What Botox (or Dysport) Can and Can't Do For You

When you think of anti-aging skin treatments, you probably think of Botox or Dysport. Most people do. In fact, Botox and Dysport have become the most popular medical cosmetic treatment. But it’s not a cure-all. While it is an excellent treatment option to reduce dynamic wrinkles, it doesn’t work on every wrinkle.

Where Do These Products Work Best?

Botox and Dysport work best for dynamic wrinkles around the forehead, eyes and sometimes lips and chin. Dynamic refers to movement. So dynamic wrinkles are the creases that form when you change facial expressions. Your forehead wrinkles when you frown – often your lips and chin wrinkle, too. Crow’s feet appear at the edges of your eyes when you squint. When your face relaxes again, these wrinkles disappear.

How Botox  and Dysport Works

This treatment is a simple, non-surgical procedure which can be performed in-office. Tiny amounts of Botox or Dysport solution are injected into the muscles around the area to be treated. The muscles become partially paralyzed, which reduces the amount of movement when you change expressions. That reduced movement prevents more wrinkles from forming and early wrinkles from getting deeper or becoming static. Also, because Botox and Dysport work by weakening muscles, they are not good treatment options for wrinkles around the mouth area since this would affect the way you smile. Botox does not remain in the face permanently, the beautifying results of Botox and Dysport lasts about three months.

In the past, some patients received too much Botox, so their face appeared “frozen.” Today, doctors use it very conservatively, to produce only the desired effect. The procedure is virtually pain-free, because injections are made using a very fine needle. You might feel just a little sting. It’s also very convenient, because treatments take only ten minutes and there is no downtime.

Botox and Dysport not only weakens muscles but can also reduce the activity of sweat glands so they can be used to treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating under the arms). In this case, the serum is diluted slightly, then injected in multiple underarm sites. Dilution enables the solution to spread more easily throughout the treatment area. The effect is to relax over-sensitive nerves that trigger sweating. The good news is that Botox and Dysport treatments in the underarms can last up to 6 months!

What About Wrinkles Around the Mouth?

This is where dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane and Restylane Silk and skin peels come in. Where Botox and Dysport are great for reducing the effects of dynamic wrinkles, fillers are formulated to re-plump creases around the mouth and fine lines. Laser and chemical peels also help with the finest wrinkles.

Longer-Lasting Results

Here at Raval Facial Aesthetics and ENT, Dr. Jeff Raval likes to use Botox in combination with dermal fillers and rejuvenating skin peels. He says this is particularly effective to reduce creases between the eyebrows and crow’s feet around the eyes. Dermal fillers work temporarily, because they are gradually absorbed by the body. The more dynamic your facial expressions, the faster the filler is absorbed. By using Botox to reduce muscle movement just a little, the filler lasts longer -- at least one to two years in most patients!

Choose a Medical Professional

Because Botox has become so popular, you may see if offered in salons, spas or other non-medical facilities. The procedure may be relatively simple, but it still requires detailed knowledge of facial anatomy plus Botox-specific training and experience to achieve safe, effective results. Choosing Dr. Raval, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who has been practicing the Art of Facial Plastic Surgery since 2001, will give you confidence and peace of mind.