Make the Most of Neuromodulator Wrinkle-Reduction

You may know Botox as a leading wrinkle-reducing treatment. If you’re noticing wrinkles and lines that are making you feel older than you’d like, you might be thinking about scheduling a consultation with a Botox provider. In our St. Louis and St. Peters offices, we use Botox as well as Xeomin and Dysport as options for unwanted wrinkles. These products work in a very specific way, which you may already know. It is important to know how neuromodulators work, especially if you are also wondering if it’s possible to make the effects of treatment last longer. Many patients ask us about ways they might prolong the effects of their wrinkle-reducing treatments, so we’ll discuss the subject here.

How Neuromodulators Work

Botox and other neuromodulators reduce wrinkles by targeting the muscles that cause them. That’s why these products only work on certain kinds of wrinkles. We call them dynamic wrinkles because they form as a result of facial movements. For example, we get frown lines because we frown or squint. Frown lines aren’t the only wrinkles that can be erased with Botox. Neuromodulators also treat crow’s feet, worry lines on the forehead, horizontal neck bands, and a drooping brow line. When injected into the muscle, a neuromodulator, made of a purified botulinum protein, prevents nerve stimulation from reaching receptors in the target area. When the muscle is prohibited from tightening, the skin over it relaxes and the wrinkles disappear.

Can Botox be made to last longer? There is no guarantee. Botox, Xeomin, and Dysport are all made of a purified protein. The body naturally breaks down proteins. This is one of the reasons we age. Collagen is a protein that the body produces on its own. At the same time, though, it cycles through its collagen and, over time, when the body makes less, we see more wrinkles and sagging and creaking joints. Just like the body breaks down collagen, it breaks down the proteins put in place during an injectable treatment. That’s why the effects of neuromodulators tend to last three to six months at most. The question is, then, if you can extend the lifespan of your youthful appearance toward that six-month edge. We have a few suggestions that may help you achieve that.

How to Help Botox Last Longer

Some of the practices you may put into place to prolong the effects of neuromodulator treatment include:

• Reduce UV exposure. Sunlight and artificial ultraviolet light work against our anti-aging efforts. Going outdoors without sunscreen or to an indoor tanning salon, we step directly into the path of collagen destruction. Remembering that collagen is a protein, we also have to consider how UV exposure will affect the proteins in Botox or other neuromodulators. In addition to degrading collagen and skin-supporting proteins, UV light (and blue light from your computer!) cause inflammation that affects the function of our skin cells.
• Take great care of your skin. In general, if you’re considering getting Botox for wrinkle reduction, you’re probably interested in how to best care for aging skin. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your twenties or in your sixties, there are specific skin care ingredients that you want to use. Examples include peptides and retinol. These ingredients work to stimulate new collagen production and optimize cellular function in the skin to better fight the effects of free radicals, sun exposure, stress, and other factors.

If you want to reduce the signs of aging, we’d love to help! Contact us today to schedule a consultation in St. Louis or St. Petersburg.