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Botox is used to reshape eyebrows by selectively relaxing the muscles that pull them in different directions. The forehead muscles can lift the eyebrows and enhance their natural arch, while other muscles pull them downwards. Careful application of Botox can alter the balance between these muscle groups, achieving subtle improvements in eyebrow height, contour, and symmetry that can last 3 to 6 months.

Muscles That Control Brow Position

The forehead muscles lift the eyebrows, while muscles between the brows and around the eyes pull them downwards and inwards. Using Botox to weaken the downward-pulling muscles that lower the eyebrows allows the muscles that lift the eyebrows to have a greater effect. The net result is to create a smoother, more open contour.

Botox Injection Patterns to Achieve Different Brow Shapes

Injecting small doses of Botox between the eyebrows and near the corners of the eyes can result in a higher arch, while placing micro-doses along the length of the outer eye muscles can help subtly elevate the tail smoothly, without creating visible discontinuities.

Fixing Uneven Brows

It’s not uncommon for slightly asymmetrical muscles to result in one eyebrow sitting slightly lower than the other. The difference may become more apparent when frowning. Applying Botox to the tighter side relaxes it, bringing the level of both eyebrows into agreement.

Choosing Appropriate Doses for the Right Amount of Lift

The Botox doses must be very carefully adjusted to achieve optimum results for a brow lift. Light tail adjustments may require 2 to 4 units, while full-arch adjustments may take 4 to 6 units. Adjustments between the eyebrows can take 6 to 10 units, while complex reshaping of overly flat eyebrows can take up to 20 or even 30 units. Men typically have stronger muscles and require larger doses to achieve similar results.

Repeated Treatments Every Four Months Give Improved Results

As Botox is re-applied, over time treated muscles will weaken, and the required dose to achieve the desired results may reduce. You may find that after a year or two, only half the initial dose is needed to maintain the same results.

Contact Your Laser Skin Care to Learn About Our Botox Eyebrow Techniques

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures. We tailor all treatments to each patient’s needs and prioritize a minimalist approach and natural-looking results. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free Botox eyebrow lift consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Stress can reduce the effects of Botox, often causing results to wear off sooner than expected. This blog explains why and what you can do about it.

Stress and Cortisol

Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone that plays a vital role in regulating many body functions, including our metabolism and the function of our immune system. It’s also involved in the body’s response to stress, helping regulate blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and ‘fight or flight’ instincts.

The body releases more cortisol in response to stress; one of its effects is to boost the breakdown and absorption of proteins in the skin and muscles. But elevated levels of cortisol also accelerate the absorption of Botox in the body, limiting its effectiveness in limiting the muscle movements linked to dynamic lines and wrinkles. The result is that the benefits of Botox treatment fade faster than normal; it’s not unusual to see the results of Botox treatments starting to reduce as soon as two months after treatment, instead of the expected three or four months.

Stress and Muscle Relaxation

Stress has negative effects that go beyond interfering with the ability of Botox to inhibit muscle movements. It can increase muscular activity, leading to the formation of lines and wrinkles. Repeatedly frowning or clenching the jaw, for example, can accelerate the development of the same movement-related facial furrows that are treated using Botox. If stress is applied over the long term, it will surely lead to suboptimal results.

Jaw Tension and Bruxism

Stress can result in negative effects that are not purely cosmetic. For example, in some individuals, elevated stress levels manifest as jaw-related pain, caused by nocturnal teeth-grinding or prolonged jaw clenching. TMJ disorders can result in jaw-related pain, discomfort, and even dysfunction. Furthermore, jaw pain can affect adjacent areas, and interfere with the ability of Botox to limit muscle movements in other locations.

Stress and Collagen Loss, and Skin Resilience

Stress-induced cortisol also negatively affects the body’s collagen production, which directly influences skin elasticity, overall tone, and vitality. It can also have subtle effects on overall skin resilience to developing lines and wrinkles, as reduced levels of collagen make the skin more easily damaged and slower to recover. It can also act to make existing lines and wrinkles more visible.

Ways to Reduce Stress Levels

If you’re susceptible to stress, you should consider ways to limit your exposure. Breathing exercises can be effective, as can low-intensity yoga. Finding ways to reduce stress and prevent the buildup of tension will extend the duration of the benefits you see from your Botox treatments, as well as improve your overall sense of well-being. It will also act to limit the future development of facial wrinkles and the need for further treatment.

Eating a healthy diet can also help you manage your stress levels. Avoiding excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol will also create a better environment for Botox to do its work. Massage can also play a big role in assisting relaxation.

Long-Term Effects of Chronic Stress

Stress has a far bigger negative effect when it’s present over the long-term, as the effects of chronic stress tend to be cumulative. Repeated exposure to elevated levels of cortisol can start to alter the composition of muscle fibers, which can sometimes make them resistant to future applications of Botox.

