Botox is an injectable solution that can be used to temporarily prevent individual nerves from passing the electrical signals that cause associated muscles to contract.
Botox is widely used to reduce facial lines and wrinkles that are the result of facial muscle contractions – basically, any line or wrinkle that becomes more apparent when you activate certain facial muscles can be made less apparent by reducing or eliminating the ability of those muscles to operate.
Botox can be applied after lines and wrinkles have already developed, in which case it can stop the lines from worsening; in many cases, it can significantly reduce or even eliminate these lines. Botox can also be used proactively by applying it judiciously before facial lines have even had the chance to develop. Using Botox this way requires considerable skill and experience on the part of the practitioner to predict exactly how these lines will develop in the future.
How Can Crow’s Feet be Treated?
“Crow’s feet” refers to the fine lines that typically develop around the outside corners of the eyes; they’re often also referred to as “smile lines”, but they can be caused not only when we smile, but also when we squint. Although these lines are directly related to muscular contractions, they’re also more likely to appear as we age, as our skin starts to lose its collagen, and consequently becomes thinner and less elastic. The skin around the eyes is relatively thin to start with, so any further thinning can easily have visibly negative effects.
Applying Botox to the facial muscles located near the corner of the eye will cause these muscles to relax as they no longer receive the nerve signals that cause them to contract. This muscle relaxation will in turn result in the smoothing of the adjacent skin layers, effectively reducing or even eliminating visible crow’s feet lines.
Choosing the Right Practitioner
It’s important to apply the minimum possible dose of Botox to eliminate any undesirable side effects, especially when the injections are placed close to the eye. This is one more reason why you should ensure that the practitioner you choose to perform this procedure is both medically qualified and highly experienced. Botox injections are often combined with the use of dermal fillers, which can help to compensate for the lost volume and thin skin that also occur as we age.
You should see the results start to develop within a few days of being treated; the benefits of a Botox treatment typically last several months before you might consider a follow-on treatment to prolong the effects.
Your Laser Skin Care
Your Laser Skin Care practitioners are medically qualified and very experienced in providing Botox treatments. We also have extensive experience with a wide variety of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures, including dermal fillers. 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.