First of all, Botox is a purified form of the botulinum toxin type A, which causes muscles to stop contracting. It’s only used in minute doses for therapeutic purposes.
However, it has gained notoriety for its purely cosmetic use. A few tiny pricks on your face can banish frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead creases for up to six months.
The bad news is that a lot of people still don’t know how to use it – or what they’re supposed to do after using it – which can end up being seriously counterproductive. If you’ve been considering Botox as a way to turn back the hands of time for your appearance, here are some tips on how to avoid the pitfalls.
#1: Expect a Temporary Reduction in Smile Lines
Botox relaxes the muscles that affect your ability to smile and frown. Which means you won’t be able to produce those deep lines around your mouth until it wears off. Perk up! Don’t press your luck
When it gets close to the time that you can start smiling again, don’t expect your frown lines to have vanished by magic after just a few days. It will still take another week or two for them to disappear completely.
#2: No Frowning Even If You Feel Like It
Frowning is something that we all do unconsciously from time to time, especially when we’re concentrating on a problem or concerned about a situation. While you want to avoid frowning altogether while your Botox treatment is in effect, don’t be tempted to let it go completely while you still have some of the effects at play.
#3: Don’t Be Overzealous with Your Treatment
Botox will smooth out most expression lines – but not all of them. A few wrinkles – especially those that are related to your habitual expressions – won’t be affected by Botox at all, and you should try to keep this in mind as your treatment is ongoing and after it has worn off.
#4: Don’t Get Botox in an Area with a High Degree of Natural Movement
Botox is more effective on areas where you have few muscles. Hence, it’s more effective on your crow’s feet than around your eyes, and why it isn’t recommended for the forehead or around the nose.
#5: No Sunburns
It’s a good idea to avoid sunburns while you’re getting Botox injections and proceeding with your recovery. Any sort of burning or inflammation can prolong the results of your treatment, and may even leave some remnants that will need to be corrected. So, stay away from the beach and keep on reapplying sunblock when necessary.
#6: Remember That it is Only Temporary
It goes without saying that Botox is only a temporary solution to your facial expression lines, but it’s good to be reminded of this fact. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend so much time and effort on something that you were hoping would last for years.