Would you like the lines and wrinkles in your face to almost magically disappear? If so, you might want to consider Botox, which also has many important benefits beyond beauty. Dr. Beran specializes in helping you choose the right procedure for your beautiful face.
What is Botox?
Even though many people think Botox is a filler that plumps out the wrinkles in your face, it is actually a protein produced by a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. In the small amounts that physicians use, this protein can be injected into the body to bring about a
controlled weakening of muscles.
How does Botox work?
Botox blocks the signals between the nerves and the muscles. When muscles are injected with Botox (using a very fine needle), they can no longer tighten. Instead, they remain relaxed and soft. In the face, wrinkles and frown lines smooth out and seemingly disappear. The average Botox procedure takes just a few minutes and does not require any pain-numbing medication.
What is Botox for?
Botox is most often injected into the face, particularly along forehead lines, crow’s feet (lines around the eyes) and frown lines. However, Botox cannot alleviate wrinkles caused by gravity or sun exposure, only those caused by squinting and muscle patterns.
How long does a treatment last?
The effects from Botox usually last 3-4 months. As muscle movement gradually returns, the lines and wrinkles begin to reappear and need to be treated again. However, these lines and wrinkles often appear less substantial with time because those muscles are being trained to relax.
Beyond cosmetic applications, here are 5 highly beneficial uses for Botox
1. It treats excessive sweating, eyelid spasms, lazy eyes, crossed eyes and psoriasis
Botox can be a temporary way of limiting armpit sweating. Injections are performed in each axilla (armpit or underarm) and the Botox decreases or eliminates excess sweating for up to three months.
2. It can help with depression
Your emotions are tied to your facial muscles and expressions, and relaxing these muscles disrupts this connection. In a 2012 study, researcher M. Axel Wollmer and others observed “a significant improvement in depressive symptoms” in subjects who underwent treatment of glabellar frown lines (between the eyebrows and above the nose) with botulinum toxin. The study concluded that Botox “interrupts feedback from the facial musculature to the brain, which may be involved in the development and maintenance of negative emotions.”
3. It helps with chronic pain
When Botox is injected into specific muscles, it blocks signals that cause muscle tightening, which is often the cause of chronic pain. A 2012 study showed that Botox injections significantly improved pain levels and overall quality of life for those who suffered from chronic neck pain.
4. It treats migraines
Botox actually received FDA approval in 2013 to be used as a treatment for migraine headaches. No one is quite sure why it eases migraine symptoms — the most popular theory is that it prevents pain signals from reaching nerve endings.
5. It helps cure urinary tract dysfunction
Botox is FDA-approved to treat urinary incontinence. It has become an excellent remedy for overactive bladders because it relaxes the bladder muscle, thereby reducing urine leakage and frequent trips to the restroom.
More information on Botox and other face procedures
You might find these pages helpful on my website:
If Botox is something you are interested in
If you are considering Botox, please contact me for a free consultation. I am happy to meet with you, answer your question, and discuss how Botox can achieve the beautiful results you are seeking.
Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS), and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), Samuel J. Beran, MD is a plastic surgeon with offices in Manhattan, Harrison and Mount Kisco, NY. With years of experience and a thorough command of the most advanced techniques and technologies, he consistently provides his patients with the highest level of plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, face, skin and body.
