Botox injectors sometimes went overboard in the early days. That’s why you saw celebrities looking like they belonged in Madame Tussauds with their waxy pallor. These days it’s rare to see that “frozen” look on the red carpets because the injection technique has been fine-tuned for natural-looking results.
Becoming an expert injector is both a science and an art. The science part of it is knowing the anatomy of the face and understanding how muscles work to create expressions—and wrinkles. It is also absolutely crucial to know the no-inject zones.
As Botox becomes more readily available at beauty salons and spas, I urge you to make sure that you know the injectors’ experience and credentials before proceeding with treatment. Botox is a neurotoxin, but it’s a safe treatment if it is administered by an experienced doctor or a nurse injector. A misplaced injection can cause droopy eyelids or a strange smile.
The art of natural results
The art of injecting involves watching the client talk and observing how they express themselves before a needle touches their face. The trend is not to erase your expressions; the goal is to soften the undesirable movements that make you look angry or tired. I prefer to start at the minimum dose of Botox and go from there. A top up is easy, but the only fix for overdone is to wait it out.
The art of creating natural results comes from pinpointing the precise locations that will soften frown lines or deep forehead wrinkles without erasing expression. The forehead is one of the trickiest areas. Misplaced Botox in the forehead can cause eyebrows to “spock” in a high arch or cause the eyebrow to drop . Fortunately, “spocking” can be corrected by injecting a small amount of Botox above the brows. Unfortunately the dropped brow needs to wait until the effects of Botox runs it's course.
The mouth can also be a tricky area. A woman who got an undesirable result from a Botox treatment in B.C. came to me, to ask what could be done to fix her lopsided smile. She literally could not move the left side of her mouth. Sadly, there was no fix. The effect of the Botox had to run its course. Fortunately, this woman has a background in acting and made sure she didn't show her crooked smile. Once the Botox wore off, she went back to her smiley self.
So many of my clients say, “I do not want to look done.” No one wants to look done—it looks unnatural. The good news is that with artfully placed injections, your Botox treatment will be our little secret unless you want to tell people.
As always, I am here to answer any of your questions and discuss any concerns you may have about cosmetic injectables and skincare.
