Botox in nasolabial lips before and after photos

The appearance of wrinkles does not please anyone, especially if they are deep folds running from the mouth to the nostrils. They form in adolescence, but in youth the skin is elastic and elastic, so the creases are not pronounced. By the age of 30-35, the situation changes, and wrinkles become very noticeable due to insufficient production of collagen and elastin, and thinning of subcutaneous fat. Cosmetologists claim that Botox in the nasolabial folds helps restore skin elasticity. Is this really so and is it safe to inject the drug? We suggest you find out right now.

Why do nasolabial folds appear?

They are sometimes called smile and laugh lines. They are two skin breaks on the side of the nose and the corner of the mouth. As a person ages, they become more pronounced. In order to understand whether wrinkles and nasolabial folds can be removed with Botox, you need to understand the reasons why they appear. The most common are the following:

1. UV damage. We tend to spend a lot of time in the sun, which does not have the best effect on the skin - it loses moisture, becomes less firm and elastic.
2. Nicotine addiction. When smoking, a person purses their lips, which can lead to wrinkles around the mouth. Chemicals in cigarettes speed up the aging process.
3. Facial expressions. Any manifestation of emotions, be it laughter, smiling, frowning, leads to the formation of wrinkles.
4. Poor nutrition. When consuming harmful products that are not enriched with beneficial substances, the skin does not receive biological compounds and, therefore, loses its elasticity faster.

According to cosmetologists, widely advertised products are practically powerless against this type of wrinkles, so the only effective and safe option is the use of special dermal fillers.

Botox is injected into the nasolabial area in doses; the procedure itself does not cause discomfort and in rare cases provokes side effects.

Indications for use

Visible facial rejuvenation occurs through injections. The active substance, getting under the skin, blocks the nerve endings, which stop transmitting the signal to the muscles, and they lose mobility, as a result of which the skin becomes smoother. Unlike other fillers, botulinum toxin injections can only be done to get rid of wrinkles, since this substance does not help with facial sculpting. Indications for the procedure:

1. age-related wrinkles on the forehead, around the eyes and mouth;
2. nasolabial folds are pronounced;
3. cheek ptosis.

The latter is typical for people over 30 years of age. The long-awaited result will be visible a week after the procedure. The amount of the administered drug depends on the number, severity of wrinkles and the area of ​​​​treatment.

Carrying out the procedure

In order for rejuvenation and wrinkle smoothing through Botox injection to bring the desired results, you need to take a responsible approach to choosing a specialist. Only a qualified cosmetologist with an appropriate license can administer injections. This is a very important requirement because you will be entrusting your health to him.

Read reviews on the Internet, ask your friends and sign up only with a clinic with an impeccable business reputation. As for the procedure itself, it is carried out in several stages.

Preparation

At this stage, a consultation takes place, during which the doctor collects all the necessary information to identify possible contraindications and determine the patient’s condition. The cosmetologist must talk about side effects that cannot be predicted in advance, as well as complications, so that the clinic client is fully prepared for the likely consequences and risks.

1. The specialist marks the injection points for Botox.
2. The treated areas are cleaned and disinfected.
3. Local anesthesia is used.
4. The product is taken out of the refrigerator (it must be stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees).
5. The drug is diluted with saline solution.
6. The finished composition is drawn into a syringe with a thin needle and injected into the marked points (depth 7 millimeters, angle 45-90 degrees).

Rehabilitation

After the procedure, the patient is observed for 60 minutes, then can go home. During the recovery period, general recommendations should be followed, including:

1. giving up alcohol and smoking;
2. limiting physical activity;
3. a ban on taking anticoagulants and other drugs that alter hematopoietic function.

On average, rehabilitation takes about 10-14 days. The effect of beauty injections appears around the same period and lasts 3-6 months, depending on the individual characteristics of the body.

Advantages and disadvantages

Please note: Botox has a lot of positive qualities that only appear if the technique is followed and the correct dosage is chosen. The answer to the question of how many units of Botox should be used on nasolabial folds is purely individual. The specialist must select the amount based on the current condition of the skin and the characteristics of the patient’s body.

The disadvantages of the drug include the following:

1. Habituation – the more often the procedures are performed, the less pronounced the effect is observed each time.
2. Complications – after the procedure, unexpected reactions of the body may appear that cannot be predicted.
3. Contraindications – despite their safety, Botox injections have a long list of limitations.

