Have you ever wondered why certain faces seem to age very slowly? Of course, it can come from excellent skincare regimens and amazing genetics, and environmental aspects have a role in it. However, when done subtly, injectable treatments, often called “tweakments,” can also help slow the aging process. Certainly, cosmetic neuromodulators such as Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are typically linked with the easing of muscles to counter the look of wrinkles. However, they are also frequently utilized proactively to deter the onset of wrinkle formation. While it doesn’t stop the aging process, Botox does temporarily freeze the muscles so it stops certain facial movements (like frowning or squinting) which can prevent those lines from forming.
This topic caused quite the debate at our FLEETSTREET office. Read on for info on Botox and whether or not our editors use it.
What exactly is Botox?
By nature, Botox is a toxin. This is confusing because while it’s technically a neurotoxin, it’s mainly inactive and therefore nontoxic. While there are risks involved in any procedures, nurse and founder of Blossom Skin Boutique, Oksana Latinovic assures us that if done with the right credentials and “proper knowledge, experience, and skill, Botox is very safe.”
Botox isn’t just a tool for anti-aging. There are also other practical medical benefits to it too. It has therapeutic uses in treating hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating. Botox can also be a remedy for a neuromuscular condition called bruxism, which is the constant clenching of the jaw and/or teeth grinding. This can lead to chronic headaches and damaged teeth. Botox relaxes the masseter muscle.
While Botox may have been seen as less of a commonplace procedure in decades past (the FDA only approved Botox in 2002), it is now offered everywhere from dentist offices (this was not the norm years ago) to medispas. In Canada, according to Statista, Canadians searched “Botox” more than 18,000 times in January 2021. That made it the most searched cosmetic procedure that month.
“Preventative anti-wrinkle injections involve the use of neuromodulators like Botox, Dysport and other brands to temporarily paralyze or weaken specific muscles by blocking certain nerves,” explains Latinovic. “Botox is injected into targeted muscles to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, particularly on the forehead, between the eyebrows and around the eyes.”
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Who is a good candidate for Botox?
Whether you’re looking for a way to enhance your appearance or to find relief from specific medical conditions, Botox offers a range of solutions worth considering. The ideal candidate for Botox as a cosmetic treatment is someone experiencing visible signs of aging and seeking a non-surgical solution. So if you’re noticing fine lines from facial expressions hanging around longer than you’d like, it might work for you. However, if those lines have deepened and appear to be permanent, then it may not work for you. And if you’re considering it for sweating or teeth grinding, talk to your doctor or dentist.
Botox isn’t just a tool for anti-aging. There are also other practical medical benefits to it too. It has therapeutic uses in treating hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating. Botox can also be a remedy for a neuromuscular condition called bruxism, which is the constant clenching of the jaw and/or teeth grinding. This can lead to chronic headaches and damaged teeth. Botox relaxes the masseter muscle.
“Before getting any treatment, It’s important to have your muscle strength, skin condition, medical history and any potential contraindications, such as allergies, assessed,” says Latinovic. “Usually, the presence of static lines without muscle movement is an indication of the aging process, and this is the ideal time to get started on Botox injections to prevent the lines from getting deeper.”
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Who isn’t a good candidate for Botox?
Botox, while transformative for many, may not be the right choice for everyone. Those who should ideally abstain from this treatment include individuals with allergies to botulinum toxin or any other ingredients in Botox. “Factors such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, or certain neuromuscular disorders would influence my recommendation for or against the procedure,” says Latinovic. She recommends also discussing injectables like Botox with your healthcare provider. For example, she always ensures her Botox patients have realistic expectations of the results.
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FLEETSTREET’s opinion:
Lisa’s view
I think there’s beauty in asymmetry and texture. It’s considered beautiful in other parts of our lives, from art and decor to fashion and food. So, I want to appreciate that about myself too. It may sound altruistic (groan) but I see it as survival and enjoying life in my later years. I don’t want to be feeling negative about my face and body or wishing I was younger. I want to thrive.
Admittedly, I only recognize what could be “badly done” treatments. Maybe the older women I want to look like have injections? It’s totally possible. When I see obvious treatments, I immediately think of the overdone look that’s attached to many of the women from the Real Housewives series. For me, injectables have a look of their own, which doesn’t read as “younger.”
What I’m trying to protect in myself is the confidence and the relationship I had with my body growing up and as an adult. One that appreciates who I am and who I see in the mirror. For me, it could be a slippery slope into defining the boundaries about what I will see as “improvement” and believing what that negative voice says as truth.
I see beauty not as avoiding wrinkles or keeping smooth skin. It’s about my femininity on my own terms (as it could mean something else to someone else), and looking expressive and engaged. I want to look happy and energetic. I want to look like me.
Danielle’s view
Right before I had Botox for the first time, I felt annoyed by foundation creasing into my forehead. I remember like it was yesterday, I was always applying the No7 Instant Illusion wrinkle filler cream to try and fill the creases (by the way, that sh*t works. If you need that cream in your life). Once I tried Botox, I noticed those fine lines across my forehead disappear and the makeup lay smoothly across my skin. Since then, I have gone for regular Botox maintenance of Botox every three to four months.
But aside from the obvious anti-wrinkle benefits, I get Botox injected into my masseter muscles. That’s sometimes referred to as “jaw Botox,” since the masseter muscle is attached to the jaw bone.
The treatment has twofold results. Depending on the face shape, it can even slim the jawline, although the results are much less obvious than cosmetic procedures like Kybella or filler reconstruction. But the main selling feature for me was to help with my TMJ (the temporomandibular joints). I have struggled with TMJ along with nightly teeth clenching and grinding (yikes, I know) since I was in high school. ICYDK, and TMJ are the two joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull, and they slide and rotate in front of each ear and consist of the mandible (the lower jaw) and the temporal bone (the side and base of the skull). In my teens, I got lockjaw multiple times. It was scary and very painful.
There are fixes for teeth grinding that don’t involve needles. Using the gua sha and a face roller are both options meant to help release tension in your facial muscles. There are also mouthguards, which dentists love to recommend. But I hate wearing them. But they are no match for my longtime Botox habit.
Another benefit of Botox that has really helped me? It releases my tension headaches caused by my TMJ. Botox helps relax tense jaw muscles and alleviates that pain.
My view is that if it makes you feel good and confident, then do it.
