Botox Cosmetic- How Does It Work on Wrinkles?

Botox cosmetic, Dysport, and Xeomin are all forms of Botulinum Toxin Type A that act to minimize muscle activity in the lower central forehead, the upper forehead, and around the eyes.  These products prevent the nerves and muscles from talking for a period of about 3 months.  Hyper-dynamic forehead lines are a separate issue from fine lines and wrinkles, which are more age and/or sun related in their origin.

Neuromodulators (such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau) and soft tissue fillers like Belotero can improve the appearance of the forehead by reducing lines, wrinkles and folds. Deeper lines and wrinkles need a combination approach with Botox, fillers, lasers, and microneedling/PRP. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist to develop a treatment plan that works for you. Best, Dr. Emer

Anti-wrinkle injections (Botox) treat wrinkles caused by the contraction of facial muscles. They inhibit the transmission of neurotransmitters from the nerve to the muscle and stop the muscle from contracting and forming wrinkles. Wrinkle injections are a safe and effective non-surgical method of facial rejuvenation. They are most commonly used on frown and forehead lines and crows feet (at the side of the eyes) to create a refreshed look.  They work after 7-14 days and last up to 4 months.

Thank you for your question. Botox can be used to soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles that deepen with expression. These include the horizontal lines of the forehead, the frown lines between brows and the smile lines (crows feet) on the sides of the eyes. They typically last 3-4 months. It works by relaxing the affected muscle by blocking the nerve's signals that tells the muscle to contract.

I would recommend that you visit with at board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist in your area to discuss your treatment options so they can be tailored to your concerns and goals.

Some of my patients think
botox works by filling in your wrinkles. It actually does not.
Botox works by relaxing the muscles that cause wrinkle formation. When
the muscles are relaxed, the wrinkles slowly improve and soften over weeks to
months. The more consistently these muscles are kept relaxed, the more
the lines will fade.

The transverse wrinkles of your forehead are dynamic and caused by the contraction of your forehead muscles (frontalis muscle mainly). Botox will stop the action of the muscles causing dynamic wrinkling for 3-4 months.  Botox or Dysport is best for younger patients, though Thermi-RF is a longer lasting solution.For middle age or older individuals a Brow Lift will give more permanent solutions

BoTox, and all forms of Botulinum Toxin A, work by blocking the reuptake of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. By doing so, it inhibits transmission of signals from one neuron to the next at whichever junction it is working on (e.g., neuro junction, sweat gland junction, etc.) The duration of BoTox is typically 3-4 months on average. It can take up to 7 days for it to take effect. Thank you for the question! Hope this helps!

In spite of some of the advertising hype, Botox and its alternative, Dysport, only do one thing: they give a flaccid, temporary paralysis to the muscles they are injected into.  If the lines on your forehead are caused by the flexing action of the muscles, Botox will stop this flexing.  How much improvement in the forehead lines you get depends; here is why.  If your forehead skin is smooth when you are not raising your eyebrows, but has lines when you do raise your eyebrows, the Botox will paralysis  the muscles and your forehead will be smooth.  If, however, you have lines in your forehead when you are NOT raising your eyebrows and they are worse when you raise your eyebrows, the lines will get better but not disappear with the Botox.  Be sure your doctor checks your eyebrow position before treating you, as a Botoxed brow can cause some people to feel that their brow sits too low.

Botox  relaxes the muscles in the forehead causing the wrinkles.The injection blocks the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine at the junction where the nerve fiber communicates with the muscle. Normally acetylcholine causes muscles to contract. Since it is blocked, the muscle remains relaxed and unable to sustain the crease that has developed from facial expressions (e.g. raising your eyebrows). To see an example of real results, please view the video of this patient who underwent a forehead lift using Botox.

  Botox works by paralyzing the muscles beneath the skin which cause dynamic wrinkling (usually of the forehead).  It is highly effective which explains why everyone is doing it.  The downside is that the treatment only lasts 2-6 months.