The benefits are obvious - it is 100% positive and long-lasting results. The effect will last up to 6-9 months, which, given the affordable cost of the drug, is an advantage.

During the administration process, the patient does not experience pain and recovers quite quickly, so a hospital stay is not required.

Precautionary measures

The performance indicator of a professional cosmetologist is a smooth, symmetrical face without flaws or signs of aging. Today there are many advertisements on the Internet offering to carry out the procedure at home, but we do not recommend responding to them, since low qualifications of a specialist lead to serious consequences: impaired articulation, problems with eating, ptosis and other complications.

How to protect yourself? First of all, make sure that you have no contraindications to the procedure:

1. Autoimmune diseases, disorders of the nervous and digestive systems.
2. Pregnancy and lactation period.
3. Skin ulcers, acne.
4. Chronic infectious diseases.
5. Oncological diseases.

Experts do not recommend carrying out the procedure during menstruation, since physiological processes change in the body and any intervention in them can provoke complications.

Cosmetologists' opinion

Experienced specialists emphasize that Botox injections will help get rid of nasolabial folds, but will not stop the aging process. If the patient wants to maintain youth for as long as possible, comprehensive systemic care is required, including injection techniques.

It is extremely important to properly care for your face, and to do it at a professional level. Only a qualified cosmetologist will be able to select techniques and preparations that will be effective for each specific case.

Conclusion

Alas, youth is not eternal and we are all susceptible to aging, which is expressed primarily in the appearance of wrinkles. Deep nasolabial folds can add at least 5 years to biological age, and to get rid of them, cosmetologists have developed a number of effective and safe methods, the price of which is more or less affordable.

Injections of botulinum toxin, which can freeze muscles and smooth the skin, are considered effective. However, when making an appointment at a cosmetology clinic, be very careful, since not only your beauty, but also your health depends on the correctness of your choice!

In cosmetology practice, Botox injections into the nasolabial folds are considered rare. These folds are not actually wrinkles and are not formed due to frequent muscle contraction. Consequently, inactivation of certain muscles will not lead to their disappearance, even temporary.

However, in many cases, patients exhibit facial expressions in which contraction of certain facial muscles can increase the severity of nasolabial folds. It is in such situations that injections of botulinum toxin into the target muscles can make the nasolabial lips less noticeable and are therefore sometimes used in addition to filler injections and other cosmetic procedures.

For example, the photo below shows the result of using Botox alone (before introducing fillers) specifically for the complex treatment of nasolabial folds:

As you can see, there is a positive effect, although the folds on the face remain. Further, after subsequent basic procedures, it is possible either to completely remove the nasolabial lips or to hide them as much as possible.

Here in the photo you can see the final result of complex therapy of nasolabial folds:

You cannot achieve this effect with Botox alone on any face. However, in some cases (though not in all), Botox is needed as an additional tool to obtain such a result.

What is the reason for this feature of the treatment of nasolabial sphincter and in what cases is it necessary to inject botulinum toxin for this purpose?

Can Botox help eliminate nasolabial folds?

It is well known that Botox and other botulinum toxin preparations are designed to eliminate wrinkles caused by too frequent or constant contraction of certain facial muscles. The principle of action of botulinum toxin does not allow for its other uses: when it gets into tissues, it disrupts the mechanism of transmission of impulses from nerve endings to muscles, which is why neither voluntary nor involuntary contractions of these muscles no longer occur. And due to the fact that the muscles do not contract, wrinkles do not appear.

The specificity of nasolabial folds is due to the fact that in most cases their formation is not associated with muscle activity.

So, the main reasons for the appearance of nasolabial lips are:

1. Aging of the skin, loss of elasticity and tone, sagging under the load of the fat layer on the cheeks;

One of the reasons for the appearance of nasolabial folds is skin aging.

1. Heredity - in people with certain facial features, nasolabial folds can appear in youth, even on young and elastic skin;
2. Decreased tone of the muscles that support the cheeks from above - in this case, the cheeks actually slide down to the corners of the lips.

In addition to these reasons, nasolabial folds can form due to too frequent contractions of the orbicularis oris muscle, the levator labii anguli muscle, and some other muscles. Moreover, the degree of influence of such contractions on the severity of the nasolabial lips depends not only on the emotionality and expressiveness of the patient, but also on the characteristics of his face, the specifics of facial expressions and the interaction of different muscles.

