Botox makes wrinkle-free skin a reality

Botox makes wrinkle-free skin a reality

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Smooth, youthful wrinkle-free skin is everyone's dream. And
thanks to botox injections, it may no longer be just a dream.

The treatment which is very popular in the United States, has
also gained popularity among celebrities and beauty conscious
people here.

"Botox has become a popular treatment since it's effective to
smoothen wrinkles, has minimal side effects and the injection
technique is also uncomplicated," said Jakarta Skin Center
director Aryani Sudharmono during a recent seminar, held at Sari
Pan Pacific hotel, Central Jakarta.

For two centuries, Botox, short for botulinum toxin type A,
has been known to cause botulism, a fatal food poisoning that can
lead to muscle weakness, paralysis, impaired vision and death.
However, small dosages of Botox have been used in ophthalmologic
and neurologic therapies to treat muscle spasms over the past 20
years.

For cosmetic purposes, Botox is injected into the skin to
prevent the formation of wrinkles by minimizing contraction of
the upper facial muscles caused by expressions like frowning,
blinking and squinting. As time goes by, those facial expression
lines will become tangible wrinkles and creases that appear in
the forehead, frown lines and at the outer corner of the eyes,
known as crow's feet.

Injecting facial muscles in those particular areas will help
paralyze the muscles and several days after the Botox injection,
wrinkles will gradually fade away while the creation of new ones
is inhibited.

Aryani, a dermatologist herself, explained that Botox works by
inhibiting the release of acetylcholine, a substance required in
muscle contraction.

The targeted upper facial muscles for this treatment are the
frontalis muscle (which enable brow elevation, leading to
horizontal forehead lines), corrugator superciliary (that pull
eyebrows medially, causing frown lines), procerus (that lower
eyebrows, causing glabellar frown lines) and orbicularis oculi
(that lead to crow's feet).

During the injection, doctor presses the area near the
injection site to prevent the fluid from running to unwanted
sites.

"The treatment will take about 10 to 15 minutes and after
several days, the patient can notice the difference," Aryani
said.

Several hours after the procedure, a patient should
occasionally contract the treated muscle, or attempt to frown in
order to enable the injected Botox to bind and internalize into
the target muscles. The patient also has to remain in a vertical
position, like sitting and avoid lying down or massaging the area
to prevent the diffusion of the liquid to the surrounding areas.

"The effect (of the Botox injection) lasts for six months and
can be repeated when needed," Aryani added.

Botox, she said, is particularly effective to smoothen
wrinkles at the upper face area, commonly caused by hyper
muscular contraction that can lead to the creation of fine lines,
regardless of a person's age.

"But it won't help much for wrinkles that occur due to the
thinning of the epidermis and dermis layers," said the
dermatologist.

Potential side effects following the procedure include
temporary swelling or redness in the injected sites, and a rare
incidence of double vision. While unlikely, undesired results
include loss of facial expressions, lid ptosis (a drooping of the
upper eyelid), brow ptosis, like brow droop or quizzical brows
that resemble those of sci-fi Startrek movie character Mr. Spock,
which can be corrected or may disappear naturally after several
weeks.

However, to avoid side effects and undesired results, a
specialist performing the injection has to have thorough
knowledge of the dosage, must handle Botox properly to maintain
its potency and must to be able to understand the complex facial
muscle anatomy, she explained.

"Given the complexity of the upper face muscles, it is
advisable to seek professional help or find credible clinics to
avoid those undesired effects," Aryani said.