You’ve probably heard a little bit about BOTOX and some of its most common uses in aesthetics. BOTOX is commonly used to make wrinkles disappear, but it’s a powerful tool that can achieve plenty of other things when used correctly.
For example, if you’re interested in cosmetic surgery to your face, or if you’ve been unlucky enough to have an accident, you may naturally be a little bit concerned about the prospect of facial scarring. Here’s how BOTOX could potentially help you with that.
How Does BOTOX Work?
Before talking about how BOTOX could potentially address facial scarring, it’s important to tell you how it works. BOTOX is a localized paralytic, which means that it can stop the motion on particular muscles that it’s applied to.
It’s a simple tool with a host of uses in aesthetic medicine. For example, paralyzing the muscles in the face stops the formation of wrinkles.
The Science of Scarring
Scars are a natural by-product of the body’s natural healing process. When deep layers of skin are damaged, new collagen fibers are created to replace them. This collagen looks a bit different than the rest of your skin, which is why scar tissue stands out.
While the scar itself is to some extent an unavoidable response to damaged skin, the width and size of it are connected to several factors. One of them is the movement of the muscles and skin around the area of damage; the more movement there is, the more that the scar tissue stretches and the more obvious it becomes.
How BOTOX Shrinks Scars
You can probably already see where this is going. The fact that the movement of facial muscles can worsen the appearance of a forming scar means that BOTOX could do the opposite.
A 2018 study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery tested this hypothesis and found that when BOTOX was administered to patients who had recently undergone facial cosmetic surgery, their surgery scars were rated by surgical specialists as having a markedly better appearance.
If this evidence is to be believed, then BOTOX doesn’t just prevent aging; it can aid with the healing process after complex surgeries as well.
About the Author
Elizabeth Estes Weldon, APRN is an experienced, dedicated Advanced Practice Registered Nurse who has spent over a decade honing her skills in the field of facial aesthetics. She finds it enormously gratifying to be able to improve people’s appearances in ways that last. She received her Master’s in Nursing from the University of Florida, and has earned the title of Master Injector for her studies in BOTOX and Fillers.
If you have any questions about BOTOX , she can be reached at her website or by phone at (352) 433-0888.