Botox — the King of Cosmetic Procedures

BotoxBotox was first approved by the FDA for cosmetic use in 2002. Almost from its first day on the market, Botox has reigned supreme over the entire aesthetic world. For 13 years, Botox injections have been the most popular cosmetic procedure, by far, surgical or non-surgical. Since 2013 alone, there have been over 7 million Botox sessions.

Why have as many people as the populations of many countries opted for the injections? Botox works. Period. It reduces or eliminates the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the brows, forehead lines, and crow’s feet. And it does all this in a simple 15-minute appointment.

How Botox works its magic

Botox is classified as a neurotoxin. It is made from the botulinum toxin A; this is the same neurotoxin that causes botulism. But when injected in very small amounts, doctors found that this toxin can temporarily paralyze a muscle. It does this by the simple action of blocking the release of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that signals the brain to tell muscles to contract. Since the brain doesn’t receive the message to trigger the muscle to contract, it doesn’t contract. Long before it was used to treat wrinkles and lines, Botox was doing its muscle paralyzing work to stop eyelid spasms, overactive bladders, TMJ disorders, neck pain, and even migraine headaches.

But it was the day it was tested on facial wrinkles that Botox became a household name. When you understand that wrinkles and creases on the forehead, brow, and around the eyes are created by repeated facial expressions such as frowning, laughing, and squinting, then it makes sense. If Botox paralyzes the muscles that create the wrinkles when those expressions are made, then there is no contraction and no wrinkle. The key is to target only the muscle responsible for the wrinkle, not the overall expression. That’s where the expertise of Dr. Griffeth comes in.

How long does it last?

It takes from three to eight days for the Botox injections to relax the muscles involved. Results then last from three to four months. At that point, the muscles will begin to contract again and the wrinkles will return. But another Botox session will calm them back down.

Call us at Griffeth Vision and let’s get rid of those crow’s feet and forehead lines with Botox.

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