As a result, there is no muscle that is sufficient to immobilize with botulinum toxin to achieve complete disappearance of nasolabial folds. But the presence of muscles, the contraction of which affects the severity of nasolabial lips, determines the advisability of using Botox to eliminate them in some cases.

“I started my cosmetology epic with nasolabial lips. Then they injected me with Restylane, the result was very good, I didn’t notice any wrinkles at all for six months. Then the cosmetologist advised me to do Botox between the eyebrows, and when she did it, she hinted that small dynamic wrinkles had appeared near the former nasolabial lips, seemingly above the lips, at the level of the nose. So they are almost invisible, but when you smile they catch your eye. Here, he says, Botox is better, because these are dynamic wrinkles. In general, I agreed, she injected me. It really did get better, although it seems to me that my smile wasn’t as deep after that.”

Olga, from correspondence on the forum

Results of botulinum toxin injections: “before” and “after”

Let's just give a few examples for clarification.

Below in the photo are typical gradient-shaped nasolabial wrinkles before and after botulinum toxin injections:

As you can see, although the folds have become less pronounced, they have not disappeared completely. The reason here is the characteristics of the patient’s cheeks and lips: they are quite voluminous, and due to this, the fold between them is formed precisely as a place with the least amount of soft tissue. The contribution to the severity of nasolabial lips, which was made precisely by muscle activity when smiling, was eliminated by injections of botulinum toxin. Everything that was caused by other reasons was preserved.

Another good example is the treatment of nasolabial lips without Botox:

Here, in place of the folds, it is precisely dynamic wrinkles formed by a smile that remain. After previous procedures, it will be enough to select the correct injection sites for botulinum toxin and eliminate these residual defects.

Finally, a separate specific case is the nasolabial folds, the severity of which decreases with the correction of the so-called gummy smile. For example, this is what the patient’s face looks like before and after therapy:

As we can see, due to the deactivation of the muscles that elevate the upper lip, the severity of the nasolabial muscles has also decreased.

Here, however, everything is quite ambiguous. In some cases, treatment for a gummy smile can, on the contrary, make nasolabial wrinkles more noticeable. The photo shows an example of such a situation:

In fact, the depth of the nasolabial lips remained the same, but due to the disappearance of the dominant defect, they became more noticeable.

Finally, an example from a star, worthy of cosmetology textbooks:

Here we see both a corrected gummy smile and a reduced strength. Ronaldo, of course, did not admit what procedures he underwent, but for a specialist, everything is written on his face...

All this means that the decision on whether or not to inject Botox in order to eliminate nasolabial folds is made by the doctor after studying the patient’s face and facial expressions, as well as diagnosing the reasons for the appearance of nasolabial folds. There are almost always clear reasons to get an injection, and it may also be obvious that there is no need to get one.

When you definitely don’t need to inject Botox to eliminate nasolabial folds

An indisputable reason to refuse botulinum toxin injections when eliminating nasolabial wrinkles is the precise understanding that contraction of any muscles on the face does not in any way affect the severity of these wrinkles. As a rule, diagnosing the complete absence of such influence is difficult and not always possible. However, in most situations, Botox to eliminate nasolabial folds definitely does not need to be used by young people with elastic, smooth skin, especially if they do not have other wrinkles clearly caused by muscle hyperdynamics. The likelihood that, for example, there is no wrinkle between the eyebrows yet, but the nasolabial fold has formed partly due to facial expressions, is minimal.

Injections of botulinum toxin into the nasolabial folds are not recommended for young people, since their skin is still quite elastic and their muscles are hyperdynamic.

Botulinum toxin also does not eliminate nasolabial problems caused by:

1. A decrease in the normal tone of the muscles of the cheekbones - because of this, the cheeks sag under their own weight, and even compensation for the antagonist muscles will not prevent them from moving downwards;
2. Sagging skin due to age-related changes in its structure - in this case, skin revitalization is required;
3. Sagging of the cheeks with sudden weight loss - in this case, the decrease in the volume of soft tissue occurs faster than the normal adaptation of the skin to it and its excess also shifts downwards. If this happens at a young age, the defect will go away on its own over time. If this occurs with a parallel decrease in skin elasticity, additional procedures are required - tightening, biorevitalization, filling with permanent fillers;

With sudden weight loss, sagging skin occurs, including the skin of the cheeks. But if rapid weight loss occurs at a young age, when the skin is still quite elastic, then the nasolabial folds will tighten and disappear over time, so correction in this case, as a rule, is not required.

