Botulinum Neurotoxin Injections

Botulinum toxin is the full name of the active ingredient used but for simplicity sake we will refer to the product by ‘botox’ only. After chemical peels this is certainly the most popular procedure done at Dr Kannenberg’s practice. The results are usually reviewed in 1-2 weeks to assure beautiful results. Privacy is guaranteed. Have a look at some myths and realities regarding botox injections:

①Botox is toxic and dangerous.

Botox has been used since the early 1980’s and has many medical indications for use (squints, muscle spasms, etc). In huge amounts, botox may be toxic but in the minuscule amounts used for cosmetic effect: The product is very safe.

②Botox is only for older people who have wrinkles. 

Prevention is better than cure. The best time to start using botox is before the wrinkles develop.

③It will leave you looking frozen and expressionless. 

When the product is injected correctly, in the right amounts, you will not be left with a frozen face. The aim is to get the facial features softer. The overall aim is to enhance your natural beauty.

④The effects last forever.

The effect usually lasts 3-4 months – longer for some people and shorter for others. The more treatments you have, the longer the effect will last – similar to how a muscle weakens if not used. The effect does wear off, however, so treatments will have to be repeated every few months.

⑤There are creams that do the same thing. 

Up to date there is no clinical research to supports this claim. Maybe in the future, but currently: No cream compares to this wonder medication.

⑥The injections are very painful. 

This varies from person to person but “painful” is an exaggeration. Can you feel it? Yes – but I use very small needles, and distraction techniques. This usually leaves my patients asking, “Was that it?” as they were expecting much worse. You can handle it with a smile. 

⑦Botox is just for women.

Men get wrinkles too! Men are also discovering the benefits of Botox. Injections placed at the appropriate sites relieve stress headaches, clenching and grinding of the teeth. As men’s faces are more muscular they do require more product but otherwise; the exact same applies to men and women.

⑧Your wrinkles will worsen once you stop botox treatment 

Untreated your skin develops a memory of use and lines become permanent. Every 3-4 months that this does not get an opportunity to occur is 3-4 months that that memory is not formed. Therefore, with every 3-4 months of treatment your skin rests for this period. Wrinkles will not worsen after botox.

⑨Botox only works for facial lines and wrinkles.

Not at all. Although botox is used for wrinkles, it is also used to reduce pain caused by neck spasms and other muscles that are too tight. Botox can help reduce “gummy smiles”, improve dimpled chins, relieve clenching and grinding teeth, relieve headaches and even helps for sweat reduction. Some even have botox treatments to warm cold hands. Botox has several medical indications/uses. 

⑩Botox is for rich and vain people.

The price varies widely from one practitioner to another but is relatively affordable. Considering the effects usually lasts 3-4 months, it’s a no-brainer. Even 1 treatment per year will be beneficial. Botox is for people who want to look after themselves. That certainly does not mean that you are vain. You are your most valuable commodity.

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All of this could have been avoided with a few simple steps:

Always wear a sunscreen – winter and summer, even when you are indoors all day. We now know that the solar spectrum includes much more than ultraviolet (UV) A, B and C. Ultraviolet A even gets through windows! So ‘being indoors’ all day is not going to protect you. The other components of the solar spectrum includes infra-red and visible light – includes screens. Let’s add some pollution in the mix and there we have a toxic combination that standard sunscreens don’t protect against. The SPF measure on the product only refers to the UVB coverage. The newer better sunscreens now also include UVA coverage and various amounts of differing quality antioxidants – protecting against DNA damage. Thankfully UVC gets block by the ozone layer – or what is left of it. So you see: always wear a sunscreen.

Avoid sun exposure – even if we apply the best sunscreen every day we will unfortunately very rarely apply the sunscreen frequently enough in the desired amounts. That means that we will unfortunately not achieve the protection promised by the sunscreen.  Becoming a vampire in your to-do list? No? Hhhmmm, what to do… Aha:  Just avoid direct sun exposure as much as is humanly possible. Ie: Don’t just do it (like Nike), rather: just be careful.

