Botox – Uses, Benefits, Side Effects

woman getting a face botox
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

Cosmetic injections are becoming widely used all over the world by many people. They help in reducing or getting rid of imperfections on your body such as wrinkles or lines. Since the injections have been approved over 30 years ago, they have become quite popular and continue to aid in making your face look younger, fill out your lips, or make your wrinkles go away which gives a much smoother look to your face.

What are cosmetic injections (Botox)?

Botox injections are a type of injection used on your lips, face, and body to help with wrinkles, headaches, muscle spasms, and much more. It is a drug that numbs the muscle. It is made from Botulinum which is a toxin. This means Botox is an actual toxin, but if used correctly in small doses, it can have a lot of benefits, hence why it is so popular.  

Botox is a neurotoxin and when used on the body it sends a message to the muscles which stops them from moving. The effect of this is that your face will not be able to move properly or convey emotions as well as before injections. The good thing about this procedure is that it only takes a few minutes.

What are the uses of Botox?

Considering the fact that it originates from the deadliest toxin in the world, Botox actually has a lot of uses and helps people in a lot of ways. The most minor of the procedures is the reduction of wrinkles. You get an injection into the specific area that will then make it look like the wrinkles disappeared.

Facial spasms are another condition that Botox can treat as it relaxes the muscle in your face. As well as this, it can also treat excessive sweating in the armpits, hands, and feet. Botox is widely used to treat an overactive bladder which affects over 40 million Americans. What this means is that you may need to go to the bathroom more than a normal person does or that you have very little control over your bladder.

The use of injections for this means that it will calm the bladder down, reducing the need to go to the bathroom as frequently. Neck and back pain are other areas Botox can help with. This is useful if your profession requires you to sit and type all day as your muscles can become stiff and lead to pain.

Other common uses include helping with drooling, thyroid eye disease, jaw-line contouring, droopy eyelids, ball’s palsy, and much more. The list of uses of Botox are endless.

What are the side effects?

If used incorrectly by a non-professional or even overuse of injections, can lead to some serious side effects. Some minor side effects include itching, swelling, rash, bruising, and pain. Depending on where you get the injection, other more serious side effects can develop also.

The most common side effects in people would be not being able to move your face too much which means your emotions are hard to portray. Some others are droopiness on one side of the face where the injection was inserted. By using too much for reducing lines on your face, you could actually develop new lines.

When using it for bladder issues, it is vital to go to a professional who knows how much to inject. Some side effects from injecting too much could lead to infection or a burning feeling when using the bathroom. This is the same when used for excessive sweating; a common side effect can be that you stop sweating altogether which actually is not that good for your body as it needs to release sweat naturally.

Some very serious side effects of Botox include shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, fevers, difficulty speaking, nausea, vomiting, vision loss, and much more. Before proceeding with Botox, do your research and make sure you are going to a qualified and certified professional. It is extremely important to make sure you are not allergic in any way to this type of treatment as you could end up with any of the above side effects, or worse.

What are the benefits?

Even though there are some serious side effects, Botox also has many benefits. Therefore, many people still rely on these injections to help them. As we discussed earlier there are many uses of this procedure. When administered properly, it is very safe, and the desired effect is achieved.

If you suffer from severe migraines, the injections help reduce the effect the migraine has. Regular and controlled use means that the effects will not reverse and therefore have long-term benefits. These injections are non-surgical, and therefore less invasive, as well as quick and painless.

Results can be seen within the week of getting the procedure done. Some conditions such as muscle spasms can be removed completely, this means that you will stop suffering from tremors and spasms. Other conditions such as excessive sweating will require injections every 6 months to keep under control.

Is it expensive?

Yes, it can get quite expensive depending on what you are looking to get done. If you are looking to reduce wrinkles and lines, the cost will be roughly $550 to $750. For sweaty armpits, you could easily be paying up to $1000. The price is cheaper if the procedure is small such as removing a few wrinkles. The price goes up the more complicated the procedure gets.

Botox has many benefits as well as side effects, but in most cases, it is recommended for many health issues. It is particularly useful for people with tremors and muscle spasms as the injections relax the muscle and therefore stopping the tremors. Cost varies but it is worth it to feel more confident in yourself and make your everyday life easier.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.