Misconceptions about Botox
There is a lot of noise in the facial aesthetics world regarding Botox treatments, some true and some false. Read more to find out the answers to your burning Botox injection questions.
Will Botox make me look frozen?
Only if you want to. Just kidding. Botox does not freeze the muscles of facial expression, it relaxes them. Botox is a neuromodulator that modulates, or dampens, the muscle’s ability to contract. This is only for the muscle injected. When the muscle contracts less strongly, the skin wrinkles less.
In addition, there are over 20 muscles responsible for facial expression; typically, Botox is injected into three of them: the glabella muscle (Botox for 11’s or frown lines), the frontalis muscle (Botox for forehead rows), and the orbicularis oculi muscle (Botox for crow’s feet). On occasion, Botox is injected into the mentalis muscle (Botox for orange peel chin) or the masseter muscle (Botox for jaw tension and Botox for facial slimming).
Some clients want zero movement in some of their facial areas, such as the glabella. Some want a bit of facial movement for a more natural look. Your injector will tailor your look from very natural to zero wrinkles upon expression with the dose and location of the injection. Higher Botox doses are known to last longer, and that goes for all the neuromodulators: Xeomin, Dysport, Daxxify, and Jeuveau.
Is Botox toxic?
While it is true that the medicine in Botox is made from the same toxin that causes botulism, Botox is not toxic. Scientific research, proprietary formulations, and distribution standards have made Botox safe for medical applications. Botox arrives at clinics in a powder-filled vial packaged with dry ice to maintain effectiveness. Once ready for injection, Botox is reconstituted and refrigerated. It is important that Botox is properly administered. Aluma Aesthetic Medicine is staffed with trained Botox injection professionals and has been operating for over five years in Portland, Oregon.
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Sharp needles only for Botox injections.
Is Botox only for women?
Both men and women benefit from Botox; no one wants to look older than they feel. In fact, the number of men getting Botox has risen significantly in recent years. Botox injections are the number one cosmetic injectable requested by men. In addition, Many medical clinics are noticing that about 20% of their Botox clientele are men.
Is Botox painful?
Not really! While some patients may experience discomfort during the injections, Botox is usually not painful. At Aluma, we use multiple Botox syringes to complete your treatment, so the needle tip remains sharp. Dull needles hurt, sharp ones do not. It’s also important to ensure the needle tip does not touch the side of the Botox vial when drawing up the Botox into syringes; that will also dull the tip. We prefer using insulin syringes because of their small size. And, if you are still worried about the pain, we get it, and recommend 500 mg of Tylenol before your treatment, NOT Advil or Aleve because that can lead to bruising.
Are Botox results permanent?
They are not. The effects of Botox are temporary and wear off over the course of three to four months. The muscle function will eventually return and so will the wrinkles. Repeat treatments are needed to maintain the results, but many notice they can go longer between treatments over the years.
At Aluma Aesthetic Medicine, we aim to educate our patients about these and other misconceptions about Botox so that they can make informed decisions about their aesthetic treatments.
Asking the question, “Where can I get professional and safe Botox injections near me?” If you are in Portland, Oregon or our surrounding suburbs, please give us a call at Aluma Aesthetic Medicine.
