From the moment it is injected until the protein has finished doing its thing, learn what happens when botox is injected into your body.
First of all, how is a toxin considered safe?
Botox is short for botulinum toxin, a therapeutic protein derived from clostridium botulinum that, when administered and prepared by a licensed medical professional, provides patients with desired cosmetic results as well as relief from a variety of clinical conditions. Botox comes in powder form and is diluted with saline, which safely waters down the powder and makes it injectable.
Is it dangerous to paralyze muscles?
In a word, no. Once botox enters the targeted muscle, it works by blocking the synapses that allow it to move. Simply put, when you want to frown your brain sends the message to your muscles to contract and create the facial expression. With botox, the messages from your brain are sent but never received by the muscle. A lot of people have confused paralyzing the muscle with numbing it, which is not the case with botox. You will still have feeling in the injected area when you touch your face.
What if it spreads to other areas?
Even if it could, the dosage used for your face is too low to cause any possible harm. Botox, however, remains localized and is not capable of having a systemic effect. It is possible it can spread 3 cm from the injection site, but the dosage is too low for it to have any effect. In order for it to have any impact on other parts of the body, it would require thousands of units—far more than the standard dose of less than 100.
Will I be swollen and bruised?
While mild swelling and bruising is completely normal and nothing to worry about, some patients can avoid it altogether. Because your face is a highly vascular area, it is naturally more susceptible to bruising and swelling than other parts of the body. And because botox is diluted with saline, it may be the saline that is actually causing a temporary swell at the injection site. All of this will fade within hours, and bruising will subside as long as the patient does not rub or massage the injection site.
What if I change my mind after it is injected?
Once botox is in, it's in. The protein's effects can be felt anywhere from three to six months until it breaks down into it's harmless components and is metabolized by your kidneys. Botox patients who have had the treatment repeatedly for years may notice the muscles injected have atrophied over an extended period of time, making the effects last longer each time they are injected. However, movement will gradually return to the muscles no matter how long they have been receiving botox injections, so the effects are never permanent.
Is botox used for cosmetic purposes only?
No, and the list is quickly expanding for other conditions that can be treated using botox. Botox has been used for relief from excessive sweating, muscle spasms, migraines, overactive bladder, and even cerebral palsy and strabismus (lazy eye). Botox was previously categorized as something patients would only do for cosmetic purposes of looking younger, however, it has quickly gained recognition as a genuinely effective medical treatment for patients suffering from any of the ailments previously listed.
If you still have questions about the safety and effectiveness of botox, a consultation with one of our expert injectors can alleviate any concerns. And with botox being the leading product in anti-aging, this incredible treatment's popularity is only going to grow.
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