If anything can dampen the excitement of the New Year, it’s the realization that another birthday looms, particularly if signs of aging are beginning to catch up with you. Perhaps Botox® Cosmetic injections are on your list of resolutions.
Are you too young? Too old. When is the right time to start Botox? As a medical aesthetic specialist, Dr. Richard Blanchar of Bayview General Medicine believes the decision is always up to the patient. Some may benefit from treatment in their 20s, but the magic number for many is 30, though people of any age may benefit. Let’s consider some aspects of Botox treatments, its targets, and how your skin ages.
Botox’s success is due to how it treats a class of wrinkles that come with age and doesn’t have another treatment method. Active wrinkles start with the muscles that form facial expressions.
Over time, some of these muscles take on a permanent semi-contracted state, meaning certain expressions won’t entirely vanish when you relax your face.
The most common are horizontal forehead lines and the vertical, between-the-eyes lines, commonly called the “11” lines, based on the effect of the parallel pair of wrinkles that form there. These lines are most often associated with concentration, concern, or worry.
Your eyes are expressive, and laugh lines beside them are often attractive and inviting. However, as you age, changes in your skin can make them deeper, causing unflattering shadows, even when you’re not laughing or smiling.
The secret to Botox is its ability to relax these conditioned muscles. Botox is a powerful neurotoxin, but its effects are mild and local. It was originally developed to treat eye muscle spasms.
When carefully injected into certain expression muscles, Botox prevents muscle contractions without impairing your ability to frown or smile on demand.
The choice is yours. Some people start treatments early, in their mid-20s, as a preventative to keep the partial contraction of muscles from starting.
Older people will see a reduction in the severity of most lines, but the longer they’ve lived with expression line wrinkles, the more likely some permanent effects may remain.
We recommend treatment as soon as you notice the expression muscle lines that don’t relax. While every patient is unique, reversing the permanent contraction effect is sometimes possible.
Consulting with Dr. Blanchar and our team is the best way to learn what Botox treatments can offer you. Call or click to book your visit with Bayview General Medicine today.
