Whether this is your first cosmetic treatment or your twentieth, you’ve likely already heard a lot about EL Paso Botox treatments. As one of the most trusted and most common cosmetic treatments in the world, everyone has a basic idea of what this neurotoxin injectable treatment can do to smooth away the visible signs of aging. At Sun City Laser in El Paso, TX, we’re happy to answer all of your questions, including how long this treatment can last.
How Long Does Botox Last For?
In general, neurotoxin treatments like this one will last for about three to four months at a time. Most patients can expect this treatment longevity regardless of age or skin condition. However, there are some cases where your treatment may last for more or less time.
For example, patients who have never had a neurotoxin treatment before may only benefit from three-month-long results because the body is working harder to break down the new chemical of the treatment. On the other hand, patients who have had this treatment several times before may experience results that last longer than four months. Your age may also be a factor, as well as how well you respond to the neurotoxin formula and how much toxin is used to produce your results.
How Can You Make These Results Last Longer?
While minimally invasive treatments such as injectables like this one are appealing due to their swift recovery time and overall less risk, these treatments also do not last for as long as cosmetic surgeries. But that’s okay! With the right techniques, you can ensure that your results last for as long as possible. A few things you can do to make your results last longer include:
Avoid the Sun
Not only does the sun cause premature aging and superficial issues like dark spots and sun damage, but the sun also makes the chemicals in injectable treatments break down more quickly. If you want to protect your results, then the best thing you can do is make sure you wear adequate SPF coverage when you’re outside. For most people, SPF graded 30 or higher is adequate protection, although especially fair-skinned people may require a minimum of at least 40 or 50 SPF.
Minimize Your Stress
Your stress hormones may keep you going during an especially challenging workday, but they also have potentially detrimental effects on the stability of injectable treatments. Certain stress hormones enhance metabolism and specifically target the ingredients that are in neurotoxin treatments such as this one, which may cause the treatment to break down more quickly and make your results last for less time than expected. Using stress management techniques may prevent this from happening.
Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle is an essential part of ensuring that your results last for as long as possible. Drinking enough water keeps your skin hydrated, while eating a diet that consists of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will minimize the inflammation in your body and help balance your metabolism. Indulging in too much high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods, including alcohol, may make your neurotoxin treatment break down more quickly.
All that considered, however, there is one part of your healthy lifestyle that you may want to monitor or factor into how long you can expect the results from your treatment to last. An exercise that is especially strenuous or excessive may raise your metabolism, which may also encourage your metabolism to break down your neurotoxin more quickly. If you have an active or athletic lifestyle, then your results may not last the full four months.
Invest in Quality Skincare
Quality skincare products are not only superior in terms of what they can do for your skin, but they are also better partners for helping the results of your cosmetic treatment last for a longer time. Using skincare products that include ingredients such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, and retinoids may help enhance the results of your treatment, prevent further skin aging, and ultimately help your results last longer.
Tone Down Your Expressions
It sounds like funny advice, but it’s true! Limiting your facial expressions or making an effort to have fewer facial expressions may help the results of your treatment last longer. For areas of the face where the skin is thin and muscles are more active, repetitive facial expressions may make your neurotoxin treatment break down more quickly. What this means in a practical sense is that you should keep smiling and laughing, but you may want to kick the habit of arching or furrowing your brows for long periods of time.
Follow Your Aftercare Instructions
It’s also important to follow your aftercare instructions to the letter. By following your aftercare instructions well, you will ensure that you heal well after your treatment and that the results of your treatment will be optimal.
For Botox and other neurotoxin treatments, this means following directions to avoid massaging, scrubbing, or touching the treated areas for at least 24 hours after your appointment. Any of these actions may cause the neurotoxin to spread to surrounding muscles and will ultimately dilute the results of your treatment.
Where Can You Use This Treatment?
