Facial Cosmetic Surgery

One of the most popular uses of Botox is in the cosmetic surgery side of the industry. These days Botox is as popular as laser facial hair removal, and it is estimated that 10,000 Irish men and women annually have Botox treatments. Generally botox is used in and around the facial area for smoothing lines and wrinkles. Here is a quick outline of what happens your skin, and the reason why Botox is a great solution for ageing skin.

What happens to your skin over time

As you become older, your skin cells divide and rejuvenate slower.This results in a measurable thinning of the thickness of your skin. This occurs at the inner level, or dermis of your skin. Under the dermis lies a layer of fat cells. They start to atrophy, or start to get smaller, this is a general fact of getting older. Atrophy of fat cells starts from the day you are born, but only becomes noticeable in later life. Binding the fat cells to the dermis is a layer of elastin and collagen fibers. You may remember collagen is what lips tend to be injected by.

Because of the lack of fat cells, the general smooth structure of your face now will start to loose it’s elasticity. Pulling or moving the skin will show you that the skin returns to it’s natural position much slower. Furthermore, your skin looses its ability to retain moisture. This is due to the fact that as you grow old, your sweat and natural oil-secreting glands are no longer as energetic. As we age our skin becomes drier and hence slower at repairing itself.

Overtime facial expressions like frowning & smiling start to pull these muscles and it results in

  • Crow’s feet : wrinkles / lines that extend from the corner of your eyes outwards
  • Frown lines : wrinkles / lines in and around the eyebrow area

These are all part of the natural process of aging, but Botox is particularily good at removing their visible effects. The ammount of wrinkles depends on genetics and on the steps you have taken to avoid premature aging of your skin. Smoking & sunbathing are two of the most detrimental factors that result in drying of the skin.

Good Skin care

The steps to avoiding drying of the skin include

  • Staying out of the sun for extended periods of time
  • Applying amble sunblock, and at multiple times a day.
  • Use a significantly high factor of sunblock , i.e. SPF 30+
  • Remember to drink 1-2L of water a day when sunbathing.
  • Apply sunscreen all over, including head, neck, chest, ears etc.
  • Give up smoking.

We recommend that you also start to take anti-oxidants as a regualar part of your day. Drinks like Green Tea contain active ingredients that are particularly good at removing toxins from your skin. Regular intake of Vitamin C & E will also help to rejuvanate your skin.

Using Botulinum Type A / Botox

For facial cosmetic surgery that involves Botox, an injection or a series of injections is required to administer the treatment. These injections are normally done around the eyes, and in your forehead. This will temporarily relax your muscles, and the skin above these muscles will smooth out. After a Botox injection, you are unlikely to have new wrinkles, lines or creases forming in these areas. Botox can also be used as a preventative tool for wrinkles.