I mentioned that I might be interested to Botox to get rid of some wrinkles– the 3 or 4 rows of lines which used to appear only when I raised my eyebrows are starting to etch themselves into my forehead. My mother shrieked in horror because she thought the Botox was vile – a poison.
Fact of the matter is, Botox does indeed have an illustrious history. It is a neurotoxin commonly produced by bacteria and was first used by a doctor in San Francisco in a purified form to correct strabismus (a squint). He injected Botox into the overactive eye muscle to cause a temporary paralysis of that muscle, which allowed the other muscles to function more normally, correcting the squint. In 1987, Botox started to be used formally for correcting muscular disorders of the eye such as strabismus and blepharospasm (uncontrollable twitching of the eyelids). In 1989, Botulinum Toxin A was licensed by Allergan Inc. Botox subsequently found its use in various other health conditions such relieving severe neck and shoulder stiffness.
In the 1990s, Botox made its debut in cosmetic medicine, when doctors discovered a reduction of wrinkles in the upper face when they injected this into the forehead, frown lines and crow’s feet. This marked the start of Botox’s fate as the star of anti-wrinkle treatments and more. Apart from smoothening forehead furrows, improving frown lines and crow’s feet, Botox has also found its use in the lower face.
Read More: The Answer to Clearer Skin: Probiotics?
3 WAYS BOTOX CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT SURGERY
1. It can change the shape of a receding chin
Under-developed jaws such as the receding or the colloquially known “weak chin” used to be treated invasively with chin implant surgery. This surgery may involve sawing through the jaw and re-fixing it to a more ideal position. Botox can be used to change the shape of a receding chin. How? In some cases, strong chin muscles contract and contribute to the appearance of a small chin. Botox paralyses these muscles partially and prevents them from contracting. The chin then appears more full, rounded and projected.
Read More: Glass Is Always Greener: How to Achieve That Perfect “Glass Skin” Effect
2. It can make a jaw go from boxy to an attractive V
Squarish jaws can be due to overactive chewing muscles, known as the masseters. Botox Jaw Slimming can be done by injecting Botox to relax these muscles slightly, shrinking them in size over gradually over the next couple of months and dramatically altering the shape of the jaw, without surgery.
3. It can lift a droopy jawline
The Nefertiti Lift (named after Egyptian Queen Nefertiti who was known for her distinct and elegant jawline) mimicks a mini jaw lift. Microinjections of Botox are done at several points to the neck and jawline, relaxing the platysma muscle and negating the downward pull on the tissues of the lower face as well as the jowls.
The good thing about Botox is that all these are short term, temporary treatments that can be repeated every 3 to 6 months and the treatments are gentle with generally no downtime.
Read More: Is the Threadlift for You?