A skin regime doesn’t have to be complicated: usual morning routine should include simply rinsing or sometimes washing your face. Follow this with an appropriate antioxidant (magical indeed) and moisturizer for your skin. And then your sunscreen. Evening regime: wash with the sunscreen advised by your doctor. Here’s the secret: apply the strongest vitamin A cream your skin can tolerate (beware: not all vitamin A creams are created equal) followed by your moisturizer (could be the same as the morning – so there’s some saving!). And there you are – voila!

Oh and one more thing: do not over exfoliate – no more than once a week. Be gentle with your skin – this goes for the boys too.

Healthy diet. I won’t tell you to stay away from burgers, pizzas and cakes, milk or coffee. I also won’t tell you to drink gallons of water… But a balanced healthy diet is important for your general well-being which will, for sure, reflect in your skin. So over-indulging or fad diets… will reflect in your skin.

Don’t smoke – the one vice that is highly detrimental to your skin is cigarette smoking. Of course excess alcohol will also give you a bad skin – mostly due to nutritional deficiencies. But the cigarette smoke… that’s a sure thing to get a dull, prematurely aged skin. And it even gives you black heads and white heads with enlarged pores… Certainly not attractive features.

Now we get to professional help with in-office procedures. Schedule as regular an appointment as you can with a professional for chemical peels. There are various chemical peels on the market, with various ingredients (mostly fruit acids – so yep: 100% natural. Think of the first reports of peels being used where Cleopatra used to bath in milk regularly), various strengths and therefore various down times. A good place to start is a ‘lunch-hour’ peel – meaning there’s no down time! The medical grade peels we use are predictable and therefore safe and controlled in our hands. The peels are performed either by the doctor self (ie. me) or by a highly trained therapist. Here is just something that I must say: it really is not painful and you will not be left with a raw face – as per some horror movies or shows of things going wrong. These are fears that my patients have mentioned to me about peels. So to reassure you: you are in good hands. Sometimes more advanced peels are indicated. And these we’ll discuss when the time comes. Some are best done in winter for example.

Prevention is really better than cure: let’s talk about botox. There are so many misconceptions – it’s not possible to discuss it all here… Maybe have a look at ‘The 10 myths of botox’ on my website – www.skindoctorcapetown.co.za. Just the basics here: start before you get permanent lines – so early 20’s really is a good place to start. If permanent lines are there already we can generally get it better after a few treatments. It usually lasts 3-4months when you can redo it if you want (you will want to most likely). But if you can only manage every 6months or even yearly that’s also fine! You also don’t have to continue if you don’t want to. So if you don’t like it it’ll be gone in 3-4months. It is not painful – who likes needles… really. But I use very small needles and it’s over quickly. It’s also not as expensive as you think – usually R1500-R2500 per treatment. It doesn’t work immediately – so don’t do it the day before a big function and expect it to have kicked in by the next day. We need about 2weeks before – just to be safe. Just give it a go.

Microneedling is my next little secret…what a game changer! I only use the original Dermapen – the safest one. We apply a potent numbing cream to your face 45min before the procedure so you don’t feel anything. We only use the best products during and after the procedure. Afterwards your skin is a little red and warm. We apply a medical camouflage so that your kids don’t get a fright The next day you may still be red – a little foundation does the trick. And on day 3-5 you may have fine peeling, but nothing that will keep you out of work. We sometimes do a course of these for best results. But this is something you want to do regularly for amazing benefits.

And then sometimes we’ll need a little filler. I only use the best and safest fillers on the market and we follow strict safety regulations. Sometimes we want to work on the foundation of the face – replacing the volume lost in the depths – and sometimes more on the superficial layers…in a ‘polyfilla’ type of action. It is also not as expensive as you think and usually lasts 18-24months. This is another long story that we’ll have to discuss when we see you… The aim is always to enhance your natural beauty and to not make you look unnatural. And of course always to keep the dreaded ‘B’ word…budget… in mind!

Come for a consultation and we’ll formulate a treatment plan!

The post 10 Tips to look younger for longer from Dr Kannenberg appeared first on Skin Doctor Cape Town.