Contact Your Laser Skin Care for Expert Botox Treatment

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs, and prioritize minimalistic application and natural-looking results. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Botox achieves its results by temporarily relaxing muscles, preventing contractions that create or exacerbate lines and wrinkles. But achieving the best results requires great skill and extensive experience because Botox injections that are incorrectly positioned or that use the wrong dosage can lead to unintended results, ranging from unwanted cosmetic over-corrections to causing actual functional problems. Using Botox on the following areas requires extra caution.

Forehead and Brow Muscle Risks

We use our foreheads to convey a wide range of emotions, with the frontalis muscle (which raises the eyebrows) interacting with other muscle groups that pull in opposing directions. The frontalis muscle consists of two lobes, with a central gap.

Injecting Botox into the gap area will not produce desirable results, while injecting Botox just above the eyebrows can over-relax the frontalis muscle, resulting in drooping eyebrows that have undesired cosmetic effects. Injecting Botox between the eyebrows risks causing the eyelids to droop.

Using Botox near the outer corners of the eyes carries the risk of unevenly affecting the eyelids, and can result in the lower lid turning outwards.

Complications Around the Mouth

Many different muscles come into play around the mouth, controlling facial expressions, as well as eating and speaking. There is also significant interaction among the different muscle groups, which can lead to unwanted results if Botox is not skillfully applied.

Over-applying Botox intended to slim the jawline can easily result in losing the ability to smile naturally. Muscle locations can vary widely between individuals, requiring the practitioner to have sophisticated anatomical knowledge to achieve the best results.

Injecting Botox too close to facial arteries provides another potential problem. If Botox is applied incorrectly, blood circulation can enable it to spread away from the intended area, and can result in unwanted asymmetrical results.

Small Muscles Below the Mouth

The muscles responsible for pulling the corners of the mouth downwards can be treated using Botox, but ideally only using microdoses. The muscles are relatively small, and it’s easy to overapply Botox, which can result in unnatural-looking smiles.

Neck and Nose Injection Dangers

The platysma muscle consists of a thin sheet of muscle extending from the jaw to the collarbone. Botox can be used to soften neck bands, but using too much can cause muscle weakness.

Injecting Botox around the nose can reduce unwanted nostril flaring and the adjacent ‘bunny’ lines that appear when we smile. Nearby blood vessels can facilitate Botox migrating away from the injected area and can affect the ability to raise the upper lip.

Finding the Right Practitioner

Fortunately, it’s possible for skilled practitioners to achieve great results using Botox while avoiding the list of potential problems described here. But you should select your practitioner carefully, paying special attention to their experience. Your best guarantee of good results is to select a medical professional with many years of experience and with a provable track record.

Get Natural-Looking Results from Experienced Practitioners

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs, and prioritize minimalistic application and natural-looking results. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

The huge (and growing) popularity of social media platforms is significantly shaping how we perceive beauty, how we react to age-related changes in our appearance, and the degree to which we accept cosmetic treatments to alter and improve the way we look.

Transient viral trends have played a role in driving the widespread acceptance of cosmetic procedures – online influencers can, for example, stimulate interest in particular Botox applications. The acceptance of Botox as a minimally invasive cosmetic treatment has been, in large part, driven by social media.

Celebrity Influence and Endorsements

Some celebrities have shared their personal experience with their audiences and have helped to demystify the procedure. Their enthusiastic endorsements have helped to drive wider acceptance of the treatment, and for many people, use of Botox is now inextricably linked to their self-image and to achieving their personal goals.

Kim Kardashian, to mention just one significant figure, has gone public with her use of neck and shoulder Botox to modify her neck contours, leading to a surge in requests to help achieve similar results that blend aesthetic improvements with reduced muscle tension. Gwyneth Paltrow has highlighted her subtle use of Botox to maintain her appearance while minimizing visible signs that she has undergone treatment.

This kind of publicity and a sneak peek into celebrity culture have helped normalize the preventive use of Botox, accelerating its proactive use by people in their late twenties who want to preserve their appearances and minimize the need for more significant maintenance in the future.

Unlike traditional advertiser-sponsored endorsements, many modern social media influencers stress authenticity and prioritize the subtle use of Botox as a maintenance tool to achieve natural results, instead of as a way to effect significant change.

Social Media Viral TikTok Trends

Short-form digital media on TikTok and Instagram has helped Botox gain acceptance by showing before-and-after transformations; some of these hashtags have achieved huge viewership. The “Barbie Botox” or TrapTox trend, where Botox is injected into trapezius muscles to achieve a more slender neck and shoulders, is a great example of this.

