A Few Simple Ways to Promote Longer Lasting Botox Effects

Botox is known as one of the best wrinkle-reducing treatments of our time. A few injections are all it takes to eliminate dynamic wrinkles on the upper face or neck for up to several months. The product works by binding to the receptors on muscle cells and preventing nerve signals from passing through. As a result, the muscle cannot contract. The reason this works is that dynamic wrinkles are made through muscle movements. When the muscle cannot move as strongly as it normally does, the wrinkle that has developed smoothes out. The results of Botox are beautiful, natural-looking, and extremely satisfying. Understandably, patients often want to know how they can prolong them. The logical answer is to train oneself not to make strong facial expressions. That, however, is misguided, and it also diminishes how our personality comes across. If you want to get Botox, don’t avoid making facial expressions. Show your true self to the world! Here, we’ll discuss some of the things you can do to enjoy a younger-looking face for a longer period of time.

Classified as a neuromodulator for its restriction of muscle movements, Botox is made of a botulinum protein. The body also makes natural proteins that support firm, youthful skin. Collagen is the best known. As we reach adulthood, the production of this protein slows down significantly. This is why we have an increasingly difficult time warding off new wrinkles and other signs of aging. In addition to making less collagen, the body also breaks down the collagen it does have. It does this because it’s part of the body’s job to break down proteins. Botox has nothing to do with collagen, so why does it matter that the body breaks down collagen as a protein? Because, also a protein, Botox gets broken down, too.

The issue isn’t whether or not the body will break down the protein that makes Botox so effective, it’s a matter of how fast this will happen. The rate at which the botulinum protein is broken down depends on a few different factors. The body’s natural metabolism is one that cannot be mitigated. We don’t want to slow down our metabolism just so Botox can last longer. Other factors that affect the longevity of Botox may be far easier to manage.

How to Make Botox Last Longer

• Manage sun exposure. The vast majority of the signs of aging that occur can be traced to sun exposure. There are several reasons. One is that the ultraviolet light in sun breaks down collagen, which we’ve already learned degrades naturally (let’s not speed up that process!). Ultraviolet light also causes inflammation at the cellular level of the skin. Where this inflammation lives in the skin, all supportive chemicals have a shorter life span, including the skin cells themselves.
• Check blue light exposure. We’ve become a society that largely relies on screens for many of our normal activities. We work on screens several hours a day and may then play on them as well. If you spend any amount of time in front of a computer screen, check the blue light filter on your monitor. Newer computers may come with this feature. Still, it may be beneficial to add a layer of blue light filter over screens to reduce low-level inflammation caused by this type of light.
• Boost collagen repair and production. Skin care has come a long, long way since the days of applying cold cream to the skin before bed. Today, we have multiple different ingredients that work in unison to repair and boost collagen production. Examples of ingredients that you want to see in your skin care products include peptides and retinol. Peptides encourage optimal cellular function, while retinol bind to cell receptors to stimulate collagen production.

The good news about Botox is that treatment can safely be repeated when the results of the previous treatment begin to wear off. Studies suggest that repeating treatments in this way, when results start to diminish, may work to prolong the effects of Botox injections in the long run.

Schedule your consultation for Botox at our Amarillo office. Contact us at (806) 351-1177.