In the modern world, we often hear about the Botox procedure. She has firmly entered the media space and is heard by most people.
Botox is, first of all, the trade name of the drug. True, now this name has become a household name. In fact, when we say Botox, we mean the use of the drug botulinum toxin. This drug is now widespread and is created in many countries around the world under different names.
Mechanism of action of botulinum toxin
This drug was created so that, first of all, neurologists could correct muscle spasms. The mechanism of action of the botulinum toxin drug is due to the fact that it is able to paralyze the muscle, relax it, for a certain time.
It would be logical that if you immobilize the muscle that creates this hated by many women, wrinkle on the forehead, for example, then you can remove it accordingly this wrinkle, and the crease in the skin will smooth out quickly enough.
Botulinum toxin is also used to treat hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis is the excessive secretion of sweat from the sweat glands. In some cases, hyperhidrosis is treated for aesthetic reasons. Sweat is known to be secreted onto the surface of the skin due to the small muscles located there. If these muscles are paralyzed, then sweat will be released in a much smaller volume. Many patients undergo this procedure to get rid of wet spots in the armpit area during the hot season.
The Botox procedure itself is not dangerous in the hands of a doctor. And this is a convenient and safe tool in the fight against age-related changes in patients. The procedure is performed without anesthesia and is tolerable in terms of pain level. The drug is administered intramuscularly using a small syringe and a very thin needle. Of course, the procedure must be carried out strictly in a clinical setting. Only in this case will the procedure be safe.
On the first day after the procedure, you, of course, will not see the effect, but you should wait a little and after 5-7 days the muscle will become stone and will not be able to contract for the next few months.
What should you not do after a Botox injection?
Before going to bed, the injection site must be treated with an antiseptic.
Then the patient returns to his normal life. Naturally, each patient is given comprehensive recommendations. For example, you cannot visit saunas, baths, steam rooms, or drink alcohol for 2 weeks. You cannot perform procedures in the injection area that contain an element of tissue heating. All this strictly cannot be done for 2 weeks; after that, it is simply not recommended.
The fact is that botulinum toxin is a protein. And as we know from the school course, any protein, when heated, coagulates and loses its original properties. For example, a chicken egg that is thrown into boiling water will immediately curdle. The same thing happens with Botox. If you heat the injection area immediately after the procedure, some of the Botox will simply be destroyed and there will be no effect. This property is called protein denaturation.
Because of this property of Botox, the doctor tells patients that in case of illness with a rise in body temperature, the duration of the effect of the procedure will be reduced, as well as with visiting saunas, steam baths and other thermal procedures.
After 2 weeks have passed and the effect of Botox has manifested itself to the maximum extent, you should go to your doctor for a second appointment so that the doctor can assess whether the drug is evenly distributed and, if necessary, make corrections.
On average, the effect of the procedure lasts from 4 to 6 months, and then you can perform the procedure again.