Another example is “Stiletto Botox” for feet, a way to target pain caused by high heels by using Botox to help relax overextended foot muscles. This gives the ability to extend the time that uncomfortable footwear can be worn, an obvious plus for fashion enthusiasts.

“Blowtox” is another example, highlighting the use of Botox injections into the scalp area to reduce excess oil production. This off-label use shows the use of Botox in areas far from its traditional origin.

Increased Use of Preventive and Subtle Botox

Preventative, or “Baby Botox,” describes the use of Botox by younger adults, eager to prevent the future development of dynamic lines and wrinkles. This has been driven by younger influencers, taking advantage of significantly increased interest in anti-aging treatments by users in the 25 to 35 age range.

“BroTox” describes the use of Botox by men, driven on platforms like Instagram by athletes and other influencers, aiming to project health and vitality by smoothing forehead lines or softening the appearance of their jawlines. Some beauty influencers are ready to spend significant amounts on these cosmetic treatments, which also serves to drive more widespread acceptance.

Find Out if Botox is Right for You at Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs, and prioritize minimalistic application and natural-looking results. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

While there’s no direct reason that consuming alcohol should adversely affect the outcomes of Botox treatments, there are several factors that might lead you to err on the side of caution, and decide to limit or avoid alcohol, especially immediately before or after treatment. This blog will explore these factors in more detail.

Alcohol Acts as a Vasodilator

Alcohol is widely known to act as a vasodilator, meaning that it causes blood vessels to dilate. This, in turn, tends to boost blood circulation. One of the concerns when injecting Botox is to limit its diffusion away from the injection site before it has had time to properly bind to the targeted muscles. Alcohol consumption and subsequent increased blood flow may increase the tendency of Botox to migrate away from its intended location and reduce the effectiveness of the procedure.

Alcohol is a Blood Thinner

Botox injections, while using very fine needles, nevertheless involve puncturing the skin. This minimally invasive procedure carries the risk of bruising, more so in areas where the skin tends to be thinner. If you are prone to bruising easily, and even if you’re not, it’s best to avoid alcohol for at least a day after treatment to sharply reduce the risk of developing unsightly bruises.

Alcohol is a Contributor to Swelling and Puffiness

It’s quite normal to experience some swelling or puffiness after Botox treatments, but alcohol consumption may lengthen your recovery time. This is linked to the dilation of blood vessels, which increases fluid availability, which contributes to tissue swelling. Puffiness can also have more than a cosmetic effect, as it has the potential to alter the way that Botox diffuses through the body and reduce the muscle immobilizing effects of Botox.

Alcohol’s Effects on Healing

Alcohol is well known to have a dehydrating effect, which most definitely has the potential to slow skin healing from the effects of Botox injections. It can slow your recovery process and delay fully benefiting from the results of your Botox treatment. In general, dehydrated skin tissue is also not cosmetically desired and can make lines and wrinkles more visible. It’s also possible for dehydrated tissue to become inflamed more easily, further prolonging your recovery.

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Botox Results

By now, the negative effects of long-term alcohol use are well known. Alcohol has many negative effects on the body, and should absolutely be avoided if you prioritize maintaining a youthful and healthy appearance. The reasons are many – the dehydration and oxidative stress that result from alcohol use accelerate the skin aging process, and contribute to the loss of collagen, which is the root of many age-related cosmetic issues. Alcohol use can reduce the overall effectiveness of Botox, as well as shorten the time required before the procedure needs to be repeated. And if you’re also a smoker, these negative effects will be further multiplied

But I need a Drink!

OK, we understand you’ve had a hard day! Let’s find a reasonable compromise – avoid all alcohol for at least 24 hours before your Botox treatment, and for at least 48 hours after your Botox treatment. If you’re prone to bruising easily, try to increase these periods to up to a week. And if you do drink, mitigate the dehydrating effects by also increasing your consumption of non-alcoholic liquids, and be sure to use moisturizing creams.

Consult Our Botox Experts at Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures over the long term. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information

Botox resistance is a complex topic, and in many cases, facial muscles adapt to repeated Botox treatments, reducing the dose needed to maintain desired results over time. In less than 1% of cases, however, reduced response to further Botox injections is observed. There are several reasons why this can occur, which this blog explores.

Reasons Botox Might Not Work Over Time

The Immune System’s Antibody Response

In extreme cases, the body can react to Botox injections by producing antibodies that act to neutralize the effects of the Botulinum toxin that is the active ingredient in Botox. Repeated high doses of Botox can increase the chance of this happening, although it is suspected that genetic factors also make some patients more susceptible.

Sometimes, switching to another brand or formulation can help fix this problem.

