As the most popular cosmetic treatment out there, most people have probably heard of Botox or even known someone who has gotten it. Every single year, more than a million Americans get Botox. Most people get Botox with the hope of reducing or preventing wrinkles on their face, though there are many medical reasons for using it too.
What is Botox?
Botox, technically Botox Cosmetic, is the trade name for a substance injected into the facial skin to restrict muscle movement. Its purpose is to prevent and reduce facial wrinkles. The “miracle” wrinkle-reducing substance that is Botox is actually derived from the lethal neurotoxin botulinum OnabotulinumtoxinA. If ingested, it can cause paralysis or even kill you. However, when Botox is injected in tiny doses in specific areas, it causes the nearby muscles to relax temporarily.
Generally speaking, when people feel emotions, such as anger, happiness, fear, and sadness, our forehead muscles can contract over and over to eventually cause wrinkles. Botox stops the contraction of those muscles, thereby stopping wrinkle formation.
Approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) as a cosmetic treatment for frown lines between the eyes in 2002, Botox has grown over the course of nearly two decades to be the most popular cosmetic treatment on the planet. Later, in 2013, the FDA approved Botox to treat crow’s feet or those little wrinkles near the corners of the eyes. It turns out people will do anything to stay looking young, including injecting a toxin into their face. While Botox treatments are more common for women, plenty of men have jumped on the bandwagon as well.
In the early days of Botox, mostly older people were getting it to keep themselves looking young. Now, a lot of younger women opt for the wrinkle-reducing treatment as well. The younger generations, those in their 20s and 30s, are using Botox to prevent wrinkles before they start forming.
The Process of Receiving Botox Treatments
While the procedure is safe, non-surgical, and minimally invasive, Botox must be administered in-office by a licensed professional in the US, such as a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse or even dentist. As a cosmetic treatment, Botox can only be injected into certain areas. These include the space between the eyebrows and around the eyes to treat frown lines and crow’s feet respectively.
As the FDA has also approved the use of Botox for several other medical issues, such as excessive underarm sweating, overactive bladder, and chronic migraines, it can also be injected for therapeutic reasons in other predetermined areas.
Regardless, the medical professional providing the Botox procedure should know about any allergies, medical conditions, and prescription drugs you are taking for safety reasons. Additionally, your Botox provider might recommend avoiding medications that thin the blood to minimize the chance of bruising.
The process itself is easy. No general anesthesia is required and no incisions are made. For those who experience pain or discomfort, the use of a topical anesthetic or even ice can help to numb the area beforehand. The procedure involves the use of a fine needle to make between three and five injections between the eyebrows and around three injections on each side of the eye. The whole thing likely won’t take longer than 10 minutes.
Afterward, do not touch, rub, or apply pressure to the area of treatment. Furthermore, avoid lying down or bending over for around four hours after the treatment. Doing so can lead to the substance in the injections spreading to nearby areas and have negative consequences. Other than that, most people can resume their regular life immediately after the appointment.
Results will likely start to show between 24 and 48 hours later and usually last up to four months. After that, for continued wrinkle control, more Botox injections will be necessary.
Side Effects
When Botox is administered correctly by a licensed medical professional, side effects are either minimal or completely absent. If they do occur, they can include slight bruising or redness near the sites of the injections. Luckily, those issues don’t usually last very long.
More serious side effects are rare. They include tiredness, headache, neck pain, eyelid swelling or drooping, dry eyes, double vision, and difficulty swallowing, breathing, and talking. Additionally, if a person has an allergic reaction to Botox, they might experience a rash, itching, or asthma symptoms. Should any of these things occur, get to a hospital right away.
How Much Does Botox Cost?
As of data from 2018, Botox typically costs between $300 and $600 each visit. The price variance has to do with the number of injections given and location. Each unit of Botox costs anywhere from $10 to $15. The average dose is between 30 and 40 units for treatment to both the forehead and around the eyes.
While it might be tempting to find the lowest possible price for Botox injections, be aware that the price includes having a trained and experienced medical professional safely administer it for the desired results. Lower prices might indicate less professional service, and the result could end up being disastrous. This may be a situation where you get what you pay for. In other words, don’t stint on your investment and make sure you have all the necessary information about your Botox provider beforehand.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Botox
There are many benefits of getting Botox. The most obvious one is to eliminate, reduce, or prevent facial wrinkles to keep yourself looking young. Most people who get Botox are doing it for this specific benefit alone.
Botox is also being used to treat many other things, including overactive bladder, sweaty palms, psoriasis, migraines, depression, and eye twitching. Some of those are FDA-approved uses, while others are not. Interestingly, using Botox for whatever you like is legal in the US, as is the off-label use of any FDA-approved substance. What’s more, doctors can legally prescribe any drug that has been approved by the FDA for any medical issue if they feel it would be good for the patient.
For example, Botox has been approved by the FDA to treat overactive bladder, as it prevents the involuntary muscle contractions behind a person constantly feeling like they have to pee. Botox has not been approved as a lip injection, though it’s a popular procedure for fuller-looking lips. It has also not been approved to treat depression, though several studies, including a clinical trial from 2017, have shown it to be highly effective. As such, some psychiatrists now prescribe Botox to patients suffering from depression.
Botox also has some drawbacks that are worth considering before getting the procedure done. First of all, it has only been around for 30 years, so the long-term effects of Botox are still largely unknown.
Another major drawback is that the facial muscles will be impacted by the continuous and prolonged use of Botox injections With those muscles not working as well after stopping your use of Botox, your face may be less able to express emotion. An occasional break from Botox will allow those muscles to build back their strength and work properly again, but it could take some time.
Jess Lakritz 