What Is Botox® Cosmetic & How Does It Work?
Botox is a brand of neurotoxin that reduces muscular pull and reduces facial wrinkles . Whenever the skin on our face moves, such as when squinting or smiling, the body’s nervous system sends signals to the muscles underneath the skin, called neurotransmitters, that cause the muscles (and our skin) to move. Over time, this constant contraction of the facial muscles is what causes the appearance of wrinkles. Botox Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA), often shortened to Botox, a form of neuromodulator, is used to block the neurotransmitters that are sent to our facial muscles. By blocking the signals that cause our facial muscles to contract, Botox is able to relax the muscles and, ultimately, reduce the appearance of wrinkled skin.
Where Is Botox® Used?
Botox is typically used to reduce wrinkles in between the eyebrows, or the glabella area, as well as the areas around the eyes commonly referred to as Crow’s Feet.
How Do I Know How Much Botox® I Need?
It is important to understand that individual responses to Botox often vary from patient to patient. Some patients simply need a lower number of units than others to achieve proper results. There are some common factors that determine the number of units needed for a patient to achieve their desired results. One factor is the length of time since a patient was last treated with Botox. For example, if a patient had a full response to a Botox treatment less than 2 months ago, the dosage required to achieve results may be less than a patient treated a year ago.
A second common factor is the area being treated; some areas simply require more units on average than other areas. An example of this is underarm sweating, a condition commonly treated with Botox. It is not uncommon to use more units of Botox for this condition than when treating movement lines between the brows.
Another factor is that some patients may want more or less of a specific response than others, requiring different amounts of Botox.
The key to botox dosing is tailoring to the individual area , patients needs and patients wants .
