Wrinkles and lines naturally come with older age, but that doesn’t mean they have to give your age away to others. Botox therapy can be highly effective in reducing their visibility, which can remove years off your appearance while making it harder for others to guess your age. Here at Wichita Vision Institute in Wichita, KS, Dr. Patel has been treating adults of all ages with this therapy for many years now with amazing results.
While Botox’s corrective effects for lines and wrinkles are well known, our patients are often surprised to learn that it can also be used to prevent many signs of aging before they appear. For this reason, it can be appropriate for just about anyone who either has dynamic lines and wrinkles or wants to prevent them, though there are a few benefits to getting started with treatments sooner in life rather than later.
What Is the Ideal Age for Getting Botox?
Many of our patients find that starting treatment early in life can be ideal, as this is when the preventative benefits of Botox are most effective. This treatment can help ward off lines, wrinkles, and aging skin with both its muscle-relaxing and collagen-stimulating properties. For this reason, starting your first sessions in your 20s or early 30s might be preferable, though others find it more convenient to schedule appointments only as they’re needed, which can be done at any age.
However, our skin continues to produce less collagen as we get older, so new issues can develop at any age since the aging process is a progressive one. This means that it’s never too late to start a preventative approach by regularly scheduling treatments three to four times per year. While we can’t prevent the issues that have already become visible in older age, we can normally minimize their appearance while preventing others that haven’t yet developed.
How Does This Treatment Work?
Botox has become well-known as an anti-aging treatment because it can reverse the signs of aging by relaxing facial muscles while improving skin texture. In our teens and 20s, dynamic lines and wrinkles, which are those associated with facial expressions, are less prominent because the skin contains high levels of collagen that help it to maintain its supple texture.
Stress, aging, and other factors can all have a negative effect on the skin where it no longer bounces back as easily from muscle contractions as it once did. The signs of aging can then become more noticeable, though this therapy can be a great way of treating the skin to restore it back to its natural state while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
What Happens During a Typical Treatment Session?
Consultation and Treatment
When you first arrive at our office, your initial consultation with Dr. Patel will involve a brief discussion about your aesthetic goals, medical history, and any medications you might be currently taking. A quick exam of any cosmetic issues you’d like treated will follow, just to ensure that this treatment is the right option for you.
The treatment session is normally a very quick process that takes less than 15 minutes, though this can vary based on how many areas will be treated. Dr. Patel will ensure that you’re comfortable at all times, and while the injections normally don’t cause any pain, a topical numbing gel is always available if you’re sensitive to needles.
After Treatment
After you finish your treatment session, you’ll likely be surprised by how simple and quick the entire process was. At this point, we’ll provide you with some simple precautions you should take to maintain optimal results, but there’s no recovery period and you won’t have to worry about having any downtime or missing any work.
How Soon Does It Start Working?
After receiving Botox injections, the onset of effects can differ from person to person, though most patients should experience full results within two weeks. Because this medication works by relaxing muscles, the state of your muscles, such as how tense they are, is going to play the largest role in how quickly the medication starts working, though your skin texture and other factors can also play a role.
Those who have thicker, rougher skin or hypertonic muscles may respond more slowly to this treatment. For others, some effects may be noticed within 24 hours after treatment, though these are normally minor at first and more improvements will typically be noticed in the days or weeks following this.
How Long Can I Expect the Results to Last?
The effects of Botox can last anywhere from three months to a year, though four months is the average time frame one should expect after each session. Some of the common factors that can affect these results include your age, diet, metabolism, and how many units of medication you received. We strive to provide the best results, so we’ll always ensure that you receive the most optimal amount of medication for your particular skin type and muscle tone.
Stress levels and anxiety can also weaken the results of this therapy, as stress hormones can have an effect on collagen, which is essential for skin health. Experiencing high levels of stress over time can not only reduce the effectiveness of this medication, but can also lead to more lines and wrinkles, loose skin, and texture changes. So it’s important that you reduce any stress in your life, to not only prolong the effects of this treatment but to also protect your skin going forward.
Am I a Good Candidate for This Treatment?
While the initial consultation allows us a better opportunity to determine if this treatment is right for you, you may be a good candidate if you’re older than 18 years old and have lines, wrinkles, or rough skin or would like to prevent some of these issues from developing.
Also, you should be in good general health, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and not allergic to Botox’s ingredients. If you’re taking any prescription medications, such as blood thinners, this therapy may be contraindicated, and if so, you may need to speak to your prescribing doctor to see if you can pause these medications until at least 48 hours after your treatment session with us.
What Are the Benefits of This Therapy?
With numerous benefits, this treatment offers the following advantages that many alternative anti-aging options simply can’t:
Minimizes Lines and Wrinkles
The most obvious benefit of Botox therapy is its effect on lines and wrinkles. In many cases, this therapy can completely eliminate the appearance of these issues after just a single treatment, and these results can normally be maintained over time with regularly scheduled appointments.
Skin Revitalization
This therapy can also be used every three to four months to give the skin a revitalized, fresher look. By boosting collagen levels and relaxing facial muscles, it can replenish collagen-deprived skin that otherwise looks rough and uneven from the aging process or years of hypertonic muscle activity.
Shrinks Large Pores
One often overlooked benefit of this treatment is that it can shrink enlarged pores when injected into the skin rather than the muscles. When used this way, even smaller amounts of the medication are applied, which can rest the sebaceous glands, and in some cases, this may even prevent new acne lesions from forming.
Temporary Yet Long-Lasting
This therapy is a unique one in that it has the benefits of being both temporary and long-lasting. It’s safer than surgery or other permanent treatments because the effects wear off within three to four months for those who just want to try it out. After two years of regular treatments, the effects typically begin to last longer, and many long-term patients are able to enjoy the results for as long as six months between sessions.
Application Is Painless
Because the needles we use are ultrafine and extremely small, there is normally no bleeding or any significant redness after receiving treatment. While those who are sensitive to needles can always request a numbing gel to be used before we make the injections, this isn’t normally needed, and most patients report the process as being a painless one.
Schedule With Us Today
Regardless of your age, Botox therapy can be a great way to maintain a youthful look while treating any lines, wrinkles, or rough patches of skin that may already be present. To see if this treatment is right for you, contact us today at Wichita Vision Institute in Wichita, KS to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Patel, and get ready to discover a new way of maintaining both your appearance and self-confidence.
