Botox: 3 Common Questions Answered

Botox is one of the most performed procedures at SpaMedica. It’s a quick and non-invasive treatment that can dramatically improve the look of your facial lines and wrinkles. Like with any other procedure, patients and prospective patients have lots of questions to ask about Botox. If you’ve been thinking about the treatment yourself, get more insight by reading Dr. Mulholland’s answers to a few questions about Botox below.

Q: Can Botox help to give eyebrows more of an arched shape?

Dr. Mulholland: Your question is excellent. Most patients view Botox merely as a wrinkle-reduction injection. In fact, Botox can be used to shape the contour of the brow, the position of the midface and the acuity of the jaw and neckline. 

The ability to create an arched brow will depend upon the specific and unique constellation of depressors and elevators that you have active in the upper part of your face, brow and eyes. If you have the right combination of depressors and elevators, an arched shape can be achieved from a relatively flat or umbrella-shaped brow.

Seeking the expert consultation of a physician experienced in brow shaping would be important. Botox, to me, has always been a primary facial shaping opportunity and this can be accomplished with Botox, Dysport or Xeomin.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient had Botox to soften the lines between her brows and on her forehead.

Q: I got Botox for the third time and it feels like I get headaches with it. My forehead always feels sore even weeks or months after the procedure. It feels like I am run down and headachy. Can this be related to Botox?

Dr. Mulholland: The symptoms you describe are generally not attributed to the use of Botox or any other neuromodulators. It is not uncommon, in perhaps 5% to 10% of patients, to experience feelings of flu symptomatology – such as muscle aches, pains, fever, nausea – in the first hours to a few days after a Botox injection. To have these symptoms many weeks after a Botox injection is more suggestive of another viral illness. If this persists, you should definitely seek the advice of your family physician to rule out other causes of these vague infective symptoms.

Q: This will be my first time getting Botox. I want to get minimal injections to smooth out my forehead wrinkles. Baby Botox or Botox Lite, definitely under 10 units. I do not want a super frozen look or sagging brows.

Dr. Mulholland: The use of Botox and its relatives, Xeomin and Dysport, to relax facial animation, can be performed in many unique and artistic ways. The “Baby Botox” or “Botox Lite” is the use of minimal Botox to soften expression and animation and minimize the presence of unwanted lines. Baby Botox or Botox light is an excellent way to achieve a degree of judicious modulation in facial activity without looking “frozen”.  

This concept of Baby Botox and Botox Lite has become particularly important in this area of pre-juvenation. Pre-juvenation is the use of medical aesthetics and its products such as Botox, soft tissue fillers and energy-assisted devices at a younger age, often in late 20s or early 30s, to eliminate facial aging and wrinkles that may have a hereditary predisposition prior to their occurring. Pre-juvenation should be done judiciously to ensure that you have a great look rather than a “done” look.

Want to know more about Botox?

If you have any questions about Botox, contact us at 1-877-712-8367 or book an appointment online.

Pre-Juvenation: Can You Be Too Young For Botox and Fillers?

There’s no such thing as being young forever, but at least you could look like it.

Ageing tends to make people anxious. Fears such as not looking as attractive, desirable or healthy anymore creep in. You’d think that it’s people in their 30s and beyond who make appointments for Botox and dermal fillers to treat and prevent wrinkles, but it’s not only them. People in their 20s and sometimes even younger are choosing to have non-surgical procedures to keep their youthful looks.

This trend is called pre-juvenation; this is where someone prevents the signs of ageing before it even happens. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that people between the ages of 20-29 accounted for 556,558 non-invasive procedures in 2013. Laser hair removal was the top performed procedure. After that, it’s Botox, microdermabrasion and soft tissue fillers that were the most sought out.

Developing lines and wrinkles is inevitable. But pre-juvenation is the concept of preventing these natural developments from forming in the first place. No doubt, this trend has gotten people divided. Some people think that pre-juvenation is totally fine and a good preventative measure.

For example, Dr. Kenneth Arndt published an article in JAMA Dermatology stating that it’s never too early to use Botox if a person wants to maintain a youthful appearance. Other people, surgeons included, believe pre-juvenation is unnecessary. They think young people shouldn’t be getting Botox before they even see wrinkles because it’s “overkill”.

Dr. Arndt says he doesn’t agree with treating children or teenagers, but he does say it’s reasonable to consider getting Botox treatments when people begin to feel bothered by things such as frown or forehead lines. His reasoning? “It’s easier and more effective to inhibit progression than come in 10 years later and take them away.”

Is pre-juvenation the only way to avoid wrinkles?

Make sure to wear sunscreen to avoid sun damage and wrinkle formation.

Of course, Botox and dermal fillers aren’t the only ways to maintain good, supple looking skin. How you take care of your skin and diet is important too. Wearing sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) is always stressed to keep your skin protected from sunspots or decrease your chances of developing skin cancer. It’s not only the summertime you should be wearing sunscreen—lather it on all year. Even though the sun’s not blaring through the sky in the winter, you can still get sun damaged skin especially if you do winter sports.  

Facial animation like frowning and smiling also influences wrinkle and line formation. Constant frowning can develop glabella lines, also known as the “11’s” between your eyebrows. If your skin’s been damaged by the sun, you have a higher chance of developing lines. Since sun damage breaks down the skin’s collagen and elastin, your skin thins out, making it difficult to maintain a smooth appearance. 

If the thought of wrinkles terrify you, know that there are plenty of preventative measures you can do. Whether it’s pre-juvenation treatments or maintaining a good skincare regime, you can keep those youthful looks if you really want to.