Essential Information about Botox
Sydney Botulinum injections (B.tox for short) is now trendy amongst fashionable Sydney society and has become an important part of grooming for many in the city. Nevertheless I am often stunned when I hear the amount of urban legends which surround the procedure.
I have included below some of the popular mistakes that I encounter in my work as a physician at Star Cosmetic Medicine located in Pyrmont, Sydney.
Mistaken Belief no. 1: The muscles in my forehead may stiffen up!
The human face has approximately 60 muscles. The extensive use of these muscles may cause fine lines to appear. Too many treatments of B.tox may result in the musculature of the face becoming somewhat less expressive. By and large doctors use relatively minute quantities to will result in you seeming ‘refreshed’, nevertheless you will always maintain your normal expression.
Indeed a carefully measured dosage of B.tox in the right place means you should have a reduction in the fine lines without any reduction in facial expression.
Mistaken Belief no. 2: B.tox is toxic!
This to a small extent is right. Its pharmaceutical name is Botulinum Toxin Type A. An overdose may relax muscles that you do not want relaxed and even can cause illness.
But to maintain some perspective – an old pharmacist’s saying states that ‘everything is a poison – it all depends on the dose’. A large dose of any medicinal drug will bring on illness. In fact water can be fatal if you take too much.
Mistaken Belief no. 3: Wrinkle injections hurt!
Your hair is thicker than the hypodermic needles we use at Star Cosmetic Medicine. Some people have likened the treatments to a bug bite. It is certainly less traumatic than a procedure like a blood profile.
Mistaken Belief no. 4: My face will not be as sensitive!
This is totally false. B.tox acts on the neuromuscular junction, and not on the nerves of sensation. Only the ability to relax muscles is impacted by B.tox injections.
Mistaken Belief no. 5. Once you start B.tox you must continue or else you may wrinkle quicker than ever!
Once More this is simply untrue.
You can expect the first treatment to last for up to 3 months. Any injections after the initial visit should be effective for a few weeks more. Eventually as muscle strength returns to normal – the wrinkles will eventually re-emerge. But they will certainly be no worse than before.
In fact any lines should be be softer than if you hadn’t undergone B.tox – even if you don’t continue the treatment. This is typically because your skin has had a ‘wrinkle holiday’ for a few months.