1. Features of a face in which the cheeks are clearly visible. In such a situation, the only way to correct the defect is through surgical methods, but the feasibility of this step is very doubtful.

As a rule, when treating nasolabial sphincter, the doctor first carries out the main therapy and only then uses Botox if defects remain that are clearly caused by muscle contractions. If no such defects remain, botulinum toxin preparations are not used. And it rarely happens when a doctor initially sees that botulinum toxin is necessary to eliminate nasolabial folds. Then he can first inject Botox or its analogues, and then apply other methods on the face without muscle contractions.

Botulinum toxin as an addition to filler injections into the nasolabial area

More often, botulinum toxin preparations against nasolabial folds are used in addition to filler injections. Moreover, the fillers themselves can perform several tasks here:

1. Restoring the normal structure and tone of the skin, due to which sagging cheeks are “tightened”;
2. Filling the wrinkles themselves, reducing their depth and severity.

Various means are used to obtain these results. In the first case, biorevitalization of the skin in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle is carried out using hyaluronic acid, in the second, fillers based on collagen, autologous fat or other preparations that create volume are used.

Injections of hyaluronic acid “tighten” sagging cheeks.

When after these procedures (usually after a certain period of time necessary for the effect to manifest itself) obvious dynamic wrinkles remain in place of the nasolabial folds, the doctor will eliminate them with botulinum toxin injections.

“I had a similar situation. I thought about pumping in only filler, because apart from the nasolabial, nothing bothers me, and they only do fillers. But my cosmetologist tells me: your facial expressions are pronounced, your smile is very wide, because of it the folds turn out to be deep. Botox will solve half the problem here. She gave either one or two injections on each side. And indeed, she guessed right. Then it was from this that the skin smoothed out well. But after Botox I came to get filler, it took half as much, half a syringe was injected into my lips, so now I’m just a beauty. And everything costs 1,300 rubles more due to Botox. I think this is a very reasonable investment in beauty.”

In some cases, it is possible to use botulinum toxin before other procedures. If the doctor initially correctly assesses the influence of facial muscles on the severity of the nasolabial folds, it is more rational to first immobilize these muscles and eliminate the severity of dynamic wrinkles, and only after that eliminate defects caused by other reasons.

However, the second option is more complicated due to the fact that it is not always possible to correctly assess the contribution of different causes to the total defect. Therefore, in practice, it is more common to first carry out filler therapy and possibly other procedures, and only when obvious dynamic wrinkles appear, botulinum toxin is used.

Preparations containing botulinum toxin are used only for obvious dynamic wrinkles that affect the formation of nasolabial lips.

According to statistics provided in some authoritative American journals, the use of botulinum toxin is required in approximately 8% of cases of nasolabial correction. In most situations, these folds can be completely removed or the best possible result can be achieved without Botox or its analogues.

In general, fillers are more effective in eliminating nasolabial folds than botulinum toxin preparations.

Amounts of the drug and points of its administration

Since botulinum toxin injections are only an auxiliary component of the procedure for eliminating nasolabial folds, it is administered in small quantities at several points.

Most often, Botox or its analogues are injected into the muscle that lifts the upper lip and the wing of the nose as part of the fight against nasolabial problems. It is very thin, but quite long, and its contractions lead to the raising of the corners of the lips and stretching them when smiling. At this moment, there is a strong deepening of the nasolabial fold in the central part, and in some people, the upper gum is exposed.

Muscles responsible for raising the corners of the lips and deepening the nasolabial fold.

In these cases, the injection is performed into the apical triangle of the upper lip or into the pyriform opening of the nose on each side. 1-2.5 units of Botox or 3-6 units of Dysport are injected into one point. Considering the small diameter of this muscle, this amount of the drug is enough to completely immobilize it.

After the procedure, the deepening of the fold when smiling becomes less noticeable, and on a face without a smile, the nasolabial fold is slightly smoothed out.