This particular neurotoxin was originally designed to treat glabellar lines, which are the verticle lines between your eyebrows that are formed by furrowing your brow. More recently, research indicates that this injectable treatment can be used successfully on other areas of the face for concerns such as:
- Forehead wrinkles
- Bunny lines
- Crow’s feet
- Downturned lip corners
- Gummy smile
- Lip flip
In addition to these cosmetic uses, this treatment can be used in medical settings to treat migraines and excessive sweating. It’s common for patients to use this treatment on various areas of the face to produce more comprehensive results. For example, treating both wrinkles on the forehead and around the mouth can make you look much younger overall.
When Is the Right Time for This Treatment?
When this treatment first became available to the public, the patients who used the treatment were usually in their 40s and 50s – but these days, even people in their 30s are using this treatment. For one thing, using this treatment to smooth the appearance of wrinkles when you are younger can prevent certain signs of aging from worsening, which will help you look younger for longer.
But overall, there is no best or ideal time to have this treatment. You can have this treatment at virtually any age and during every time of the year. However, if you are having this treatment to prepare for a special occasion, you may want to schedule your treatment appointment at least two to four weeks before your event to ensure that your results are visible.
What Are the Benefits of Botox?
In addition to how long this treatment lasts and the general versatility of this treatment, there are several other benefits of this neurotoxin injectable that makes it so appealing to prospective patients. Some of these benefits include:
Precise
Neurotoxin treatments are incredibly precise, as each injection is made into an affected facial muscle to relax specific areas of the face that are contributing to the appearance of wrinkles. The precise nature of this treatment ensures that each of your appearance-related concerns is treated and that only muscles associated with the wrinkles are treated.
Safe and Trusted
Botox is one of the safest and most trusted cosmetic treatments on the planet, with years of rigorous studies backing up the efficacy of this treatment. Very few people have any allergic reaction to this neurotoxin. The treatment is also trusted because only the muscles in your face will cease exaggerated movement – you will still be able to feel your face and make expressions, which means the results will feel and look natural.
More Confidence
Looking younger will make you feel more confident, which is one of the biggest benefits of this treatment. When you feel more confident about how you look, you may feel happier or even more satisfied with your life quality. Feeling more confident and more attractive is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of this treatment.
Compatible Treatment
Finally, this treatment is highly compatible with other cosmetic treatments. For example, neurotoxin treatments are commonly combined with dermal filler treatments to produce more comprehensive anti-aging results. Neurotoxin treatments also pair well with some laser skin treatments, exfoliating treatments, facials, and chemical peels.
What Can You Expect From Your Treatment?
Your treatment will consist of several small injections made into the muscles of your face so that the nerve signals for muscle movement are disrupted, which will smooth the appearance of facial wrinkles. Your treatment appointments usually take 15 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on how many areas are being treated. You will not feel any significant discomfort from this treatment.
How Soon Can You See Results?
It will take some time for the results of your treatment to settle. Usually, patients can start enjoying the results of their treatment within seven to ten days of their treatment appointment, with full results being visible about two weeks after your treatment. You may see results more quickly if you have had this specific neurotoxin treatment before.
How Frequently Should You Have This Treatment?
You should have follow-up treatments as soon as you notice the results of your current treatment are starting to fade. For most people, this means scheduling a maintenance appointment once every three or four months to achieve consistent results. Of course, if you notice that the results of your treatment are lasting a bit longer than four months, you may be able to wait a few additional weeks before your next treatment. We will help you determine the ideal neurotoxin treatment frequency for you if you aren’t sure.
Who Are Good Candidates?
The best candidates for this treatment include adults who are not allergic to botulinum toxin, who are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and who do not have any current skin infections. This treatment is a good option for both women and men who are over the age of 30 and who would like to smooth the appearance of their wrinkles.
Look Younger and Feel More Confident With Botox
It’s time to reclaim your confidence and start looking as young as you feel. Botox El Paso treatments can help relax wrinkles and even help prevent new wrinkles from forming. If you think this treatment is the right fit for your appearance-related concerns, contact Sun City Laser in El Paso, TX to schedule your consultation appointment today.