Botox — King of the Dynamic Wrinkle

Cosmetic Oculoplastic ServicesAt Central Valley Eye Medical Group, we’re known for our expertise treating just about anything that happens with your eyes, from glaucoma to pink eye, and everything in between.

But we also take care of your eyelids and the areas around your eyes with cosmetic eyelid surgery and Botox injections. Dr. Kimberly Cockerham, MD, FACS, handles these procedures.

Here’s some more information on Botox in case you’ve been thinking about erasing some of your wrinkles.

What is Botox?

Botox is one of the world’s most well known brand names. Since its approval by the FDA in 2002 for the treatment of wrinkles on the upper third of the face, Botox has been the most popular cosmetic procedure performed every year…worldwide!

Botox is basically made from the botulinum toxin type A. These are the same bacteria that cause botulism. But in the 1950s scientists discovered that when the toxin was injected in miniscule amounts into a muscle it caused the muscle to temporarily become paralyzed. This proved to be effective for treating conditions such as involuntary eyelid spasms, where muscle contractions needed to be controlled. And Botox was first approved by the FDA for the treatment of involuntary eyelid spasms.

Now about those crow’s feet… Certain wrinkles form due to muscle contractions beneath the skin. These are called dynamic wrinkles and they form when we make repeated expressions such as squinting, frowning, smiling, and the like. You could link most of these behaviors with the expressive part of the face, the upper third. When the muscle contracts for a squint, for example, a wrinkle forms above the contraction. Over time, the skin gets used to creating a wrinkle and it wrinkles more and more. This also happens more as our skin becomes thinner and less elastic with age.

When Botox is injected into a muscle it blocks the nerves messages to the brain. The brain never receives the message to contract the muscle, so the muscle stays at rest, and the wrinkle above the muscle doesn’t form.

Where can Botox be used?

Botox was approved by the FDA for treatment of wrinkles on the upper third of the face — crow’s feet on the outside of the eyes, the 11s between your brows, and forehead lines.

If you’re interested in getting rid of those wrinkles on the upper third of your face, call us at Central Valley Eye Medical Group, (800) 244-9907.

Posted in: Cosmetic Oculoplastic Services

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  |  

  |