Less commonly, botulinum toxin is injected into the depressor angle oris muscle. This may be justified if there is a decrease in either the tone of the zygomatic muscle or the elasticity of the skin on the cheeks. In both cases, the muscle pulls the corner of the lip and the cheek down, increasing the severity of the nasolabial fold, and when it is injected, the cheek is raised and the fold is reduced.

As in the previous case, a small amount of the drug is injected into the depressor angle oris muscle - 1-2 units of Botox or an equivalent dose of Dysport. If after the procedure the effect turns out to be insufficient, it is enhanced by the introduction of additional doses.

Sometimes, to lift the cheek, botulinum toxin is injected into the muscle responsible for the corner of the mouth.

After such injections, the severity of the so-called line folds - thin superficial wrinkles stretching from the edges of the nose to the lips - weakens.

Considering the small amount of the drug, the price of such procedures is relatively low. So, with the cost of administering a unit of Botox being 300-320 rubles, such therapy for nasolabial lips will cost 1200-1400 rubles. But at the same time, the result will be very weak, and for a more pronounced correction, other methods, more expensive, will be required.

Also, in some cases, for complex correction of nasolabial lips, injections are made into the zygomatic muscles, the orbicularis oris muscle, and even into the laughter muscle. Here, however, the greatest caution is required and the use of minimal quantities of the drug to avoid adverse cosmetic defects.

At the same time, to eliminate or reduce the severity of nasolabial folds, botulinum toxin is never injected directly into the folds. The fold itself is formed at the points where the muscles attach to other fibers, and contraction does not occur here.

Possible undesirable consequences of such injections

Injections of botulinum toxin into the nasolabial triangle are fraught with a noticeable, conspicuous violation of facial expressions. Moreover, in order to be noticeable, these violations do not have to be significant. For example, critical for many patients are:

1. Insufficient elongation of the lips when smiling, caused by weakening of the laughter muscle or the muscle that lifts the upper lip. In this case, a visual sensation is created that the person cannot smile fully;
2. Lowering or, conversely, raising the corners of the lips. In the first case, the face takes on a sad expression, in the second, an evil smile appears on it (analogous to the smile of clowns from horror films);
3. General stretching of the lips in length, leading to a change in the face as a whole;
4. Sagging of the middle of the upper lip when smiling, creating the impression that the person is deliberately covering his upper teeth and is afraid to smile fully;
5. Violation of facial symmetry - drooping of one corner of the lips, curvature of the smile.

One of the side effects after botulinum toxin injections may be drooping of the corner of the mouth.

Since such side effects significantly affect facial expressions, they attract attention, even if the observer is not aware of exactly what changes have occurred in the face of a person who has undergone botulinum therapy. In this case, those around him tell the patient that something is wrong with him, but they cannot explain what exactly.

Other side effects are already considered pathological and not only affect the patient’s appearance, but also cause him certain inconvenience. These include, for example:

1. Dysphagia – difficulty and even inability to take a sip;
2. Development of dysfunction of the muscle that closes the mouth;
3. Flu-like syndrome (very rare due to small amounts of botulinum toxin administered).

At the same time, side effects typical of botulinum therapy in the form of swelling and bruising at the injection sites when injected into the nasolabial triangle and around it rarely develop. This is explained by the small amount of injected drug and the softness of the injected tissues.

What methods are most effective for eliminating these folds?

As you can see, botulinum therapy is only an auxiliary method for combating nasolabial folds, which can only enhance the results obtained with other procedures. The main method of correction is usually used:

1. Injections of hyaluronic acid - in cases where it is necessary to restore skin tone, intensify metabolic processes and increase the amount of water in it, regenerate the cellular matrix, create volume and smoothness. Due to such effects, the use of hyaluronic acid is called biorevitalization;
2. Introduction of autologous fibroblasts, providing an effect similar to that of hyaluronic acid, but not accompanied by an increase in volume due to the retention of additional amounts of fluid;
3. Injection of fillers into the skin to provide additional volume and smooth the surface of the skin. Such fillers include special biodegradable gels, bovine and human collagens, autologous fat taken from other parts of the body, polymethyl methacrylate;
4. Thread lifts, indicated for age-related sagging cheeks;

One of the methods for correcting nasolabial folds with age-related sagging of the cheeks is thread facelifts.

