Wrinkles in your face are caused by a number of factors: collagen depletion, cellular changes and hormone changes. Most of all, they are caused by years of facial expressions. Any time you express yourself, through a laugh, a smile, a frown or a sneer, your facial muscles are in action, moving under the skin, which in turn, has to move along with them.

Over time, the lines that form in the skin when the muscles move, particularly the lines between the brows (glabellar lines), get tired of flattening out every time the muscles stop moving. Their elasticity weakens, and they remain, becoming deeper and deeper as time goes on and expressions continue to be made. It doesn't help that the bodily changes that come naturally with age tend to make the skin more susceptible to damaging forces, such as the sun, as well as internal forces that exacerbate signs of aging.

Botox, the brand name for the drug botulinum toxin type A, works as a muscle relaxant, reducing the activity in the muscles that cause expression lines and wrinkles between the brows. By injecting Botox into brow wrinkles - the only area for which Botox usage has been FDA-approved - the muscles become temporarily paralyzed, allowing for wrinkle-free expressions.

Usually, a Botox patient will see results within days of their first Botox treatment - a 10-minute treatment of a few tiny injections. While relatively painless, the person may feel slight discomfort during the injections and slight irritation afterward. However, wrinkles will be noticeably reduced for up to four months after the procedure.

As Botox only provides a temporary reduction of wrinkles, it is necessary to continue treatments in order to see ongoing wrinkle reduction. Discontinuing the treatments after time will result in a return of the wrinkles at the former site of injection.

While Botox has only been FDA approved for the treatment of brow lines, some doctors are using the drug for "off-label" purposes, injecting sites other than the brow, including under the eyes or next to the mouth. Botox has not been approved to treat these wrinkles; people who use Botox for these purposes should be warned of the risks associated with off-label uses.

For more information on Botox and wrinkles, please contact us to consult with a plastic surgeon near you.