At Westover Hills Dermatology in San Antonio, TX, Botox is one of our most commonly performed cosmetic treatments. Our clients love the natural, youthful look they achieve with this treatment. However, they wonder if there is anything they can do to maximize the benefits of Botox. The good news is, there are ways to extend your Botox results.
There are several misconceptions about Botox. For instance, people often think that Botox is only for the old. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, to maximize the benefits of Botox, start in your 30s. Collagen production rates vary from person to person. However, it usually slows down significantly between the ages of 30 and 35.
While it’s important to start getting Botox early, getting Botox too early will not help you maximize the benefits of Botox. Adolescents and people in their 20s often feel that they could benefit from Botox. However, they should focus on caring for their skin health and overall health. During adolescence, collagen production and cellular turnover are still going strong.
The more regularly you receive Botox, the longer your results will last. On average, the results of Botox last between four and six months. It takes roughly 10 to 14 days to see the results of treatment. Therefore, you should schedule a touch-up treatment 3.5 months after your initial treatment session. There are multiple benefits associated with this treatment schedule.
Primarily, you never lose the results of the treatment because you are treated again before the results wear off. Secondarily, the more regularly you receive Botox, the smaller the necessary dose to achieve the same results. Botox works by relaxing hyperactive muscles. If the muscles are dormant for a long period of time, they will “atrophy” and treatment will become drastically more effective.
We know this is a tough one, but it is incredibly important. Cigarettes contain over 100 chemical compounds that wreak havoc on all your body’s systems. This includes your circulatory system.
A healthy circulatory system is essential for delivering nutrients to the skin to keep it looking young and healthy. Moreover, nicotine, one of the chemical compounds that make up cigarettes, weakens collagen and slows collagen production. This inhibits cellular rejuvenation and cellular turnover, leading to premature signs of aging.
An astonishing 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Even acute dehydration wreaks havoc on your overall health and is terrible for your skin. To get the most out of your Botox treatments, drink between half a gallon and a full gallon of water per day. This helps your skin with cellular rejuvenation and cellular turnover, keeping it hydrated, fresh, young, and healthy.
You don’t have to take expensive collagen supplements to maintain your wrinkle-free countenance. You just need to eat your fruits and veggies. Nutrients you should focus on including in your diet include:
Another critical thing you can do to maximize the benefits of your Botox treatment is to eat plenty of bioavailable protein. This preserves the muscle structure and keeps your muscles healthy even while they are inactive. Examples of incredibly bioavailable protein sources include fish, eggs, dairy, meat, and nuts.
Since Botox isn’t an invasive cosmetic procedure, there aren’t a lot of post-treatment care steps you need to take. However, you should avoid applying any masks, toners, abrasive cleaners or scrubs to the treatment site for at least a week after your treatment session.
Moreover, you should not apply pressure to the treatment site for around a week. This means you need to sleep on your back for about a week. However, there is no need to elevate your head when you sleep.
Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 30 is also crucial to extending the results of your Botox treatment session. It’s important to wear sunscreen even when it is overcast outside. Sunburn can happen through clothing. A little cloud cover won’t protect the sensitive skin of your face.
If possible, avoid going out between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM. The sun is strongest within this window. Being outside during this time, particularly without sunscreen, drastically increases your risk of receiving sun damage. Sun damage results in premature aging, melanoma, sun spots, sunburn, and other side effects.
Research suggests that moving your treated muscles after treatment will actually extend the results. There are several schools of thought regarding why this is the case. Research is still ongoing to explain this phenomenon. However, the results speak for themselves. Contracting the muscles that were just injected can increase the longevity of the treatment results.
Do you wish there was something you could do to maximize the benefits of Botox? There are even more things you can do to extend the duration of results, depending on what you’re receiving treatment for. To learn more, please contact us at Westover Hills Dermatology in San Antonio, TX today to schedule your initial consultation.
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