Cosmetic injections use a neurotoxin produced by a bacterium commonly found on plants, in soil, in water, and in animals’ intestinal tracts. You know it better as the “miracle poison.” Better yet, it may be most familiar under the brand name Botox. (While Botox is a well-known brand name, it is not the only brand under which cosmetic injections are marketed. Cosmetic injections are also marketed under the brand names Dysport, Xeomin, Neurobloc and Myobloc.)
The miracle poison, Botox, is used in multiple fields of medicine, including by dentists to achieve patients’ cosmetic goals. Precisely located cosmetic injections eliminate dynamic wrinkles — wrinkles caused by the movement of muscles in your face — by “inhibiting transmission of alpha motor neurons at the neuromuscular junction.” In easier-to-appreciate English, that means that the Botox paralyzes the muscle that produces the wrinkle by preventing the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Preventing the release of that neurotransmitter prevents the muscle that could produce the muscle from being activated by the nerve. The effect of the application of Botox, then, is to smoothen lines and creases that would otherwise have appeared.
Botox can be applied by your dentist in Willow Park in mere minutes, but does not take effect instantly. Rather, cosmetic injections near you take approximately 24 to 72 hours to take effect. (In some cases, the effect is still developing for approximately five days.) That’s the approximate length of time it takes for the toxin to disrupt the transmission of the neurotransmitter at the nerves’ synaptic junctions. Once cosmetic injections in Willow Park do take effect, the effects persist for approximately 12 weeks. To maintain the smoothing effect of Botox, your dentist in Willow Park can provide occasional touch-ups at quick and convenient appointments.
In many cases, people receive Botox injections in short appointments scheduled immediately before work, during lunch breaks or after work. That’s how convenient the appointments can be. Most people are able to return to completely normal activities right after receiving an injection, but patients should avoid strenuous exertion for a couple of days and receiving facials or facial massages for a week or two. Avoiding strenuous exertion, facials and facial massage for a period of time following a cosmetic injection will help to prevent the toxins from being dislodged and traveling away from their intended targets.
Cosmetic injections in Willow Park are injected using an extremely fine (30-gauge, 1-inch) needle. The dosage to be administered depends on the size of the muscle being treated. Larger muscle masses will require higher doses. Women and individuals with underlying pre-existing muscle weaknesses receive lower doses than men without pre-existing weakness.
The use of these products for cosmetic injections is well-established, common and convenient. Cosmetic injections do cause some complications in a limited number of cases. In roughly five to 15% of cases, patients who received repeated injections of an earlier version of Botox developed “secondary nonresponsiveness.” The issues arose in cases where patients received more than 200 units of Botox in a session and repeated injections within a single month. With the development of a new version of Botox with a decreased protein load, the hope is that these effects will be reduced (something suggested in rabbit studies and subject to investigation in clinical trials).
If you’d like to eliminate dynamic wrinkles in your face, ask your best dentist in Calgary if you’re a good candidate for cosmetic injections and if they’d help you to achieve your cosmetic goals.