Botox – the ultimate wrinkle remover

infographic by Renee Gordon
Botox is the one and only skincare treatment I cannot live without. While creams and serum soften lines and wrinkles, nothing gets rid of them except Botox. I get Botox every 3 months, but I don’t get the full doctor recommended dosage, it would look too unnatural. I get about 1/3 of what they suggest, but it’s just the right
amount. Granted, I am 32 years old, and as I age I may up the dosage, but I have serious sun damage on my forehead and would have quite noticeable wrinkles without my Botox fix. I get the most in my forehead ( about 18 cc’s ), then each eye and between my brows equally ( 6 cc’s ). A cc is the Botox unit of measurement for doctors. My doctor said that the average area ( eyes, brow or forehead ) is about 30 cc’s. If I got that much Botox injected into my face it would look frozen. My amount is just right.
The cost of Botox has gone down due to greater availability. Today, the average cost of Botox is $12 a cc, so it cost me about $456 a session rather than the often quoted and outdated $1,200. Call around to different Cosmetic doctors in your area to ask their price per cc. If it’s under $11 it’s probably being diluted with water, so beware. I am in Dallas, Texas and every doctor I called (many) is $12 and above.
“Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox Cosmetic) is a protein complex produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum,which contains the same toxin that causes food poisoning. When used in a medical setting as an injectable form of sterile, purified botulinum toxin, small doses block the release of a chemical called acetylcholine by nerve cells that signal muscle contraction. By selectively interfering with the underlying muscles’ ability to contract, existing frown lines are smoothed out and, in most cases, are nearly invisible in a week.”
The “shots” are hardly shots, the needle just barely breaks the skins surface, and feels like a slight sting. Sometimes the injections leave a little red mark, but usually not if you are being treated by an experienced physician.