their body metabolizes the neurotoxin.
Because of the natural process of metabolization within the body, the majority of Botox patients who undergo repeated treatments tend to experience the same results and side effects every time, and this means that the risk of something unexpected happening on your second, third, or fourth appointment is very low.
However, something to consider is that as people age, their requirements for Botox might increase as their natural collagen production continues to decrease. In these cases, it is best to consult with your medical professional and the cosmetic doctor to enquire about increased doses, or perhaps additional filler treatments to meet your new needs.
Something very important to stress is that women who are currently breastfeeding are not recommended to undergo Botox treatments, and this is because it remains unclear as to whether or not the Botox toxins have the ability to spread to a nursing baby through the mother’s breast milk. Be extra cautious, the same can be said for pregnant women who don’t want to risk an impact on their unborn baby.
Where to Get Botox?
Despite the easy accessibility, low risks, and reliability of results, it is still important in choosing a professional setting to get Botox. Z Center for Cosmetic Health is one of the country’s leading providers of Botox and other cosmetic procedures and we very much look forward to answering any questions that you might have. Call today for a consultation.