Why Botox® Is Still the Gold Standard in Wrinkle Reduction

You’ve noticed some unwanted signs of aging on your forehead and around your eyes. 

Perhaps you have an important event coming up and want to look your best. Maybe you just want to improve your appearance. 

If you want a temporary solution but one that will last for several months, look no further than Botox®. Dr. Jack Hensel Jr., board-certified plastic surgeon with Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, administers Botox to many satisfied patients. 

Why is Botox the gold standard in wrinkle reduction? 

The Food and Drug Administration approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002. Twenty years later, more than 11 million people worldwide have had Botox injections. It’s approved for use in 98 countries. 

Its popularity hasn’t waned. In fact, in the 20-year period since its inception, the number of Botox injections has risen almost 900 percent in the U.S., says the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 

Botox is the only aesthetic procedure of its kind that can treat three interrelated areas:

• Horizontal forehead lines
• Crow’s feet (fine lines and wrinkles on the sides of the eyes) 
• Vertical furrows between your eyebrows (frown lines)

Why am I getting lines and wrinkles in my forehead and around my eyes?

Think of how many times you’ve smiled and frowned during your lifetime. Each time your face moves into those positions, the muscles around your eyes and on your forehead contract. You repeat these movements thousands of times. 

As you age, your body doesn’t produce as much collagen and elastin, key proteins that keep your skin looking youthful as you move out of your 20s and into your 30s and beyond, the amount of these proteins declines. Your skin is less elastic. Lines and wrinkles begin to form from repeated muscle movements.  

How can Botox help stop signs of aging?  

Dr. Hensel carefully injects Botox into the appropriate facial muscles near your problem areas. The solution temporarily causes your muscles to relax so they don’t contract as much when you smile or frown. You’ll still be able to do so, but the fine lines and wrinkles are going to be softened and less apparent. 

In recent years, millennials have started using Botox as a preventive measure to help stop forehead lines across the forehead, vertical lines between the brows, and crow’s feet from becoming noticeable wrinkles and grooves in the skin. This use requires fewer treatments and fewer solutions than if you wait until the wrinkles are fully formed. 

When will I see results from a Botox treatment? 

You’ll see some results almost immediately — within 48 hours. You’ll see complete results within one month. 

How long does Botox last?

Botox lasts between three and six months. Individual results vary. 

Precautions with Botox 

Botox isn’t for everyone. Dr. Hensel performs a skin test to make sure you’re not allergic to the Botox solution. He injects a partial Botox solution into your forearm to make sure that your skin doesn’t have an allergic reaction to it. 

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should wait to have Botox injections until you’re through breastfeeding. If you’re immunocompromised, Botox may not be for you. Dr. Hensel advises you about alternative procedures to improve your appearance. 

Botox should be administered by a board-certified physician with expert knowledge of facial anatomy. If the injections are done improperly, one side of the face may appear droopy. But you’re in good hands with Dr. Hensel. 

Extensive research has been done on Botox. Negative side effects are very rare.  

Call Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center or book an appointment online to see what Botox can do for you.