This time of year, everyone’s calendar is full of events. Between office parties, having a couple drinks with friends, neighborhood dinners, and family get-togethers, it feels like we’re characters in that children’s book Go, Dog. Go!
We all want to look our best, but those lines and wrinkles on the upper third of the face are irritating.
So, why not come see Dr. Musick and have him revisit the ghost of Christmas past with a little Botox? Botox will erase your crow’s feet, the 11s between your eyebrows, and your forehead lines, and will make your face look younger. Plus, Dr. Musick’s expertise in facial anatomy will ensure you’ll love your results.
What is Botox?
Botox consists basically of the botulinum toxin type A. These are the same bacteria can cause botulism, but you’ll also find them all over the natural world, even in the soil of the woods down the block. Funny thing about the botulinum toxin, scientists discovered long ago that a tiny amount of the toxin injected into a muscle caused the muscle to temporarily stop contracting. You can see how that could benefit people suffering from involuntary muscle spasm issues, such as involuntary eyelid spasms. That actually was the first FDA approved use (in 1996) for Botox, treating blepharospasm. Since then Botox has been approved for lots of interesting uses: excessive underarm sweating, migraine headaches, TMJ disorder, urinary incontinence, and other things.
But Botox is really known thanks to the FDA approval in 2002 for aesthetic use on the upper third of the face to erase forehead lines and glabellar lines. In 2013, Botox was also approved to treat crow’s feet (although it had been used “off-label” since 2002 for that).
How does Botox work?
Botox erases these lines and wrinkles on the upper third of the face by relaxing the muscles under the skin that form these wrinkles on the surface above them. These are known as dynamic wrinkles, and they are the result of hundreds of thousands of muscle contractions when we make certain expressions such as frowning. When you frown, you can feel all the muscles around the eyes, brows, and on the forehead engage. Over time, as our skin thins and our collagen production declines, these contractions begin to form wrinkles above the muscle.
When Botox is injected into a muscle it blocks the nerve messages from the muscle to the brain. The brain then never receives the message to contract the muscle, so the muscle remains at rest. And the wrinkle caused by the contraction is erased. That’s the magic of Botox! It keeps the muscle relaxed for about four months before it starts to contract again. At that point, another Botox injection session with Dr. Musick can maintain your results.
Why not say goodbye to your crow’s feet, your 11s, and your forehead lines before your holiday social calendar kicks into full gear? A Botox session with Dr. Musick takes just 10-15 minutes. It does take 3-4 days for Botox to fully relax the muscles it is injected into, however, so you need to consider that when planning for your upcoming events.
Invite Botox to your holiday parties. Call Dr. Musick at (618) 628-2588 to schedule your session.