1. Hardware lifting, in itself, is ineffective, but it enhances the effect of contouring.

If the patient has other, more serious defects that require surgical correction, a surgical cheek lift may be performed at the same time. However, in practice this happens very rarely due to the complexity and high cost of such operations.

Finally, in some cases, not so much therapeutic as preventive measures help to significantly reduce the severity of nasolabial folds.

For example, the photo below shows a girl’s nasolabial lips before a course of special yoga for the face and after a corresponding set of exercises:

It can be seen that the result is superior even to filler injections. And although this effect can be achieved only before the appearance of senile wrinkles, for many women aged 30-40 years, this method is a real magic wand.

It is also extremely useful to use various scrubs and peels, moisturizers, mesotherapy, and control your time in the sun. All these methods will at least help not to aggravate the severity of nasolabial lips, and with the right approach, they will weaken them until they disappear completely.

Various aesthetic cosmetology methods are used to treat wrinkles. This is filling voids in the skin with fillers, introducing hyaluronic acid into the upper layer of the epithelium, etc. One of the most common techniques is Botox for the face. The difference between this anti-aging technology and others is the area of ​​impact. Botulinum toxin preparations are not introduced under the skin, but into certain muscle groups.

Indications and contraindications

Botulinum toxin is a protein neurotoxin that is a waste product of Clostridium botulinum. In fact, it is one of the most powerful natural poisons known to science. Naturally, its use for cosmetic purposes has both indications and critical contraindications.

Botulinum toxin injections

In fairness, it should be noted that modern anti-aging procedures use safe botulinum toxin. It blocks the transmission of nerve impulses from the cerebral cortex to certain areas on the face, without having an aggressive effect on other tissues.

Indications for using Botox:

1. The presence of deep wrinkles in problem areas of the face. This is the frontal lobe, nasolabial folds, the so-called. “bunny” wrinkles are sharp depressions on the bridge of the nose.
2. Acute hyperhidrosis. Neutralized bototoxin is actively used in the treatment of excessive sweating.
3. Age-related changes in facial oval. This procedure is called Botox lifting and is used as an alternative to surgical intervention.

Contraindications for Botox for the face:

1. Pregnancy, lactation.
2. Sessions are prohibited while taking “aggressive” medications, including antibiotics and chemotherapy. Experts say that such rejuvenation is not used even with the use of calcium-containing vitamins.
3. Syndrome of rapid fatigability of striated muscles or false paralysis.
4. During menstruation, premenstrual period (2 days before bleeding) and during menopause.
5. Exacerbation of herpetic disease.
6. Impaired normal circulation or other blood diseases (including hemophilia).
7. Myopia, farsightedness.

Botox facial procedure

Botox injections are performed under completely sterile conditions. They cannot be done at home - infection may occur at the skin puncture sites. In addition, storing botulinum toxin requires special conditions: the slightest rise in temperature and injection can cause serious illness.

Injection process

The thickness of the needle for the procedure does not exceed 0.3 mm. This is slightly thinner than a human hair.

How are Botox injections performed for the face in the frontal area:

1. Before the session, the skin is completely cleansed of makeup and secretions. To do this, it is treated with an alcohol-free disinfectant solution.
2. Conventionally, the forehead is divided into several areas: the central point, the sides, the hairline, and the lower zone. The central zone is worked out first.
3. The cosmetologist grabs the skin in the middle of the forehead. The result should be a thin fold (up to 5 mm wide). The needle is inserted into it all the way. The piercing occurs literally to the bone.
4. As soon as the needle rests on the bone, the technician releases the skin and begins to slowly inject the solution. Muscle injection
5. If after removing the needle there is bleeding, then it is stopped with a simple cotton pad soaked in Chlorhexidine.
6. The next injection point is located at the same level as the previous one. The action is completely repeated: the fold is clamped, the needle is inserted into it until it stops, and then the injection is made.
7. Depending on the number and complexity of wrinkles, 6 to 8 injections are required on the forehead.

Sometimes lumps form at the injection site. This is kind of a side effect. Accumulations of botulinum toxin resolve on their own over time.

