Blog – Page 2 – Botox | Fillers

24 June 202211 July 2022

What Age Should You Get Botox?

This is a difficult question to answer!

It comes down more to when you believe you have too many lines and wrinkles. Or when they start to become deeper and more pronounced. This will vary from person to person. Some can start to see prominent lines and wrinkles in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Others may not see a wrinkle well into their 40’s or 50’s.

It’s important to note Botox is only available and approved for people 18 years or older.

Ideally, it helps to prevent lines and wrinkles developing or becoming deeper and more prominent.

Preventing deeper wrinkles and lines

First thing to note is there is a difference in lines which appear and disappear when you move muscles around the face. These are ‘dynamic wrinkles’.

They only appear when you smile, frown, squint or are caught by surpise. They also disappear as soon as you stop making these facial gestures.

When you do start to see permanent lines this would be a good time to have a consultation with your aethestics practitioner. The first step would be to see if the lines can be managed through natural ways.

I have a post which covers how to avoid wrinkles naturally, you can read it here.

If Botox treatment is an option then it can help in smoothing existing lines and wrinkles. It will also help in delaying the lines and wrinkles from becoming pronounced and deeper.

It is important to remember Botox is a temporary treatment which lasts between 3 to 6 months. It relaxes the muscles which lead to lines and wrinkles, and over time will wear off.

If you have visible lines or wrinkles and want to see if Botox is an option for you, then get in touch for a consultation.

Fill out out the details below and we can arrange to have a chat:

20 June 20229 July 2022

What areas can botox treat?

In aesthetics, Botox, is mainly used on the face. The three main areas for Botox treatment are:

the forehead
between the eyebrows
and around the eyes.

Other places Botox is also used is around the lips, mouth, nose, chin, and jawline.

The Main Treatments

Forehead. The muscles in the forehead contract often. Over time forehead lines will appear. The treatment relaxes the muscles in the forehead, reducing tension in the skin.

‘Frown Lines’. Along with the forehead lines you may also develop ‘frown lines’. These are the vertical lines which appear between the eye brows. There may be one, two , or several frown lines.

‘Crow’s feet’ are the lines spreading out by the side of the eyes. Sometimes referred to as laughter lines. When we smile, laugh, or squint the lines tend to appear.

‘Trough lines’ appear on the lower eyelid. They can be short or longer spreading to the top of the cheek.

Other parts of the face are also treated with Botox. But it may be other treatments are better suited. A consultation will help to determine the best treatment for you.

If you want a short chat about treatments for wrinkles and lines, please get in touch. Fill out your details below and I will be in touch as soon as I can.

12 June 20224 July 2022

How to prevent wrinkles naturally

There are many things you can do to delay the appearance of wrinkles and lines, as well as looking after your skin. The main ones are to drink plenty of fresh clean water. Be particular about what you eat. Protect your skin from adverse weather, and take regular exercise.

Stay healthy for younger skin

A quick reality check! We would love to be able to prevent wrinkles and lines, unfortunately, it’s a fact of life we will have them at some point. The good news is you can do something to delay their appearance or minimise the number.

Most of the advice on delaying wrinkles and lines tends to be on how you treat your skin on the outside. Treating your skin well does and will help. However, your skin also needs to be looked after from the inside!

What you choose to eat, drink, and how well your body functions also has a big impact on your skin. If you feel well on the inside, your skin is likely to feel and look good on the outside.

Take a closer look at what you eat, drink, and how much exercise you take each day. Making changes to your diet and exercise will help your skin stay fresh and radiant.

Things you can do to prevent wrinkles and lines.

This is not an exhaustive list of what you can do, but it will get you started.

Stay Hydrated

Your skin is the largest organ of the body. It needs plenty of water to keep if working well. Applying moisturisers on the outside is helpful, but your body feeds the skin from the inside.

Water is the perfect fluid which keeps your skin soft and flexible. It also helps to transports much needed nutrients to the skin.

Have A Healthy Diet

Yes, this one again! Eat a healthy and varied range of fresh foods. Feed the body and skin with foods which pack lots of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients the skin needs. It’s always worth speaking to your medical specialist for a personalised food list.

Stop Smoking

If you do smoke, it’s time to take steps to stop. It isn’t easy, but smoking does have negative effects on the the skin, such as making your skin thinner. The effects of smoking also tend to show up on the face with many wrinkles and lines.

There are many other health benefits to quit smoking. Over time you will see the positive affect to your skin when you stop.

Take Regular Exercise

Exercise helps to get the heart rate up, which helps to pump blood around the body. Blood carries the nutrients our body needs to function well. It also helps to get the nurtrients to the skin.

It’s always good to take medical advice before starting an exercise program, particularly if have done little to no exercise recently.

Exercise doesn’t have to be a 60 minute full-on cardio class, or a heavy workout in the gym. It can be as simple as taking regular daily walks for 30 minutes to begin with.

Get you heart rate up a small amount with light exercise and it will help your skin stay healthy too.

Protect Your Skin

Getting out and about in the fresh air and sunlight is always a good thing to do. However, the sun, and even cold weather can damage and age your skin.

