Everything you need to know about the needle

不可避免地，每个Gal都会有这样的时刻：你正在进行一个新的眼线伎俩，或者你在不同的照明中瞥见自己。你看起来更近了。

Are those the faint lines of crow’s feet? Have the “11’s” officially taken up residence between your brows?

你可能会耸耸肩。毕竟,皱纹给你s character. But if you’re bothered by a perma frown or anything else, it’s nice to know you’ve got options. Botox is one of them. And when done right, the results look glorious.

加入我们的信息深入潜水，以避免不均匀的眉毛，戏剧性的不自然结果和冰冻面孔。

如果你想知道Botox如何缠绕皱纹，这里有一代人。

Botox is the brand name of肉毒杆菌毒素，它是由细菌产生的Clostridium botulinum。C. Botulinum.is found in plants, soil, water, and animal intestines. This chemical blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, causing muscle paralysis that lasts for several months.

Botox is a highly poisonous substance that affects the nervous system. But fear not! When used to minimize wrinkles, it’s administered in super small doses. And it’s even used to treat some medical conditions. The muscle paralysis effect is how a Botox shot reduces the crinkling and wrinkling that naturally happens when we make certain expressions (and simply, aging). In some cases, Botox may evenpreventfurther creasing.

For the sake of beauty, is Botox actually safe?

That all sounds a little freaky, right? We’re talking about用有毒起源注射，它被注入到全国各地的面孔！

However, researchers consider Botox to be relatively safe when compared to other, more-invasive cosmetic procedures. Although risks do exist, a recent study found that when performed by a board-certified dermatologist, less than1 percentof patients experience an issue.

1. How to choose the right clinic

Botox is currently the顶级无意识化妆品程序in the United States. That means there are a lot of clinics out there. It’s up to you to choose the right one.

“将您的搜索范围限制在纽约州Commack的Stony Brook Medicine of Strienne M. Haughton说，纽约州的Stony Brook Medicine说。“这些医生是面部解剖学的专家，他们的培训不仅限于周末课程，就像许多其他类型的医生或非物理学注射器一样。”

接下来，检查社交媒体和医生的网站，看看他们的工作是否与您的理想美观相匹配。如果获得纹身，就像那样的方式想到它。你很好看看艺术家的投资组合吗？用Botox Doc做同样的事情。

“Look at previous before and after results, or if possible, see a patient in person,” suggests Joshua D. Zuckerman, MD, of Zuckerman Plastic Surgery in New York City. “If the patient is totally ‘frozen,’ then you may not want to visit that physician.”

Although you likely aren’t going to become BFFs with your dermatologist, it’s also important that you like your provider in order to feel at ease. Read online reviews to get a take on a doctor’s bedside manner.

一旦您缩小了列表，安排咨询，以查看医生的哲学与您的哲学是否对齐。“这是您的脸，您的预算，您的决定”，“华盛顿州吉格港的弹性健康研究所的弹性卫生研究所”强调。“如果你感到被提供者迫害，漫步 - 快速。寻找倾听您担忧和欲望的医生是关键。您的医生应该是您的合作伙伴帮助您实现目标，而不是指决您的目标。“

2.用医生制作肉毒杆菌计划

When you’ve settled on a physician, make a Botox plan with them. Remember that your beautiful face is unique and attached to a unique individual — you! That means that your Botox plan will be different than your mom’s or even your bestie’s. And it should be.

“The most important part of creating any plan is understanding a patient’s goals and establishing realistic expectations for a patient,” Barr says. “To that end, a physician needs to educate about what Botox can and can’t do.”

And depending on your goals, you may need to visit the clinic up to six times a year for different treatments. Your dermatologist should outline all your options, including treatments not related to Botox.

一旦你与皮肤科医生分享，他们应该考虑你的年龄并仔细观察面部折痕的深度，罗德岛东格林威治东格林威治的皮肤病学专业人士都是如此。她喜欢使用肉毒杆菌毒素治疗细皱纹。对于更深的设定线，她希望看到肉毒杆菌毒素如何与额外的程序一起使用，以实现一个人想要的审美。

Your doctor should also evaluateallyour dynamic muscle movements. “I have the patient flex the muscles in the area of concern to see whether Botox is a good option and/or how much to inject,” Chang says.

