Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery.
Reconstructive surgery includes craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. While reconstructive surgery aims to reconstruct a part of the body or improve its functioning, cosmetic (or aesthetic) surgery aims at improving the appearance of it.
Botox (OnabotulinumtoxinA) is the brand name for an injectable neurotoxin used in cosmetic beauty treatments to block nerve signals to facial muscles. Though safe in this context, it is the same compound produced by bacteria that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning.
When a muscle is directly injected with this neurotoxin, it temporarily paralyzes the targeted muscle. The paralyzed muscle no longer receives nerve messages telling it to contract in response to our most commonly expressed emotions. Instead, the surrounding skin relaxes, temporarily appearing softer and smoother.
What's the difference between Botox and dermal fillers? To understand what injectables do, it’s important to understand what happens to the aging face. Over time, people acquire facial lines and wrinkles and the skin on their faces also starts to look less full. How wrinkled you get is partly genetic, but mostly determined by exposure to the sun. Sun exposure weakens the collagen and elastic tissue of the skin, which causes sagging and wrinkling. Over the years, the face also loses volume from a natural decrease in bone and fat that happens as we age.
To help minimize the visible effects of aging, botulinum toxin injections and dermal fillers serve different purposes:
Botulinum toxins soften lines by preventing muscles from contracting when we talk, chew or make facial expressions. This can cause a slightly less animated look in the face when expressing emotions, especially when administered by someone who is not well trained in the latest techniques. Dermal fillers smooth wrinkles and help plump up “hollowed out” areas of the face, such as in the cheeks where facial volume has been lost during the aging process. They can also help smooth scars and plump lips. Overfilling and other complications can result when fillers are administered by an unskilled individual. If you’re considering an injectable cosmetic treatment, your dermatologist can work with you to determine if you would benefit from Botox, a dermal filler or both in order to meet your aesthetic goals.
Injectable treatments can cost several hundred dollars and are not covered by medical insurance when administered for cosmetic reasons.
