Botox offers patients an effective, non-surgical way to improve both mild and severe dynamic lines and wrinkles. Smoothing out these wrinkles can help restore a more youthful appearance, and can even help patients look more well-rested. Our team at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA, is pleased to offer this injectable and to answer any questions you have about it.
Does Botox Work Immediately?
Fast Benefits
Most of the time, you can expect to notice results between 24 to 48 hours after your Botox treatment. Around a week after your treatment, your results should be getting more obvious until you reach the point of full effect.
This treatment should offer you smoother skin and strong results for up to four months. As the results start to fade, you may notice your wrinkles becoming a little more pronounced again. This is usually when a patient decides whether they want to touch up their treatment or not.
What Is Treatment Like?
Your Assessment
We have the qualifications and experience to help you make the best possible choice when it comes to picking a treatment. We will consult with you, which will give you the chance to share any questions or concerns you may have. During a consultation, we can go over your aesthetic goals and talk through your expectations. We may also examine your face and neck in order to assess your skin health and laxity levels.
During this examination, we’ll be looking at your eyebrow location to help us determine the right placement for your treatment. We’ll also take a look at your upper and lower eyelids, your facial structure, the shape and location of your cheekbones, facial symmetry, and the health of your skin and pores. All of these factors are important when it comes to customizing your treatment for your unique needs.
Your Appointment
Your treatment will be delivered through a series of small, gentle injections. The needles we use are quite small, and we will place these injections based on your previous skin assessment. Our skill and understanding of this treatment will guide us as we keep your goals at the forefront of our minds.
How many units of treatment you receive will depend on the severity of your wrinkles and the kind of results you’re looking for. In general, if we’re treating something like crow’s feet, we will deliver about three injections. Frown lines and forehead wrinkles may require around five small injections.
Appointment Length
Our experience means we can deliver accurate results without taking up a large chunk of your day. Once your initial consultation is done, the actual treatment should only take about 10 to 15 minutes. Treatments like this are often referred to as “lunch break treatments,” since the appointments are often quick enough to be delivered in less time than a lunch break.
We know most, if not all of our patients have very busy schedules. Offering cosmetic solutions that can easily fit into the busiest schedule is important. With fast results, quick appointments, and no required downtime, it’s easy to see why this injectable is so popular.
Your Results
Many patients who are new to Botox are concerned about their faces looking frozen or artificial. This is one reason seeking out skilled, experienced experts to deliver your injections is important. While this treatment works by inhibiting movement in the targeted areas, the right dosage and delivery help ensure that you can still show all of your emotions while still hiding the treated wrinkles.
Follow-Ups
While results are usually expected to last up to four months, timing your follow-up appointments is highly individual. Some patients choose to stay on top of their results by receiving treatment every three months, while others can go six months or longer before they feel like it’s time for another dose.
Your skin’s health and your aesthetic goals will both play a part in how frequently you may want to schedule appointments. Once you have a better idea of how your skin responds to treatment, we would be happy to work with you and set up a treatment schedule that helps you maintain your results.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is It Made Of?
The bacterium known as clostridium botulinum is used to make Botox, and while that may sound a bit intimidating at first, it’s important to note that the bacterium is highly purified and processed for safety before it can be administered.
This bacterium, when used safely and in small amounts, is what allows treated muscles to relax. Botox enjoys an FDA-approved status and has been thoroughly tested and studied, which is why it’s such a well-understood and trusted injectable.
2. Why Should I Get Regular Treatments?
Scheduling regular appointments can actually help your results improve over time, as the muscles may relax more readily as they grow more accustomed to regular treatment. If maintaining your results is important to you, regular treatments can also help you stay on top of your results before they begin to fade. While treatment can’t delay aging forever, it can help address problem areas and help patients feel more confident and age gracefully.
3. What Areas Can I Treat?
The Brow
The brow is hard at work almost constantly, as the eyebrows are key players in helping us make almost any facial expression. This may be why forehead lines are often some of the first deep lines many patients find themselves dealing with. When the brow is relaxed, it allows wrinkles to fade. This can really help lighten your facial expression and shave years off your appearance.
Laugh Lines
Laugh lines are little lines that appear at the corner of the mouth when you smile. As with most lines, they will often deepen with age. Depending on their position, laugh lines may actually make it look like the patient is frowning when they’re not.
Crow’s Feet
The skin around the eyes is thin and delicate, which may be why crow’s feet tend to “move in” early. Patients in their 20s may start to notice little lines appearing at the corner of their eyes. As time passes, these lines often grow longer and may stretch up toward the eyebrows or curve down to the cheekbones. Skillful treatment can reduce their appearance.
Frown Lines
Frown lines can appear as vertical folds between your eyebrows. These are a popular type of line to treat since many patients feel as though frown lines can make their resting expression look more strict or serious than they’d like it to be. You may also hear these lines referred to as “11 lines,” especially when the patient has two frown lines positioned next to each other.
Dynamic Lines
Something to keep in mind is that Botox is used for dynamic lines. Dynamic lines are caused by motion, so if your wrinkles are caused by repetitive motion you are likely a good candidate for treatment.
For instance, things like smiling, squinting, and raising your eyebrows are all considered repetitive motions since we do these things many times throughout our lives. When we’re young, these motions often cause lines to appear, but they will disappear again when the face relaxes. Over time, these dynamic lines become permanent, which is often when patients seek out treatment.
4. Who Is a Good Candidate?
Any Gender
Cosmetic treatments are often advertised for women, but women aren’t the only ones who seek out and benefit from improving wrinkles and lines. Patients of any gender can find themselves wanting to turn back the hand of time and reduce the appearance of aging skin. This can be an effective way to give your confidence a boost and feel as though your appearance better matches your inner self.
Many Ages
Sometimes a patient will ask what the right age is for treatment. The truth is, this is highly individual. As long as you’re over 18 and it’s determined you’re a good candidate, you can look into treatment.
Younger patients may receive treatment to help delay wrinkles for as long as possible and to have more control over aging gracefully. Meanwhile, older patients often will seek out treatment to improve the wrinkles they already have, so it can look like they stepped back in time. Picking the right time for your treatment depends on your goals.
Have More Questions for Us?
It can be helpful to research your different options online, but when you meet with us in person we’ll be able to offer personalized advice and go over your questions one-on-one. An evaluation will also help us assess whether this or one of our other treatments could be a good fit for your skin and aesthetic goals. We welcome you to contact us at Revive MD Center in Glen Allen, VA, today to set up your consultation.
