What is Botox and how does it work?
Botox is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure commonly used as an alternative to cosmetic surgery on the face. Botox comes in injection form and contains a small amount of Botulinum toxin, a toxic chemical. Once the toxin is injected directly into the muscle, it prevents the nerves from contracting the muscles, thereby paralysing them. Such injections were first used to treat conditions such as strabismus (squints) and blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking), and was later found to help hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) sufferers. With regards to the face, the injection temporarily paralyses facial muscles.
The Botox Brow Lift
One of the most common cosmetic procedures is a brow lift. However, cosmetic procedures are both costly and invasive with a long recovery time. Many patients are therefore opting for a Botox brow lift which is much cheaper, virtually pain-free and requires no recovery time at all. The Botox brow lift requires a series of injections strategically placed around the eye and forehead area which then freeze the muscles to prevent them from contracting and smoothes out lines and wrinkles giving a much younger appearance. This procedure is said to be especially suitable for those with naturally drooping eyelids and low hanging eyebrows.
How does a Brow Lift Work?
The facial muscles are used frequently as the face conveys expression as the muscles contract and relax. Most muscles have an opposing set which perform the opposite job, that is when one set contracts, the other set relaxes and vice versa. In the forehead there are muscles that lift the brow (the frontalis muscles), which cause the forehead to wrinkle and crease horizontally, raising the eyebrows, and opposing muscles which draw the brow downwards (the corrugator supercilii muscles), causing frown lines to appear vertically in between the eyebrows and lowering the eyebrows. The brow lift works by carefully selecting injection sites that paralyse the muscles which lower the brow meaning that the counter “lift” muscles triumph.
Does a Botox Brow Lift Uplift the Eyebrows?
When the lower brow muscles are frozen, the vertical lines which occur between the eyebrows are smoothed out. The frontalis “lift” muscles win out and cause the eyebrows to raise up. The corrugator supercilii muscles which would usually pull the eyebrows back down have been paralysed and therefore remain relaxed, meaning that the opposing muscles remain contracted and lifted. An experienced practitioner can alter the shape of the eyebrow by altering the placement of the injection, as requested by the patient. In addition, if any previous misalignment of the eyebrows existed, this can be corrected. The effects of this can last anywhere from 3 months up to 6 months.