Where can Botox be injected on the face - diagram

There are two options for administering Botox:

1. Subcutaneously. B, so-called, layer of lemon peel. This session is performed if the patient is diagnosed with excessive sweating. Also, intradermal administration is promoted as a means of combating small facial wrinkles.
2. Intramuscularly. To ovalize or eliminate complex nasolabial wrinkles, botulinum toxin is injected into the lower part of the face, strictly into the muscle area. Muscle injections are used to remove deep wrinkles on the bridge of the nose or in the area of ​​the brow ridges.

Botox injection areas

To determine points on the face where Botox can be injected, a cosmetologist performs electromyography. This is a study of muscle responsiveness. Afterwards, puncture sites are marked on the skin. An injection is given at these points.

Skin examination

Botox injection schedule:

1. To remove longitudinal wrinkles on the forehead, punctures are carried out in the central zone and points located 1.5 centimeters further from it.
2. To “soften” the fold on the bridge of the nose, botulinum toxin is injected into the side edges of the wrinkle. Here the distance is maintained by eye.
3. Subcutaneously the solution is injected in approximately 1 centimeter increments.

Rehabilitation period

As such, there is no recovery period after an injection rejuvenation session. Immediately after the session, the patient can return to his normal life.

Of course there are some restrictions:

1. Alcohol inactivates botulinum toxin. Therefore, you should not drink for a week after the injections.
2. It is important to avoid physical activity (especially heavy lifting and bending forward), otherwise the solution will spread.
3. It is recommended to avoid hot rooms and direct sunlight. In windy weather, we recommend staying at home. After punctures, microtraumas remain on the skin. If bacteria gets on the damaged shell, infection may begin.
4. You cannot wear makeup until the punctures are completely healed.
5. It is better to wash your face with plain water, without soap or gels.

After two days, the toxin will begin to act actively. There will be a “mask effect” on your face for some time. It occurs as a result of muscle relaxation. Over time, you will get used to this feeling. In the end, it is thanks to this effect that the tightening occurs.

Another common side effect is swelling. This is a normal reaction to the introduction of an aggressive drug under the skin. The accumulation of fluids will stop 3-5 days after the procedure.

How often can you do Botox on your face?

The first correction with botulinum toxin can be carried out already on the 14th day after the session. It may be necessary if the master, for some reason, was unable to work on the entire area at once. Full injections are given no more often than once every six months. Botox has a cumulative effect, i.e., after each subsequent procedure, the rate of resorption of the toxin slows down.

Botulinum toxin

Dynamic wrinkles are the first to be corrected - these are folds around the eyes, “smiles” in the corners of the lips and other facial signs of aging. Injections in these areas can be done once every 3 months. Complex static wrinkles (nasolabial folds, sagging cheeks) are corrected every six months.

How long does the effect last?

Reviews from doctors claim that Botox for the face lasts from 3 to 6 months. In many ways, the duration of the effect depends on the patient’s age and skin condition.

Forehead after Botox injections

Where and how long does the effect of botulinum toxin last:

1. Lips, corners of the mouth – from 4 to 12 months.
2. Crow's feet, brow ridges - from 3 to 6 months.
3. The area of ​​the chewing glands, cheekbones – up to 6 months.
4. Nasolabial folds – from 2 months to six months.

What not to do after facial Botox

The most important thing that you should not do after facial Botox is take hot baths, steam in saunas and play sports. Such strict requirements apply only in the first 7 days after injections.

Bruises after Botox

Also for a longer lasting effect Not recommended:

1. Specially strain the muscles in the chipped areas. But, remember, immediately after the session you need to make a special grimace for better distribution of botulinum toxin.
2. Paint your face in the first 7 days after the procedure.
3. It is forbidden to take antibiotics - they can inactivate the toxin solution.
4. Touch and scratch the skin.
5. Facial cleansing after Botox is carried out only with soft preparations without abrasive particles.
6. Girls who practice rejuvenation using Japanese methods often wonder whether it is possible to do facial massage after Botox. This is strictly prohibited in the first week after the procedure.

Consequences of Botox

If not properly cared for, Botox for the face may not only fail to take root, but also cause irreparable harm to the body.

Consequences of Botox

What can happen:

1. Quincke's edema. This is an extremely dangerous allergic reaction that can be fatal. Occurs due to an allergy to botulinum toxin.
2. Displacement of parts of the face. For example, when eyebrows are pierced, one eyebrow goes up and the other goes down. This occurs as a result of the lack of professionalism of the doctor or the “spreading” of the drug.
3. Mask effect. After a long period of inactivity, the muscles simply “forget” how they worked before the injections. As a result, the face may appear lifeless.
4. Weakening of natural turgor, sagging muscles.