In regard to forehead lines, for example, Chang examines how a patient looks with eyebrows raised, at rest, and with eyes closed.

“There are some people who have genetically heavy eyelids who compensate by keeping their eyebrows raised all the time,” she explains. “Botox of the forehead can weaken these muscles and prevent the compensatory raise.” As a result, the person would feel like their lids are even heavier. Not a good situation.

3. Let your bank account — not you — guide your decision

What’s in your wallet also plays a role in your Botox plan of action. Botox is暂时的那lasting about four to six months. If you like the results, you may decide to continue with several treatments a year.

“Respecting a patient’s budget is important, and devising a plan that accommodates both benefit and budget for a treatment is vital,” Barr says. Botox fees can range from $100 to $400 to treat a single area. Be honest with yourself if the commitment and fees are worth it to you.

Think about your lifestyle, too, and talk to your doctor about how it impacts your skin. Aging occurs because of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, explains Barr. Our genes, ethnicity, and even certain medical conditions are intrinsic, and we don’t have control over them. We have more control over extrinsic factors, like air pollution, stress, or smoking.

“Educating the patient about the different types of aging and having a candid discussion about their particular habits, environmental exposures, as well as their diet and lifestyle choices will help guide the plan, maximize the benefits, and optimize the results,” Barr says.

Although the time frame will be different for everyone, Barr recommends Botox when those fine lines appear and start to bother you.

“在我们的30多岁时，我们的皮肤细胞周转和我们的胶原蛋白的生产开始放缓，而且我们中许多人开始看到老化的迹象，”Barr说。有些人可能会选择在那之前获得Botox，许多提供商都会有义务，但Barr说他们更好地关注第一行防御。

“Individuals in their teens and 20s should save their pennies and focus more on their diet, lifestyle, and environmental exposures, to help maintain that youthful glow,” she suggests.

非化妆品用于肉毒杆菌毒素

With its muscle paralyzing or weakening action, Botox has benefits beyond tinkering with appearance. Botox is a medical treatment formigraines那excessive sweating那 pelvic pain 那overactive bladder那面部抽搐那TMJ， 乃至 depression 。

As a treatment for looking younger, Botox is still a spring chicken itself. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox for某些化妆品用途2002年。虽然临床医生认为Botox相对安全，但研究仍然是关于长期效果和其他因素的作用。

For example,研究人员in 2016 found that higher doses of Botox can spread along nerve cells beyond the intended injection site. The FDA has issued awarningregarding Botox, but it’s still approved in smaller doses for the temporary reduction of the appearance of wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes and mouth.

Additional risks of Botox include a botched job if too much of the neurotoxin is used or injected in the wrong spot. Bad Botox might include a “frozen” or expressionless face, asymmetrical issues, or drooping. Thankfully, since Botox is temporary, any of these mishaps will eventually wear off. Same goes for any light bruising that may occur after receiving injections, which should disappear after a few days.

If you’re considering Botox for cosmetic reasons, be honest with yourself as to why you want it. Are all your friends hopping on the Botox bandwagon? Are you using Botox to钝了你的感受? (Yes, that’s a thing.)

如果它让你感觉更自信的话，为自己做一些事情没有错。但从来没有被迫在眉睫的别人或别人感知的社会标准。无论你做出什么决定，都决定肉毒杆菌毒素 - 或者不是肉毒杆菌毒素 - 只为你自己。

Remember, aging is a natural and beautiful thing. Those lines hold the tales of every time you’ve smiled, laughed, furrowed your brow, or frowned. They’re the topographical map of your history. And that’s something worth owning.

Jennifer Chesak is a Nashville-based freelance book editor and writing instructor. She’s also an adventure travel, fitness, and health writer for several national publications. She earned her Master of Science in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill and is working on her first fiction novel, set in her native state of North Dakota.