Botox is treatment no. 1 in terms of the number of aesthetic procedures performed in the world. It gives the face a softer look, slightly lifts the eyelids, prevents aging, and provides a better skin balance. However, we do not always know how the procedure should be performed appropriately and is it safe?
What exactly is Botox?
It is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum, which contaminates food products. Eating this contaminated food causes poisoning and paralysis of the muscles and can lead to death. Due to the disturbance of nerve signalling processes and the blocking of muscle contractions, this bacterium began to be used in aesthetic medicine to paralyze the facial muscles preventing wrinkles. Treatments are also used by patients with migraines, excessive sweating, muscle and nerve disorders, cerebral palsy, and after stroke.
Are you oval, heart, or diamond?
I recently took part in an anti-aging conference, where one of the panels was about administering Botox and its results. I must admit that the achievements of the best specialists in the world are impressive!
I never expected that it could ever evolve like this, and the face’s proportions could be modified with Botox. However, the Botox needs to be injected in the right places and in suitable quantities.
The application of the substance differs, depending on the shape of the face – oval, square, round, heart, or diamond.
-“The operator needs to know anatomy well and have a good understanding of the function of the muscles” – said Dr. Carla Pecora at this year’s AMWC Asia Congress. – “It is not just aesthetic treatment; it is much more; it is often the improvement of the quality of life” – she explains.
Dr. Pecora, a dermatologist from Sao Paulo, showed at the Congress how to change the face’s proportions by changing the shape of the eyebrows with the use of Botox. She also demonstrated how to properly elevate the position of the eyebrows if they are asymmetrical and how to achieve facial harmony in people with cerebral palsy.
It turns out that we can lift our eyebrows, lips, and chin with Botox, adjust them appropriately, all to make a face look more harmonious and balanced. However, as experts say, the approach to the patient is always individual.
-“One of the essential parts of the protocol is identifying the individual’s unique forehead pattern. Dosing and injecting are based on the anatomical pattern and strength of the muscles” – Dr. Pecora explained during the AMWC Asia. Furthermore, she introduced the possible injection points-map for each face shape and explained how important it is to evaluate the work of the muscles before the procedure.
Under the gentle pressure on the muscles, where the doctor verifies their work, it must be calculated precisely where to inject and at what dose.
If the doctor doesn’t create horizontal and vertical lines on your forehead, and doesn’t check the strength of your muscles, perhaps you need to ask yourself a question, ‘’Is this the right specialist for you?’’
Poison the muscles and the brain
It is not without a doubt that muscles play an essential role in the aging process. They work when we express any emotions, but similarly, when the bone structure changes with age, we lose the volume of the face, the quality of the muscles also deteriorates. Therefore, Botox probably seems to be the right tool. However, some specialists warn that the substance, although it should remain were injected, can migrate and adversely affect other tissues.
– “If you are continually injecting your muscles with the Botulinum Toxin, a poison that permanently poisons your muscles; it goes beyond your muscles. It is clinically proven, the study has been done and published in the UK about five years ago, that it defects brain stem and causes atrophy of muscles, so they will shrink in volume” – warns Dr. Ben Johnson in one of his episodes Ask Dr. Ben. – “It should be an open discussion, but 99.9 percent of people who get Botox have no idea about the study that shows the neurotoxin travel to the brain. It’s not something you should do as a preventative or long-term solution to aging” – he ensures.
Other experts say that migration of the product can only happen if the Botox is injected incorrectly and enters the bloodstream.
Each time we consider the procedure, we should think carefully about this decision. So if you are considering having Botox, research the doctor who will do the treatment, if she/he has the appropriate qualifications and has undergone relevant training. Moreover, better think twice, because we only have one body, just in case.
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