Recovery after beauty injections

Analogs

Despite its proven safety (taking into account proper use and sterility of the procedure), Botox injections cause some concern among many girls. Therefore, doctors often use analogues of botulinum toxin for injection rejuvenation. They are considered less harmful. This:

1. Relatox. This is “Russian” Botox made from type A toxin. Its cost is much cheaper than natural Botox, but the effect is similar.
2. Dysport. This is one of the variants of the hemagglutinin toxin. It is used to treat muscle spasms and prevent the formation of wrinkles. The drug relaxes muscles and has a strong muscle relaxant effect.
3. Xeomin. German Botox. An excellent alternative to Dysport. The drug is characterized by a long-lasting effect and lack of muscle addiction. This explains its cost, which is twice as high as regular botulinum toxin.

Masks with Botox effect

Botox injections are not performed at home, but as an alternative, you can make a face mask. Of course, their effectiveness is much lower than that of injections, but they are characterized by a complete absence of side effects. Preparations for external use do not contain Botox, since the toxin is almost instantly inactivated when exposed to air.

Botox analogs

The most famous masks with the lifting effect of botulinum toxin:

1. Face mask Botox Active Expert. Ideal for facial contours and treatment of deep wrinkles in the nasolabial folds. The product contains hyaluronic acid, sakura honey extract, shea butter and peanut base oils. Botox Active Expert
2. Dizao Boto Mask 8. Heavy product for the care of mature skin. It contains petroleum jelly, tocopherol, green tea extract, aloe extract, and mineral compounds. Dizao Boto Mask
3. Face cream with Botox effect Evalar Cream Qi-Clim botoeffect or Cyclim Botox. Contains a unique complex of peptide argireline. This component is characterized by its unique ability to relax muscles and moisturize the epidermis. In addition to the peptide, the cream contains hyaluronic acid, lecithin, D-panthenol, and rice extract. Evalar Cream Qi-Klim
4. Nano Botox facial serum. This is a unique emulsion enriched with silver ions and synthetic peptides. As a result of the effect of the drug, small facial wrinkles are smoothed out. Nano Botox
5. Serum Shary. Korean anti-aging elixir contains Argireline, hyaluronic acid and a complex of plant extracts. Shary

An excellent analogue of artificial lifting products is a homemade face mask made from starch instead of Botox. It consists of completely natural ingredients, does not pollute pores and does not dry out the skin.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing a home remedy for wrinkles:

1. A tablespoon of potato starch is dissolved in 100 ml of water. The mixture must be mixed thoroughly so that there are no lumps.
2. At the same time, you need to boil 50 ml of water. After boiling, pour cold starch mixture into hot water and stir until a thick mass forms.
3. After this, the pulp is cooled and combined with chicken yolk.

The composition is applied to the face, neck and décolleté. The holding time ranges from 20 to 30 minutes. The procedure must be repeated every 3 days.

Mask with potatoes and starch

Essentially, this is the same thing. Botox is a highly concentrated botulinum neurotoxin. It is produced by Allergan (USA). Dysport is the same toxin, but only with a concentration 2 times less. This is a French drug from Beaufour Ipsen. Accordingly, the latter drug has a higher consumption and less danger to health.

Botox Allergan

Other differences between botulinum injections:

1. Price. Dysport is much cheaper. On average, an ampoule of the drug costs from 15 to 20 dollars. Botox is exactly twice as expensive.
2. For those interested in whether Botox is harmful for facial rejuvenation, it will be interesting that the product from Allergan is more dangerous than the drug Beaufour Ipsen. An allergic reaction occurs as a result of the active production of antibodies. The higher the concentration of botulinum toxin, the more likely the body’s negative reaction.
3. The effect after Botox appears on days 5–7 and lasts up to 1 year. The results from Dysport appear within a day after the injections. But, the duration of its action is up to 3 months.

Photos before and after Botox injections

In the photo before and after Botox for the face, it’s hard not to notice the result. Two weeks after the injections, even deep wrinkles are completely smoothed out. Over time, the toxin is eliminated from the body, but a certain effect remains even after its complete dissolution.