If you have received Botox injections, or you’re considering getting them to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and reclaim a smoother, more youthful appearance, you know they are not a permanent solution. Typically, results from Botox last between three and six months, and we understand wanting to keep your more youthful appearance as long as possible. To help you, our renowned plastic surgeon in Raleigh, Dr. Ortiz, is sharing tips on how to do this.
Why Is Botox Temporary?
First, let’s look at what Botox is and how it works so you can better understand how to extend your results with it. Botox is a protein that is derived from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. By injecting it into a muscle, it blocks signals from the nerves that cause the muscle to contract, and when muscles can’t contract, the dynamic wrinkles caused by facial movements relax and soften, allowing your face to look smoother.
The body breaks down the protein over time, but how quickly this happens depends on a variety of factors including metabolic rate and exposure to environmental toxins.
6 Tips for Prolonging Your Botox Injections
While there may be some things out of your control, following these six tips will help you prolong a more youthful look and allow you to maximize your Botox results.
Avoid Sun Damage
It’s no secret that sun damage can lead to premature aging by breaking down your collagen and damaging skin cells deep within the dermal layers. First, Botox is ineffective against wrinkles and lines caused by sun damage as they aren’t caused by muscle movements. On top of this, sun damage causes an inflammatory response within the cells which can also break down your Botox, reducing its effectiveness and minimizing its lifespan.
Consider Low-Intensity Workouts
High intensity workouts are designed to boost your metabolism in order to burn calories and build muscle more quickly. By raising your metabolic rate, you may be causing your body to metabolize the Botox more quickly so it breaks down sooner than expected.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise or even do intensive workouts, just integrate more low to moderate training into your workouts.
Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress can cause you to inadvertently scowl, frown, and tense your muscles, pressuring the muscles that have been targeted to relax with Botox. This alone can cause the effects to wear off more quickly, but stress can actually cause cellular damage.
Stress releases cortisol, the “stress hormone,” which triggers an inflammatory response within the body. Consistently high-stress levels can cause the body to break down Botox more quickly while speeding the aging process. Taking part in meditation, yoga, and other stress-relieving activities can help you maximize the life span of your Botox while reducing any stress-related aging.
Moisturize Your Skin
Using a good-quality facial moisturizer is essential to keeping your skin smooth. Moisturizers containing collagen and hyaluronic acid can be particularly beneficial by keeping your skin looking plump and healthy and reducing how quickly it breaks down the Botox within your facial muscles.
Don’t Use Nicotine
Smoking, vaping, and anything with nicotine causes your collagen to break down, damages your skin cells, and reduces the effectiveness of your Botox injections. Not only will the original dynamic wrinkles appear more quickly, but smoking and vaping cause fine lines around the mouth and eyes that future injections can’t fix.
Take a Zinc Supplement
In a study from the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, researchers found that people who received Botox and then took a 50-milligram zinc supplement saw a significantly longer duration in their results. Over 90 percent of participants who received the supplement, rather than the placebo, reported around a 30 percent increase in the duration of the initial injections.
Are Continued Botox Injections Right for You?
If you’re concerned about wrinkles and fine lines, Botox injections can be an excellent way to achieve a smoother-looking appearance. However, they offer temporary results for dynamic, or muscle-related, wrinkles but require continued maintenance and ongoing appointments. For a more permanent way to smooth wrinkles, reduce sagging and minimize the appearance of fine lines, a face lift or a brow lift may provide the long-lasting results you are seeking.
Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Ortiz Today
Whether you want Botox injections to smooth crow’s feet and frown lines, or you’re considering a brow or face lift for a more intensive rejuvenation, Dr. Ortiz can help. He will sit down with you to discuss your goals and help you determine the right steps to help you look and feel your best. Schedule a consultation today by calling 919-532-2270 or send us an email using our online contact form below.
