Botox is best known for being able to reduce the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles associated with aging. While wrinkles form for a variety of reasons, Botox targets those resulting from repeated and exaggerated facial expressions like frowning, laughing, and squinting. The most common issues we address are the “11’s” creases between the brows, “bunny” scrunch lines on the sides of the upper nose, and “crows feet” on the outside corner of the eyes.

Botox works by temporarily paralyzing the dominant muscles responsible for certain facial expressions. Contrary to what some think, Botox doesn’t freeze the face — the expressions are still totally accessible — but it relaxes the effect they have in the progression of fine lines and wrinkles into deeper creases that remain even after the expression fades.

In this way, Botox can smooth wrinkles already forming, as well as prevent many wrinkles from forming in the first place.

Smoothing frown and worry lines on the forehead, nose and chin, as well as those that form around the eyes can erase years from your face and make you look more rested and often, less angry. But as it turns out, these most common uses are simply Botox 101. There are many other places you can get Botox (and for a variety of different reasons) that you may not even know about.

At Kalologie MedSpa, we regularly use Botox to even out and add balance to facial features. How?

Make Eyebrows More Symmetrical

By targeting certain muscles in the forehead, Botox can be used to raise or lower an eyebrow, so it matches the other. Conversely, by relaxing the “furrowing” muscles in the forehead, brows can be effectively raised to make hooded eyelids appear more open.

“Lift” and Smooth the Smile

Botox is an excellent way to lift the corners of the mouth that naturally begin to droop as we age, creating the image of a perpetual frown.

A Botox Lip Flip is also effective in adding volume to thin lips (instead of using fillers,) and can correct a “gummy” smile. When injected into dominant muscles above the lip, Botox can soften and disguise “straw lines” around the mouth.

Medical Conditions

Although best known for its cosmetic use, increasingly, Botox is considered an effective treatment for a variety of medical conditions.

* Chronic headaches. When injected into specific areas of the forehead and trigger point areas where headache pain originates, Botox blocks pain-signaling neurotransmitters, so they are unable to reach the nerve endings around the head and neck. Headache relief was first discovered accidentally by sufferers using Botox for cosmetic purposes but was later researched and found effective as a viable migraine headache treatment.

* Teeth grinding/clenching. Injections into the jaw relax overly tight muscles used for chewing, allowing the release of tension in the jaw area. Not only does this prevent grinding and clenching the teeth (and the sore jaw and neck muscles that go with it,) some people even report their jawline looking slimmer when not in a constant state of tension

* Excessive sweating. Botox is an FDA-approved treatment for those that suffer from hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating in the hands, feet and underarm areas, among others. Botox effectively blocks nerve signals responsible for sweating to reduce the amount of perspiration in certain areas.

If you would like to learn about the many ways Botox can not only improve the appearance of your skin, but many quality-of-life issues as well, contact Kalologie MedSpa Austin for a free consultation today.