Botulinum toxin is able to block nerve signals that make muscles contract. The muscles thus relax, reducing unwanted wrinkles.
Common areas for wrinkle treatment include “crow’s feet” (lines at the outside corner of the eyes), frown lines and forehead lines. In the neck, Botox treatment can help efface the vertical neck bands and horizontal lines while giving a subtle lift to the jaw line.
Botox can be used to lift and shape the brows, even correcting mild asymmetry between both sides. It does this by blocking the “squint” action of the muscles, opening the eyes and giving a more open and refreshed look.
Chin dimpling is caused by mentalis muscle over-activity, unintentionally resulting in a disgruntled and aged expression. Botox can be used to smooth the chin by relaxing the muscle, thus making the face look more pleasant. These are just some examples of how Botox can powerfully alter the facial expression that is conveyed: from worried or surprised to relaxed and calm.
Botox is FDA-approved for 11 therapeutic indications, due to its useful effect on unwanted muscle activity.
Even in established problematic scars (see scars section), such as hypertrophic or keloid scars, Botox can be combined with steroids with good results. Patients report less symptoms of itch/pain and improvement in scar colour and thickness.
This effect lasts about 4 to 6 months. After that, the muscles move again and the wrinkles come back, although many times not to the extent they had before. In addition, Botox can potentially postpone the development of deep wrinkles and excess skin. This is because these aging changes are contributed by excessive muscle activity.
Repeated chewing on hard food or teeth grinding results in hypertrophy of the jaw (masseter) muscles and a square-looking jaw. Many patients perceive a square face as more masculine while a “V” face looks younger and more youthful. Botox can reduce the bulkiness of the masseter muscle, converting a square face to a more ‘V” shaped, slim one.
Repeated treatment over time has been shown to reduce prominence of the jaw bone itself without going through surgery. This is because bone is a dynamic structure that continuously undergoes a remodelling process in response to functional loading. Simply put, the thinned muscle pulls on the jaw less, causing the bone to be less stimulated to grow.
Botox injection into this same masseter muscle can improve symptoms of bruxism and jaw grinding in patients with functional issues.
Beyond its effect on muscle activity, microbotox has proven to be effective in improving the sheen and texture of the skin. This is when Botox is given in very small doses into the dermis, resulting in atrophy of the sebaceous glands.
This decreases sweat/ sebum production as well as acne. Enlarged pores become less obvious while the skin envelope is tightened.
