To begin with, you need to decide on the concepts: "Botox" is just the name of the drug under which botulinum toxin is hidden, a protein that affects the nerve muscle endings. “Dysport, Xeomin, Lantox will have a similar effect. The only difference is in the country of origin and small technical nuances in the work of a beautician, which, in general, has no relation to the end consumer. The active ingredient is always the same,”says Diana Tsiprunova, dermatologist, cosmetologist at LazerJazz. “As well as the effect: after the administration of the drug, there is a slight muscle relaxation. Depending on the dosage, you can completely immobilize the muscle for a while, or simply "pacify" overly active facial expressions. Recently, patients are increasingly choosing the second option."
But this is not the end of the toxin's field of activity: besides the crease between the eyebrows and large longitudinal wrinkles on the forehead, botox (dysport and further down the list) can rid the face of crow's feet, fine wrinkled mesh and vertical folds above the upper lip. “In this case, the drug is injected using the mesobotox technique - not intramuscularly, but subcutaneously,” says Diana. “We dilute a few units of toxin with saline and inject the problem area.” Worried about vertical wrinkles on your neck? You, too, come here - if you weaken plasticism, the situation will return to normal by itself.
Anyone who is still thinking about augmentation of the upper lip with hyaluronic acid can “rehearse” with botox - if you inject botulinum toxin into the red border of the lips, they will slightly “twist” and will visually look much more voluminous. The effect is unlikely to last more than three months (due to the fact that the circular muscle of the mouth stops working only when you are sound asleep, the activity will return quickly), which means that you will not be pulling your hair out for a long time in a bad scenario.
The problem of a drooping tip of the nose (congenital or arising with age) is also solved with one injection. "It sounds like a fantasy, but with the help of botulism toxin, you can lift it, make it more snub-nosed and visually shorter," the doctor says. “The muscle that is attached to the septum lowers the tip of the nose when smiling or talking. 2-4 units of Botox completely change your facial expression."
Even a Hollywood smile can be obtained not only from the dentist - if the problem is in the upturned upper lip, then it is better to go to the beautician. Take a closer look at the photos of Cristiano Ronaldo or Ben Aflek at the beginning of their careers - this is an example of a gummy smile, which over time imperceptibly stopped spoiling the pages of magazines. According to Diana, a tiny amount of toxin injected into the muscle that lifts the upper lip led to a miraculous transformation.
In some cases, botox can also change the oval of the face if hypertrophy of the masticatory muscles is diagnosed, which often turns graceful girlish faces into heavy square ones. “If a doctor injects a toxin into the so-called Nefertiti points (they are located along the edge of the lower jaw), then the oval of the face will tighten. The most interesting thing is that this manipulation allows, in addition, to relieve headaches and neck pains,”Tsiprunova promises.
By the way, botox complexes also heal. Throughout your youth, they were afraid to take a girl by the hand in the cinema because of instantly wet palms? Even to informal events you have to wear a jacket because your shirt gets wet quickly where your hands begin? An injection will easily solve this problem. Moreover, the toxin will not completely block sweating (the body needs thermoregulation, whatever one may say), it simply normalizes it.
And finally, the most surprising - botulinum toxin has the ability to reduce keloid or hypertrophic scars. “Toxin injections smooth out scars, prevent them from" creeping "and accelerate healing. In addition, they stop itching and pain, as the toxin blocks the nerve endings that have grown into the scar,”the dermatologist says. Moreover, botox, like dysport and other analogues, can be used almost a week after you have removed the stitches.
The question of when to start cannot be answered unequivocally. Russian legislation allows you to do this from the age of 18. Moreover, for those who see deep wrinkles in the upper part of the face of their parents, doctors advise to do this even before the formation of their own: just to develop a habit of not wrinkling their foreheads. There is no need to be afraid that the toxin will accumulate in the body over the years - it is completely eliminated in a few days (and the effect, of course, remains). And it does not harm the liver too much - otherwise it would not be prescribed for two-year-old children.>