Botulinum therapy is an injection method used in cosmetology to smooth facial wrinkles and treat hyperhidrosis. For this purpose, the well-known drugs Dysport (Dysport), Botox (Botox), Xeomin (Xeomin), Lantox (Lantox), approved by the Ministry of Health in the Russian Federation, are used. In Russia, they have been used for over 15 years.
"Dysport", "Botox" are drugs based on botulinum toxin type A, produced by Clostridium botulinum. The active ingredient is a protein that blocks the release of acetylcholine and relaxes muscles. The drug is a muscle relaxant.
The use of Dysport (Botox) for face correction is the most common procedure. This is a well-studied and scientifically proven method. World clinical and research experience of treatment using Dysport (Botox) has confirmed its safety and effectiveness in both the short and long term. Antibodies to botulinum toxin after repeated injections are formed in 1-5% of patients. In the case of the formation of antibodies to botulinum toxin, the effect of subsequent injections may be reduced or not appear at all.
Indications for botulinum therapy in cosmetology
- Mimic wrinkles of the forehead, eyebrows, outer corners of the eyes (treatment of local muscle spasm to smooth wrinkles in adults).
- Asymmetry of the face.
- Correction of the lower third of the face (treatment of medium-moderate degree of gravitational ptosis of the lower third of the face - “blurred” mandibular line, spastic vertical wrinkles above the upper lip - purse-string wrinkles, chin hypertonicity - with age, the chin can rise up and form a chin wrinkle, dropping corners of the mouth.
- Hyperhidrosis of the palms, axillary areas, feet.
There are 2 types of facial wrinkles - hyperdynamic and hyperkinetic:
1. Dynamic - wrinkles that appear when expressing emotions, i.e. when the facial muscles move , at rest they look like subtle lines or are not visible at all. When we start botulinum therapy of these wrinkles at this stage, we prevent their appearance in the future.
2. Static - wrinkles of "rest". These wrinkles, of varying severity, on the face are always visible, regardless of the manifestation of emotions, it is they that spoil the appearance, giving the face more years than it actually is. They can be corrected, but in addition to botulinum therapy, additional cosmetic procedures, such as chemical peels, fractional photothermolysis, and filling of wrinkles with a filler, may be required. Patients with severe severe wrinkles may have unjustified expectations from treatment with Dysport or Botox.
Botulinum therapy planning includes understanding, evaluating the desires and preferences of the patient in the context of the overall treatment plan. The muscles of the face do not act in isolation, but have a complex of interactions, so by relaxing one muscle, we can increase tension in another.
There are favorable and unfavorable facial wrinkles, it depends on whether botulinum toxin injections can be made in this area, or this taboo zone for the above injections. This applies only to the forehead. Favorable wrinkles are in the upper half and middle of the forehead, and unfavorable wrinkles are below the midline of the forehead.
The center of the upper third of the face is the eyebrows. Therefore, before any injection into the upper third of a Dysport or Botox face, potential effects on the shape and position of the eyebrows are taken into account. Using botulinum therapy, you can save or change the position of the eyebrows, make the eyebrow more straight, or raise the tips of the eyebrows; if one eyebrow is higher than the other, you can align the position of the eyebrows.
Before the botulinum treatment procedure, facial tests are performed to accurately determine the injection sites. It is necessary to discuss with the patient what result I would like to achieve, to determine which wrinkles to relax and which not to touch, if possible. If there was a previous history - we take into account it.
Botulinum therapy is a dose-dependent procedure. The dose of Dysport (Botox) is determined individually for each patient in accordance with the nature, severity and localization of muscle hyperactivity.
The recommendations that the doctor gives after the procedure must be strictly followed:
1. The first 30 minutes to make active facial movements in the injection area.
2. The first 4 hours to maintain a vertical position.
3. On the first night after injection, sleep only on your back.
4. Exclude visits to the sauna and bath for 2 weeks.
5. Exclude the use of alcohol, salty foods for 1 week.
The effect after botulinum toxin injections occurs on day 3-5, reaches a maximum on day 10-14 and lasts about 4-6 months, but often the muscle relaxant effect is prolonged to 8-10 months. The procedure can be performed repeatedly.
Side effects
- Local reactions in 2-5% of cases are directly related to injections - microhematomas, pain at the injection site for up to 1 day.
- Reactions associated with the spread of the drug to muscle groups located near the injection site. Since the muscles on the face do not have fascia, and if medical recommendations are not followed, diffusion of the drug into the adjacent muscles is possible, which we did not plan to relax. It is extremely rare - this is ptosis (drooping) of the eyelids, lateral sections of the eyebrows, asymmetry of the corners of the mouth, and violation of articulation. Typically, these side effects regress within 1 month.
Contraindications
- Pregnancy (although inadvertent use has not caused any teratogenicity or pregnancy problems.
- Lactation (since it is not known whether the drug is excreted in breast milk and whether it has any effect on the nervous system of the baby).
- Myasthenia gravis (a chronic autoimmune disease in which the ability to contract muscles is impaired, which manifests itself in the form of loss of strength in them).
- Inflammation of the skin at the injection site.
- The use of certain antibiotics (groups of aminoglycosides, erythromycin, tetracyclines, polymyxins, fluoroquinolones), enhancing the effect of botulinum toxin, if not more than 2 weeks after treatment.
- Acute infectious diseases.
Be healthy and beautiful!