Are you hooked to botox?

When your fine lines and the dynamic wrinkles, are erased from your face after that tiny lunch-time procedure of botox jabs, the feeling, definitely, is euphoric — seeing the younger-looking you in the mirror in a matter of a few days, is a story that has a guaranteed happy ending. And the good thing is that you don't need another jab before four to six months.

However, trouble in paradise begins when someone runs to get another dose at the appearance of even the finest of lines after every few months. The mandatory time period of waiting for at least four to five months before you get the next shot is something that they tend to overlook and carelessly. These are the botox addicts. They develop a psychological dependence to the toxin because of the instant feel-good factor it provides and stop paying heed to the warnings of the dermatologists. We spoke to Dr Sama Rais consultant dermatologist and cosmetologist, Dr Geeta Oberoi, dermatologist, Dr Jamuna Pai, cosmetologist and Dr Rashmi Shetty, cosmetic physician for more...

Too frequent jabs can be detrimental: It is extremely important that the patient and doctor strictly refrain from repeating a botox session earlier than four months. Injections administered too frequently can easily amount to a frozen look which looks unnatural and plastic. The person is unable to use his/ her facial muscles to emote. Only 0.2% may develop antibodies to botulinum toxin with repeated injections and the only downside of which is that botox would stop having its effect if antibodies develop.

FACT FILE:

Botox is a purified protein injected in muscles to relax them. It lasts for three to five months. After this, the effects of the toxin wears off and the lines and wrinkles begin to show again.

No harmful effects have been reported with regular and long-term use of botox as long as it is not repeated too frequently.

The best part about this is that a well-done jab job relaxes the overactive muscles, thereby reducing the fine wrinkles without paralysing all movement of facial muscles, thus providing a natural, yet rejuvenated look.

The results are far more gratifying than the pain associated with the injections and it is a much easier non-invasive technique, compared to facelifts.

The perfect administration of botox depends on a good doctor. There may be some doctors who know the science behind it but may not have the aesthetics or training for understanding what exactly to do in order to enhance the look of a patient. This is a science and of course there are perfect formulas for everything but it is also an art. It is also about how it will look.

The few folds and lines we have on our face actually adds to our personality.

The good: It wipes away dynamic wrinkles almost instantly, providing a fresh younger look within a week of injection.

The bad: As soon as the effects of the toxin show signs of waning, one begins to miss the youthful look and the resulting confidence it provided, and begins to crave for frequent sessions.

The ugly: You get droopy eyebrows, a frozen face and zero emotions. Studies have reported that 40% users, on a regular basis feel a compulsion to use it and 50% feel they need more jabs to control their youthful appearance.

Keep in mind:
If you are looking at a wrinkle-free face, here are a few key points to ponder...

With botox, less is always more.

A minimum gap of four months is essential between two botox sessions.

An overdose or too-frequent jabs can give you a face that is rendered incapable of expressing any kind of emotion at all.

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