Sunday 17 February 2013

Botox Treatment - Getting The Most From It

How long can a Botox treatment really last? How can I get the most from my treatment? This article explores some Botox myths and offers practical advice for clients.

Skin Beautiful Medical and Cosmetic Clinic provides expert advanced dermal filler treatments at clinics in Exeter Milton Keynes Bristol Coventry Swansea Warwick Daventry Evesham Carmarthen Llanelli and Neath. 


Getting the most from a Botox treatment and ensuring it lasts for as long as possible is an area that clients must take responsibility for.

In my own practice many first time clients present themselves with differing expectations as to how Botox (Botulinum toxin type A) works and how long its visual effects will last. This is one half of equation.

Putting the record straight


1. How long can I reasonably expect Botox to last?


In facial aesthetics Botox is the essential ingredient in removing facial lines and wrinkles (albeit temporarily). For those of you that are interested in calculating costs based on longevity then a rule of thumb is three months. Yes, that's right, only three months. This is the average time it takes for neuromuscular contractions to resume. Remember that creases, lines and wrinkles are visible as a result of muscular contractions. Once the Botox has ceased to block muscle contractions then there is 'X' amount of time before those lines become visible again.

A common misconception amongst clients is that Botox works on the skin and that there is a direct relationship between Botox and lines and wrinkles. This misconception in turn leads to the belief that if wrinkles are kept at bay for 5 months then the Botox works for 5 months. The scientific response should be that Botox works on local groups of muscles and has no direct effect on the skin whatsoever. Botox will stop certain muscles from contracting for approximately 3 months. In fact that's all it does. The interesting thing here, and one of the many wonders of science is that there can potentially be a delay between the time muscle contraction resumes and lines and wrinkles become visible once again.


2. How soon after Botox stops working will lines and wrinkles become visible?


it is scientifically impossible to give an objective answer to this question, and here's why. Once muscle contractions have resumed then Botox is no longer governing the behaviour of those muscles. In a sense it is retiring and handing the job back to the neuromuscular system. So, if the time it takes for the lines and wrinkles to reappear from this point forward is not determined by Botox it must be determined by something else. Indeed, it is determined by your own body, its metabolism, physical state and a whole conundrum of other factors.


3. I've had my Botox treatment. Now what?


There are clients whose perceptions of Botox is that they visit a clinic, receive their Botox injections and will not see any lines or wrinkles for around 6 months. Botox is a drug, and drugs go through the stages of absorption, distribution and metabolism within our bodies. Hence, the speed and effectiveness with which a drug is absorbed and then distributed is largely dependent on the environment in which the drug has to work. Similarly, metabolism is an important factor in the effectiveness and longevity of the drug too.

It's all about shared responsibilities. Where the practitioner has a responsibility to advise it is the responsibility of the client to action post treatment advice at a personal level and, where longevity and effectiveness is a priority then to create the right environment for Botox.


4. Are there any possible reasons why Botox wouldn't last three months?


Yes there are. Although, at the time of writing there remains inconclusive evidence to support the many theories out there. We need further scientific evidence in order to better inform our clients. There are those in the industry who believe the effectiveness of Botox in temporarily correcting facial lines and wrinkles may be reduced by alcohol, smoking, recreational drug use, sports activities, stress, diet, environmental factors, sleeping patterns, etc, etc.

Whilst it is generally recognised that a healthy, active lifestyle leads to better metabolism in the body certain physical activities may lead to problems elsewhere. For example, through exertion we often use our facial muscles more than at rest. A good example might be weight lifting. The activity in itself is unlikely to have a negative effect on the longevity of Botox. However, the tightening of facial muscles that accompanies exertion when lifting very heavy weights results in overuse of certain facial muscle groups. This in turn could be a factor working against the effectiveness of Botox.

In a different way alcohol and smoking may affect the absorption and metabolism of Botox within the body. Other factors such as excessive exposure to sunlight may cause the skin to appear more wrinkled than it would otherwise do so.


5. What advice can you offer to help me get the best from my Botox treatment?


Much of the advice given to clients is centred around research conducted by drugs manufacturers. For example, I always provide general advice to clients regarding alcohol consumption, exercise, flying and head position but I like to go further in offering advice too.

Following treatment it may take up to or even beyond 14 days for Botox to take full effect. My personal belief is that advice to refrain from alcohol for a period of just 6, 12 or even 24 hours post treatment is not sufficient. That is not to say that if a client consumes a small glass of good quality wine then he/she will see no visual effect with the Botox on the treated area. My advice is based on effectiveness and optimisation. For Botox to be as effective as possible then it is important to create the right environment to support its distribution and metabolism within the body. Furthermore, the process is also dependent on how the body metabolises alcohol.

For anyone interested in optimising the effectiveness of their Botox treatment then a sensible course would be to look after one's skin and neuromuscular system. For the skin it is better to stay away from excessive strong sunlight than to receive exposure to it and then apply creams or lotions to counter its effect later on. As mentioned above, exercise that puts stress on facial muscles is also something that should be avoided as much as possible.


About the author:
Helen Bowes RGN, BSc (hons), NISP, AMAP
Registered Advanced Practitioner No. MD1248/12

Helen is a qualified advanced medical & cosmetic aesthetics practitioner, specialising in advanced Botox & dermal fillers treatments. She practices regularly at Skin Beautiful clinics in Exeter Milton Keynes (England) Bristol Coventry Swansea Warwick Daventry Evesham Carmarthen Llanelli and Neath.

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you to all for the dozens of comments received for this article.

    Unfortunately, many comments do not relate the the subject being discussed. In some instances other clinics have used this blog quite blatantly to promote their own businesses in a way that does not relate even remotely to the content of the article.

    Our webmaster will not allow these kind of comments and will remove them from the article.

    If you want your comments to appear here as part of a discussion then please do not insert hyperlinks with keywords back to your own clinic/practice.

    Helen Bowes
    Skin Beautiful Medical & Cosmetic Clinic

    ReplyDelete