Other Factors Leading to Reduced Effectiveness

If you see reduced effectiveness over time, it’s far more likely that other factors have come into play. Individuals with rapid metabolisms can see the effects of Botox treatments fade more rapidly than others. High levels of physical activity can speed up the process whereby Botox is metabolized and absorbed into the body, as can some medications. Rapid weight changes, hormonal changes, and increased levels of stress can also alter the body’s response to Botox, including how the product diffuses away from the injection site over time.

As a normal result of the aging process, levels of collagen in the body reduce over time. This can result in the gradual deepening of lines and wrinkles, which in turn require larger doses of Botox to effectively address. This can be misinterpreted as Botox losing its effectiveness over time.

There are also, unfortunately, other more straightforward reasons why Botox treatments become less effective – the use of diluted, or expired Botox products, and inexperienced practitioners, can also significantly influence outcomes.

Medical vs. Cosmetic Usage

It’s far more likely that resistance will develop in response to larger Botox doses, as may be associated with medical use of the product. Cosmetic Botox treatments typically use far smaller doses and, therefore, carry a greatly reduced risk of adverse long-term reduced effectiveness. Use of Botox to address migraine headaches, in particular, can result in an increased risk that the body develops antibodies in response to treatment.

Strategies to Prevent Botox Resistance

Several things can be done to reduce the chance of developing long-term resistance to Botox. Spacing treatment sessions further apart will reduce potential problems, as can avoiding combining several different cosmetic treatments in single sessions.

If you do see reduced response to Botox, consider pausing treatments for anywhere between 5 and 24 months to allow time for antibody levels to decrease naturally. Your practitioner should be monitoring your long-term response to Botox treatment, and can adopt different strategies to maintain the effectiveness of treatments while reducing dependency on high doses of Botox.

Choosing a practitioner who prioritizes skillful application of reduced Botox doses over blanket application of large doses will give you far better natural-looking long-term results, as well as saving you money.

Consult Our Botox Experts at Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures over the long term. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information.

Nasolabial folds are the name given to the creases that run from the sides of the nose down to the corners of the mouth. They become more apparent as we age and our skin starts to lose its elasticity, and fat deposits beneath the skin start to shrink.

In some cases, nasolabial folds are caused by a loss of volume around the base of the nose, while in others, they are linked to muscle activity, which can affect how deeply the lines become etched into the skin.

Marionette lines describe lines extending vertically from the corners of the mouth down to the jawline. They create a downturned expression, which is another symptom of the aging process, when gravity pulls against the soft tissue around the lower face. Some marionette lines are linked to muscle activity; in this case, the depressor muscles are used to pull the mouth downwards.

Common Causes of Nasolabial Folds and Marionette Lines

The normal aging process is the primary reason for developing both, as the natural production of collagen and elastin starts to slow. This process can begin as early as the mid-20s, but greatly accelerates as we age. Repetitive muscle activity contributes to their development, much more for some individuals than others.

Other external causes also play a role, ranging from excessive sun exposure, smoking or alcohol consumption, and genetic factors that can influence changes in hormone levels during the menopause.

Treatment Options

Dermal fillers are often used to reduce the appearance of both issues, but in cases where the lines are linked to muscle activity, Botox can offer an effective alternative.

Microneedling treatments can also be used to stimulate collagen production, and chemical peels can be used to remove the outer layers of the skin, revealing smoother skin layers beneath.

Botox as a Treatment for Nasolabial Folds

Botox injections into adjacent muscles can relax the muscles that accentuate the nasolabial folds, resulting in a softening of the lines and a more relaxed appearance. This treatment is only effective when the folds are tied to muscle activity; it is far less effective in cases when the formation of skin folds is linked to sagging skin or loss of volume.

Botox as a Treatment for Marionette Lines

Botox can be injected into the depressor muscles that serve to pull the corners of the mouth downwards. Weakening these muscles leads to a subtle lifting of the corners of the mouth, which also tends to reduce the severity of vertical lines.

Treatment results are achieved without adding the bulk that would come from the use of dermal fillers, which is advantageous as it allows for more natural-looking results to be achieved.

Long-term Advantages of Botox Treatments

In common with other uses of Botox, results are temporary, lasting for up to 6 months. When applied expertly, Botox can be used to achieve excellent results, and it can be combined with other treatment options, for example, dermal fillers, to help combat lines that are static, and not directly linked to muscle activity.

Repeated application of Botox over longer time periods can have other benefits, as treated muscles learn to become less active, and hence require repeated treatment less frequently.

Consult the Experts at Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified, with extensive experience performing Botox procedures. We tailor all treatments according to each patient’s needs. We invite you to contact us for more information on this or any of the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures we offer. We can help you choose the safest, most effective, and most cost-effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation, or visit us online for more information