In the sun, make sure your protect your skin with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. SPF-30 is usually a good start. Sunglasses and a hat is a good idea too.

In cold weather, protect and cover your skin as much as you can particularly in cold biting winds.

Use Creams and Moisturisers

Regular use of hydrating moisturisers for your skin type will help from the outside. Moisturise your skins when you have been out in the sun, and when you come back inside from the cold.

Gentle Cleansing

Gentle and regular cleansing of your skin will remove dirt, dead skin cells, and anything else which may accumulate on your skin.

Cleansing can be regular washing, showers, and baths. Of course, you can use gentle cleansing lotions, but remember to hydrate the skin after washing.

Sleep

Yes, sleep! It’s when you sleep, your body gets to work and repairs itself.

Hopefully, you get a good night sleep. Make sure you sleep the hours you need. Everyone is different, and everyone needs different hours of sleep.

The quality of your sleep is also important. Unbroken sleep is best. Make sure your sleeping environment (bedroom) helps you improve the quality of your sleep.

You will sleep much better in a room which is dark, and a couple of degrees cooler than other rooms or outside.

The above are things you can start with immediately. They will help to keep the wrinkles and lines away for a little longer.

If you want a short chat on dealing with existing wrinkles and lines, please get in touch. Fill out your details below and I will be in touch as soon as I can.

7 June 20229 July 2022

How long does Botox last?

The short answer is anywhere between 3 to 6 months. The duration depends on a wide range of factors such as toughness of the skin, the depth of wrinkles and lines, and lifestyle choices. In addition, the amount of Botox used, and where it has to be injected will also determine how long it lasts.

First, let’s have a quick look at how Botox (Clostridium botulinum) works.

Botox reduces or stops nerves from sending signals to muscles so they stop contracting. Eventually, the effects of Botox will wear off, and the nerves restart sending signals for the muscles to contract.

How quickly does Botox work?

Botox does take a few days to take effect. Generally, it’s between 3-5 days but it can take several weeks to see the full results of the treatment. It takes time for the Botox to block off signals being sent to the muscles.

This is one of the reasons I always ask patients to have a review session two weeks after treatment. At this session, I can assess how well the treatment has worked. As well to see if it needs a ‘top-up’, which I will take care of at that point.

As will all things in life, some patients could see results in a few days and for others it may take a several weeks.

What will effect how long the treatment last?

There are several factors which effects how the treament last, a few mentioned at the beginning of this article. A few other considerations are:

Your age will be a key factor
The elasticity of your skin
The condition of the muscles around the lines and wrinkles
The number of wrinkles and lines in the area of treatment
The depth of the wrinkles and lines
Thickness of your skin (Note: men tend to have slightly thicker skin!)
Whether you smoke
Amount of Botox used
The brand of Botox used – there are several brands available.

Certain health and lifestyle choices will also an effect on how quickly you see the benefits of the treatment, and how long it will last.

Find out more about Botox treatments.

Get in touch for a short chat to see if Botox treatment is right for you.

23 April 20229 July 2022

What is Botox made of?

There are many questions my clients have asked over time, the one which comes near the top is “what is Botox made of?”.

Boxtox is made from a toxin produced by a bacterium named Clostridium botulinum. Yes, it’s a toxin which can cause life-threatening type of food poisoning called botulism. However, when used in extremely small doses it ensures the benefits of the toxin are helpful and not harmful.

What is Botox?

The name ‘Botox’ is in fact a brand name. The scientific name is onabotulinumtoxinA, and is one of seven different strains that are produced from Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium has been around for ages and was first identified in 1895.

Botox is manufactured by growing the bacteria and purifying it to remove the bacterial matter leaving the purified toxin complex. Small doses are prepared and used in aesthetic treatments and injected into muscles to temporarily reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The bacterium Clostridium botulinum can be found in many natural surrounding such as lakes, forest, and soil. It can also be found in the intestines of mammals and fish.

Naturally occuring Clostridum botulinum bacteria and it’s spores are generally harmless. The problem occurs when the spores transform and aggressive increasing the cell production. During the rapid growth the bacteria start to produce the botulinum toxin which causes botulism and overwhelms our natural defences.

It sounds really scary, however in aesthetics and also in other medical uses, the toxin is used in extremely small doses giving us benefits without harmful effects.

How was Botox found to be helpful for wrinkles?

Botox was originally used to treat an eye condition called Strabismus, a condition where eyes are not aligned properly. It was first used for children with Strabismus. The doctors wanted a treatment which could be used locally and which lasted long enough to have a positive therapeutic effect and then wear off.

It was then used for treatment of muscle spasms. Small doses were used in areas where patients were experiencing muscle spasms. In patients who had muscle spasm around the eyes, doctors found the furrow lines softened due to the use of botox.

In other cases of muscle spasm near the eyes, patients noticed the softening of their ‘crow’s feet’. And so the use of Botox in aesthetics was born!

Originally Botox was called Oculinum which was approved for the conditions Strabismus and blephorospasm in 1989 but the name was changed to Botox in 1992.

However, it wasn’t until 2002 when the first aesthetic’s use was approved by the FDA in the USA.

Find out more about Botox treatments.

Get in touch for a quick chat to see if Botox treatment is for you: