BotoxBaddie Explains: What is Botox?®

Botox® is a prescription medication now commonly used in cosmetics to treat wrinkles on the face and excessive underarm sweat. The actual active ingredient in Botox is called Botulinum Toxin Type A, and it is this solution that does all the magic.

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How does Botox work?

Before understanding how Botox works, we must first understand how wrinkles are formed. Our faces contain roughly 42 muscles, most of which are used to create different facial expressions, such as raising our eyebrows when we’re shocked or curling up our mouths when we’re happy. As these muscles move to create our expressions, they also create wrinkles in our skin, typically seen as lines across our faces. These lines only appear when we make an expression and are known as Dynamic Wrinkles.

At a young age, dynamic wrinkles aren’t really a concern. They come and go as we talk and interact daily, but the problem starts when we keep repeating the same movements. Because after a while, these dynamic wrinkles begin to carve themselves into our skin and around the early 30s, most of us can notice lines across our faces even when we’re relaxed. These lines are called Static Wrinkles, and they are the wrinkles that many of us want to hide.

Now, this is where Botox comes in. A medical professional will inject Botox into the muscles creating these wrinkles. Once in place, the Botox will relax these muscles, preventing them from contracting (aka. preventing Dynamic Wrinkles.) Since these dynamic wrinkles can not occur, they will prevent the development of Static Wrinkles, leaving our skin looking nice and smooth.

As for the production of sweat, Botox is injected into the sweat glands, and it stops these glands from producing sweat. If no sweat is made, then there will be no sweat to ooze out of our armpits.

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How long does Botox last?

Botox will completely relax the facial muscles for up to 3 months when injected correctly. After that, its effect will start to diminish slowly and roughly after 6 months, its effect will ultimately wear off.

Botox in the underarms, however, lasts a lot longer, it relaxes the sweat glands for nine months, and on some individuals, it will take a year to wear off.

Where can Botox be used?

The most common areas that are treated with Botox include the following:

• Forehead Lines

• Frown Lines

• Outer Eye wrinkles, known as the Crow’s Feet

• Gummy Smile

• Downturned Mouth Corners

• Upper Lip

• Chin

• Masseter Muscles in the Jaw

• Neck Bands

• Underarms to Reduce Sweating

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At what age can I start Botox?

With Botox, prevention is key, and most individuals will see the first signs of static wrinkles around their early thirties. So starting a small dose of preventative Botox in your late twenties is ideal for preserving your skin from developing wrinkles. Having said that, anyone can start Botox at any age, as long as they are over 18 years of age.

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What are the contraindications of Botox?

Botox can be done on most individuals. However, if you have any of the following, you will not be allowed to have Botox injections:

• Allergy to Botox, Human Albumin or Albumin

• Neuromuscular Disorders

• Pregnancy or Breast Feeding

It is also important that you inform your injector if you take any of the following medications regularly, as it can hinder the effectiveness of Botox or worsen the side effects:

• Aminoglycoside Antibiotics

• Muscle relaxants

• Aspirin

• Anticoagulants

• Vitamin E

• Chloroquine

• Calcium Antagonists

• Fish Oil

• St. John’s Wort

• Advil

• Ibuprofen

What are the side effects of Botox?

The most common side effects are related to the injections, so you might get some redness, minor bruises or swelling around the area. Some individuals might also experience headaches or flu-like symptoms right after the treatment.

A more uncommon side effect occurs if the Botox is not injected into the correct muscle or if it makes its way into adjacent muscles. If this happens, you might notice a droopy muscle, such as the eyelids or drooping corners of the mouth.

Lastly, if Botox is only done in a set of muscles, the other muscles might try to compensate and work extra. This means that you might notice new wrinkles which you didn’t know were there.

Where can you get Botox done in Malta?

If you are looking for professional, safe and effective Botox treatments, we recommend no other than our very own Nurse Miriana, owner of BotoxBaddie. Nurse Miriana currently forms part of Fina Med-Aesthetic Salon that is located at 21, Psaila Street, Birkirkara, Malta.

You can check out all the dermal filler treatments and their prices over here. And you can book online or simply give us a call at +356 9981 6956.