What are the main uses of Botox?
With age, stress, and environmental damage, the skin loses its elasticity and flexibility. As a result, the skin develops fine lines and wrinkles, especially on the face. Botox is known for treating forehead wrinkles and crow’s feet, which are those pesky lines around the eyes that appear while squinting and laughing.
However, there are other ways that Botox can help rejuvenate your appearance.
1. Soften Your Jawline and Chin
With age, we lose definition in our jawline area, resulting in a square-shaped jaw. This can change our appearance. And while contouring creates the illusion of a slimmer jaw, we can all use a long term solution.
Bruxism – which is the medical term for the grinding of your teeth – can be just as damaging. The constant clenching and grinding over the years increases the size of the muscles around the jawline.
Botox can be injected into the lower cheeks on each side of the face to soften the effects of the muscles. This results in a more contoured lower look and a slimmer, more symmetric profile.
2. Improving the appearance of jowls
While we can develop a square-shaped jaw with age, the effects can extend just below the chin. The sagging skin is called “jowls,” which everyone will get at some point. The reduced collagen and elastin mean the skin would be unable to keep its shape.
While diet, proper hydration, and exercise can help, the right treatment can kick things into high gear. Fillers like Juvederm can help, with a high satisfaction rate. However, Botox can be the real game-changer. By injecting the right doses along the jawline, the skin tightens and pulls up. This gives the appearance of a smooth neckline.
3. The Botox “Nose Job”
As we age, different parts of our body begin to sag, including our nose! When we see the difference in the mirror, we think the only option is a nose job. Nose jobs can be expensive and need significant recovery time. What if there was a non-surgical alternative?
When done correctly, Botox can give a temporary nose lift that rejuvenates your face. In this procedure, we inject a few units at the base of your nose. The process releases the muscle that pulls your nose downward and gives your face a more bright and youthful appearance.
4. Get A “Lip Flip”
The “Lip Flip” is a simple in-office procedure where Botox or other neuromodulators such as Xeomin or Dysport make the lips appear more substantial. In this procedure, your dermatologist will carefully inject small amounts of Botox into your upper lip.
As the muscle relaxes, the lip will curl upward, resulting in a fuller appearance, and a priceless pout. The lip flip gives your lips a subtle, but natural-looking feel. If you’re also trying to add volume and plumpness, try a lip filler injection. Lip fillers such as Restylane, Perfectha, Belotero, Juvederm, or Teosyal can be done at the same time to give you longer lasting result.
5. Botox can help with a “gummy smile.”
When some people smile, their upper lip may thin out. The thin lip creates the effect of the upper lip disappearing, resulting in a “gummy” smile. A “gummy smile” can drop your confidence and even change your mood. Makeup, highlighting, or contouring your lips may not be enough.
Plumping the lip with filler can help with this issue. However, simpler options are a few units of Botox, injected into just the right spot along or above the upper lip. This will help the muscles around the lips to relax so that when you smile, your gums will be covered, and more of your lips will show.
6. Turn your frown upside down
Some wrinkles can change our mood, or at least give an appearance of a frown. Marionette lines are wrinkles that start at the outer corners of your lips and heads down to the chin. This gives the presence of a constant frown, even when we’re living our best life.
Marionette lines show with age and can be hereditary. Once treated early, a dermatologist injects the neuromodulator into the depressor anguli oris. These are the muscles that control frowning. The treatment tightens the skin and muscles around the lips. It’s essential to get a detailed assessment before deciding on injectables for marionette lines.
7. Botox Can Smooth Out Your Neck Lines
With age, long horizontal wrinkles can wrap around the neck. Persons with long, beautiful necks, in particular, can feel self-conscious about these unwanted lines. No more turtlenecks! Neck Botox could be the answer.
In the “Botox necklace”, we inject the neuromodulator between these lines that extend around your neck. This relaxes the neck muscles, which can also result in subtle lifting your jowls, jawline, and face as the effects of these muscles are connected.
Treatment combination is highly recommended for longer lasting result.
8. Improve those décolletage wrinkles
The face and neck aren’t the only areas to benefit from Botox. For women, the “décolletage” area is the upper chest area between the neck and breasts. The skin on the décolletage is thinner compared to other parts of the upper body.
Lines and wrinkles develop quickly in this area and can prevent us from wearing our favorite low cut dresses. Décolletage wrinkles are usually hereditary and can form even in our 30s. The lines in this area can also be relaxed when Botox is injected into the chest muscles. Other options are skinbooster and collagen biostimulator.
9. Try a Botox “Face Lift”
Botox may be a minimally invasive alternative to facial plastic surgery. While a facelift may last longer, more persons are opting against going under the knife. That’s understandable as facelifts have longer recovery times and a higher chance of complications.
When injected with precision into the orbicularis oculi muscle surrounding the eye, it can lift the eyebrows giving them a sharper, more defined appearance. The procedure also makes the eyes look bright and awake. This may also help with mild upper eyelid droopiness.
10. Reduce The Effects Of Excess Sweating
Excessive sweating, also known as hyperhidrosis, can affect any area of the body, including the underarms, scalp, forehead, palms, soles, and even the scrotum. This condition is uncomfortable and can affect the quality of life. When injected into these areas, the neuromodulators like Xeomin, Dysport or Botox blocks signaling to the sweat glands, and hence reduce wetness in the treated areas.
What makes Botox so powerful is its effectiveness when compared to surgery. In a 2017 study, twenty patients with hyperhidrosis had botox injections on one armpit and surgery on the other. The dose had the same 80% reduction in sweat rates as surgery, even after exercise. This is truly a life-changer in those hot summer months and can save you some money treating sweat stains on your favorite clothes.
10. Reduce Calves Muscles
Calf reduction is proven to be successful in targeting the ‘bulkiness’ of the gastrocnemius muscle; the most prominent muscle in the calf. By slimming the calves and achieving a more feminine shape, it can be easier to wear garments like tight-fitting jeans and footwear such as boots. Unlike some facial muscles treated with Botox, larger muscle groups on the body may take more than 2 to 3 weeks to show the desired results.
11. Slim Appearance of the Shoulders ( #Traptox )
When injected into trapezius muscle, #Botox can slim the appearance of the shoulders and give an elongated appearance of the neck.
Relaxing this large, superficial muscle in the back has also long been used to relieve discomfort associated with tight muscles, and can even help reduce the development of headaches.
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