The world of aesthetic medicine offers numerous professional cosmetic procedures to prolong a patient’s attractive and youthful appearance for as long as possible. For instance, you might consider undergoing facial dermal filler injections, mesotherapy injections, or Botox injections as minimally invasive alternatives to aesthetic plastic surgery.
In this article, we are going to take a closer look at cosmetic botulinum toxin injections (or, in other words, Botox). Namely, we will discuss what exactly they are, what indications they have, what level of pain they cause, and, last but not least, how to diminish this level of pain. So, let us delve into the world of aesthetic medicine together! Botox injection is a procedure intended for professional use. For this reason, only a certified healthcare provider (for instance, a dermatologist, a cosmetologist, or a plastic surgeon) is eligible to perform it.
What Are Botox Injections?
Starting with the basics, it is important to figure out what is a Botox injection. In simple words, it is an aesthetic procedure that aims to rejuvenate and enhance the overall appearance of a patient in a quick, safe, and minimally invasive way. These days, it is one of the most popular aesthetic treatments in the world.
It is also important to state that an injection of Botox is primarily based on botulinum toxin (type A). As the main active ingredient in the composition of the product, it functions as a powerful muscle relaxant that effectively blocks nerve signals attached to muscle around the injection site for a certain time period.
Among the key benefits of Botox are its high quality, strong safety, great effectiveness, and long-lasting duration of action. Let us take a closer look at these benefits right away:
- The high quality of Botox is achieved thanks to the advanced manufacturing process of the product. The thing is that it is produced by Allergan (now a part of AbbVie), which is a global pharmaceutical corporation that combines profound experience in the field of aesthetic medicine and innovative technology while manufacturing its products. This combination allows to achieve highly qualitative medical and aesthetic solutions;
- The strong safety of Botox is also worth mentioning. Under normal circumstances, the process of injecting under the patient’s skin does not carry any serious risks (if performed by an experienced injector, of course). A patient might notice such temporary side effects as redness, itching, bruising, or swelling around the injection site. However, they tend to fade away on their own within two to five days after the treatment and do not require any medical help;
- The great effectiveness of Botox is one more benefit we would like to comment on. The majority of patients treated with the product claim to achieve the desired results within a single procedure. Still, the efficacy of the treatment remains strongly individual and depends on a number of factors, starting from the technique used while having Botox injected and ending with the patient’s skin peculiarities;
- Last but not least, the long-lasting duration of action of Botox is also one of the reasons why people consider it to be a greatly advantageous product. Depending on the individual peculiarities of each patient, such as his or her current health condition, skin type, age, and even lifestyle, the effect from the treatment might last for about six months.
Apart from Botox, there exist other aesthetic treatments based on botulinum toxin (type A). They are Bocouture, Dysport, Xeomin, and so on. Despite having similar to Botox composition, they all have their unique properties and should not be mixed.
What Indications Do Facial Injections of Botox Have?
Injections of Botox have numerous indications. They all might be roughly divided into two main types, namely medical and aesthetic ones. In this article, we are primarily concentrating on the second group. However, it is also important to remember that Botox does a great job when it comes to the treatment of the following health issues related to muscle contraction:
- Overactive bladder;
- Lazy eye;
- Excessive sweating (also known as hyperhidrosis);
- Neck pain;
- Chronic migraine;
- And so on.
When moving on from medical to aesthetic indications for injecting Botox, the following ones are definitely worth mentioning:
- Reduction of dynamic wrinkles. Namely, injecting Botox is one of the most effective strategies of fighting facial creases that occur due to active facial muscle movements combined with the age-related loss of skin collagen. The treatment is most used to minimize nasolabial folds, crow’s feet, marionette lines, forehead wrinkles, and other dermal imperfections all over the facial oval;
- Creation of a lip flip. While causing minimal discomfort, cosmetic injections of Botox offer an effective method to make the patient’s upper lip look visually bigger. The procedure is usually done by means of flipping it outward. This way, the attractive effect of plump lips might be achieved without actually adding any extra volume to them;
- Improvement of facial asymmetry. It is pretty typical to make the patient’s facial oval look more symmetrical by means of employing injections of Botox. However, one important precondition for the success of this treatment is that facial asymmetry is caused by muscle contraction.
The dosage required for an injection of Botox is strongly individual for each and every patient. It substantially depends on the indication for which the product is intended to be used. For instance, neck pain management would most likely require more Botox units than facial wrinkle reduction.
What Level of Pain Does One Feel While Undergoing Injections of Botox?
Now, let us move on to the discussion of the level of pain one might feel while undergoing an injection of Botox. Here, it is important to pay attention to the following things:
- Firstly, the level of pain one might feel during the Botox treatment is strongly individual. Since the body of each patient is unique, it experiences the level of pain during the injection of Botox in its own way. For instance, some patients find the procedure absolutely painless, while other ones claim it to be pretty painful. In other words, only your personal pain threshold defines what feeling you are expected to have;
- Secondly, the proficiency of a healthcare provider also strongly influences the level of pain one might feel during the treatment. Namely, the application of proper injection techniques might lead to substantial pain reduction in the process of administering Botox beneath the skin of a patient;
- Thirdly, there exist several effective ways to reduce pain during the Botox injection, starting from vibration anesthesia and ending with the application of nitrous oxide. Below, you will be able to check out the short information on the most effective and widespread methods of diminishing unpleasant feelings during the treatment.
Similar to other treatments based on botulinum toxin, Botox does not include prefilled lidocaine in its composition (unlike numerous dermal fillers available in the market these days).
What Are the Ways of Making Injections of Botox Less Painful?
Although the risk of experiencing painful feelings during the injection of Botox is the fear of many patients, there is nothing to be afraid of. These days, there exist numerous ways of reducing the level of discomfort during the treatment. For instance:
- A healthcare provider might apply a topical anesthetic cream (for instance, a numbing cream) to the intended treatment zone shortly before the injection. It will allow to temporarily numb the injection site and, therefore, make it less sensitive;
- A short-term application of a cold ice pack (or several ice packs) to the intended treatment zone is also helpful when it comes to the creation of a numbing effect. Although being not as effective as lidocaine anesthesia, it nevertheless reduces the skin irritation and discomfort one might feel from the penetrating needle;
- Furthermore, it is also possible to try out the mask with the laughing gas. Acting as a topical anesthesia, it might be used to reduce anxiety and calm down a patient. In other words, this gas might make him or her more relaxed and less sensitive to pain.
The usage of any of the above-mentioned pain reducing techniques before Botox procedures should be discussed with a healthcare provider who is going to inject the product beneath a patient’s skin. What would be the most suitable for one patient does not necessarily be appropriate for another patient since everyone has his or her own individual peculiarities.
Final Words
All in all, there exist several effective methods of making injections of Botox less painful. Namely, it is possible to use a topical anesthesia, numb the treatment area with a cold ice pack, calm down a patient and make him or her rest with a special gas, and so on. All these methods aim to substantially reduce pain during the administration of botulinum toxin. So, how about scheduling an appointment with your healthcare provider and trying out one of them? This way, you will be able to get rid of fear and anxiety associated with the procedure and get one step closer to the appearance of your dreams in a painless way!
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