Holiday parties in Atlanta. We all have them for work, or for our friends and family. Each has its own dynamic, but sometimes they can feel like a competition to show the new dress, the new haircut, even some new breasts.
There’s another simple way to make an impression — invite a little Botox to your holiday party season. A Botox session at Beaty Facial Plastic surgery only takes minutes and can make you look years younger, without a suture or expensive dress bill in sight!
What is Botox?
Of course, you know Botox. You would have needed to be living in the jungles of Borneo for the past 16 years to not have at least heard of this famed wrinkle eraser. It is one of the most famous brand names in the world. The FDA approved Botox in 2002 to address wrinkles and lines on the upper third of the face.
Botox is made of the botulinum toxin type A. This is the same bacterium responsible for botulism in humans. Yes, that sounds scary, but those nutty scientists made it not so. They discovered that when injected in very tiny amounts into a muscle, botulinum toxin type A temporarily paralyzes the muscle, causing it to not contract. This is how Botox does its work on facial wrinkles, by paralyzing the muscles.
But how?
While you may spend a lot of time looking at and thinking about your wrinkles, you still may not know that there are two different types of wrinkles — static and dynamic. Static wrinkles are there all the time for the world to see. They are usually the result of sun damage and a loss of collagen in the skin as we age. Dynamic wrinkles are different; they are formed by repeated muscle contractions under the skin. When we do routine things like smile or frown or squint, it requires muscle contractions. Over time wrinkles form on the skin surface from these behaviors.
Botox to the rescue. When injected by Dr. Beaty into the muscles causing, let’s say, your crow’s feet, the Botox paralyzes those muscles. It does this by simply blocking the signals from the nerve to the brain telling the muscle to contract. Without the message, the brain doesn’t initiate the muscle contraction. And without the contraction, the wrinkle on the surface either doesn’t appear or is dramatically less visible.
This nerve blocking lasts for around four months in most patients. At that point the muscle will again begin to contract and the wrinkle will reappear. But you can keep your results by simply having another Botox session. Plus, over time, the muscles injected kind of learn to be a little more relaxed and tend to not only need less Botox, but to not form wrinkles that are as dramatic.
One thing about Botox — it takes a few days to take effect, usually from 4-6 days to fully immobilize the muscle forming the wrinkle. So, if you have a big shindig at Buckhead or Brookhaven, it’s best to schedule your Botox session with Dr. Beaty at least one week ahead.
Add Botox to the guest list for your holiday parties. No one will know. They’ll just know your face looks somehow younger and less lined. You deserve that. Contact us at Beaty Facial Plastic Surgery, (770) 753-0053, to make your appointment.
