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Fillers vs Neurotoxins
Let’s first talk about wrinkles.
There are two types: dynamic and static.
Dynamic wrinkles appear when you express emotion, like surprise, sadness, anger, etc. They fade as quickly as they appear. These include forehead wrinkles, frown lines (between your eyebrows) and crow’s feet.
Static wrinkles, however, remain on the face, and don’t go away with muscle relaxation…and will deepen with age. These include lines across the cheeks, at the corners of the mouth, etc.
With the loss of hyaluronic acid and collagen production with age, and with overuse of facial muscles, dynamic wrinkles progress into static wrinkles.
Neurotoxins (Botox, Jeaveau, Xeomin, Dysport) help prevent the movement of muscles by blocking signals from nerves that cause muscles to contract. Thus, they prevent movement, and aid in elimination of dynamic wrinkles.
Fillers (Juvederm, Restylane, etc) help fill voids and deficits in collagen/hyaluronic acids. They help replace the lacking volume and rejuvenate the face!
OR
How Do Neurotoxins Work?
Before we get into that- most people don’t know what a neurotoxin is….but they’ve heard of Botox! Similar to Kleenex and tissue paper, Botox is the most recognized brand of neurotoxin!
Neurotoxins work via Botulinum Toxins! (Think BOtulinum TOXin = BOTOX). These toxins block the release of a chemical which then prevents movement. For example, when you want to raise your eyebrows- you send a chemical signal that acts on the muscle and causes contraction. That muscle contraction will then raise the eyebrows! By blocking this pathway, you block the movement cascade, and relax the muscles!
There are many different kinds of neurotoxins in the market today- Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau, Xeomin. They all have varying molecular size, dosage requirements, and frequency.
What is BROtox?
What's BRO-tox?
It’s the application of Botox…but in a Male patient (or the Bros)! There are three key areas that need to be covered, plus a bonus area:
1- Forehead: 20 units
2- Glabella: 20 units (area between the eyebrows)
3- Crow’s Feet: 24 units (area lateral to the eyes, noticed when squinting)
4- Masseters: 50 units (muscles of the jaw that create bulging and cause grinding)
In general, Botox will last 2-4 months depending on the activity of your muscles. Masseter Botox lasts about 6 months.
To find out your dosage and frequency requirements, and to help you become the best version of you, please call us for a consultation!
How Much Botox Do You Need?
First and foremost, our goal is to create a natural result!
So, the short answer is that the total number of units varies from patient to patient.
Some things to consider are-
How animated are you?
Do you raise your eyebrows a lot?
Do you squint a lot?
If the answer to these are yes, then you may need more Botox than someone who doesn’t!
The guidelines set forth by Allergan recommended the following units for Botox:
Glabella (between the eyebrows)- 20 units
Crow’s feet (lateral canthal lines)- 24 units (12 per side)
Forehead- 20 units
These numbers vary from each manufacturer- meaning, the unit requirements are different from Botox to Dysport to Xeomin to Jeuveau.
Botox: How Much and How Often
The guidelines set forth by Allergan (the company that makes Botox) states the following:
Forehead: 20 units
Glabella: 20 units (area between your eyebrows)
Crow’s Feet: 24 units (12 per side, area lateral to your eyes, when you squint)
Now, these are just guidelines.
Often times, I use less if it’s your first time. The key here is to have natural results.
And, we can always add more later, but we can’t take it away.
Other areas include:
Masseters: 50 units (25 units per side, helps with grinding, TMJ, and facial slimming)
Bunny lines: 8 units (area on the side of your nose)
In general, Botox will last 2-4 months depending on the activity of your muscles. Masseter Botox lasts about 6 months.
To find out your dosage and frequency requirements, and to help you become the best version of you, please call us for a consultation!
Facial Slimming With Botox
The first thing we need to figure out is whether you have an overactive (or hypertrophied) masseter muscle.
In order to to do that, clench your jaw, and feel for muscle firmness near the angle of jaw.
Is it present?
If the answer is yes, Botox can help you slim your face and define your jawline!
How this works is that Botox will relax your masseter muscle and create a softer, less full look in your face! It will also help alleviate grinding and TMJ problems- which we’ll review in a separate video.
Often times, people will get a Buccal Fat Pad removal- which are the cause of “chubby cheeks.” The problem with this is that as we age, we naturally lose facial volume and removal of these fat pads creates a skeletonized look in the future - so, this procedure isn't for everyone!
Masseter Botox injections last roughly six months, and require less units each subsequent time!
What’s Hyperhidrosis?
Hyperhidrosis is a condition where you have excessive sweating.
This can be in your underarms, hands and feet.
Hyperhidrosis becomes an issue when you start to change your lifestyle- you start to change what you wear, avoid certain social situations, etc!
A solution to this is Botox injections! Botox prevents the activation of the sweat glands which will in turn reduces (or stops) your sweating in the applied areas.
The procedure lasts approximately 6 months!
What’s a Lip Flip?
The muscle that surrounds the mouth is called the orbicularis oris muscle. It’s a circular muscle, similar to the ones around your eyes. It’s what allows you to pucker your lips and pout them outward.
A lip flip involves the strategic placement of Botox into the upper lip.
This allows the superior, or upper, aspect of the orbicularis oris muscle to relax, and unfurl. It’s very effective in patients that don’t have fullness of the upper lip, or have a flat shaped upper lip.
The lip flip will give the illusion of upper lip fullness without actually adding any volume (as this is not a filler) to the lip. It may be performed simultaneously with filler injections though!
The procedure lasts approximately 3 months!
What is Bruxism, or Grinding?
Are you someone that grinds their teeth at night?!
This is due to overactivity of your masseter muscle.
The mainstay of treatment is a night-guard and lifestyle modification.
However, reducing the strength of the masseter muscle significantly helps decrease the amount of pressure applied to your teeth.
The first thing we need to figure out is whether you have an overactive (or hypertrophied) masseter muscle. In order to to do that, clench your jaw, and feel for muscle firmness near the angle of jaw. Is it present? If the answer is yes, Botox can help you with your grinding. As a byproduct, the procedure will also slim your face and define your jawline!
The procedure lasts about 6 months, and requires less number of units each time it is performed.
What’s a Gummy Smile?
A gummy smile is a smile that shows too much of your upper gum line.
This unfortunately can cause significant embarrassment, or insecurity in some!
The non-surgical treatment to a gummy smile is the injection of Botox! This strategic injection of Botox relaxes the muscles of the upper lip and philtrum which effectively helps cover the exposed gums!
To see if you’re a candidate for this, and to help you become the best version of you, please call us for a consultation!
