Botox is a well-known cosmetic treatment that reduces wrinkles around your eyes, on your forehead, or anywhere else on your face. But what exactly is Botox and how does it work?
## What is Botox?
Let’s start with the basics. Botox is a protein derived from botulinum toxin. The toxin comes from the clostridium botulinum bacteria. It’s a naturally occurring bacteria, present in soil, lakes, forests, and even in some animals. This bacteria is harmless, but if there’s a high concentration of clostridium botulinum bacteria, it can start producing botulinum toxin.

In large doses, botulinum toxin can be harmful, but in small doses it has some incredible benefits. Botox can reduce wrinkles and smooth out lines. It also has some surprising health benefits like preventing excessive sweating and reducing migraines.
## How Muscles Form Wrinkles
Botox treatments often target wrinkles. Many of the most common face wrinkles, like crow’s feet or frown lines, are actually caused by your muscles. These are called dynamic wrinkles. 

When your muscles tense, they move the overlying skin. As we get older, this muscle movement can bunch the skin, forming lines and wrinkles on the face. Dynamic wrinkles usually appear on the forehead, between the eyebrows, and around the outer corners of the eyes.
## How Does Botox Work?
Botulinum toxin works at a deep level. It targets the nervous system, preventing signals that tell your muscles to contract. When your brain to communicates with your muscles, your body releases acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that helps transmit the signal from the brain to the muscles. Botulinum prevents the release of acetylcholine, so the muscles never get the signals to contract or tense.

Botox treatments prevent muscle tension to soften wrinkles. Botox can even prevent new wrinkles from forming. By disrupting the signal from the brain, Botox can keep your muscles relaxed and reduce facial wrinkles. 
## Getting a Botox Injection
Botulinum comes in powder form, and it gets mixed with saline before injection. Saline makes it injectable, and also dilutes the botulinum toxin to further reduce the risk of any side effects. 

The injection just takes a few minutes. Once injected, Botox blocks the signals to nearby muscles, reducing wrinkles. Even if your brain sends signals to the muscle, that muscle stays relaxed.

Don’t worry, this won’t affect your whole face. Botox remains localized, so you’ll only notice effects in the muscles near the injection site. 
## When Will You Notice Results?
Botox treatments start acting right away, but you probably won’t see the results for a few days. Within a week, you should notice fewer lines and wrinkles and smoother skin. Results usually last between three to five months. After that, you may start to notice some new wrinkles forming on your skin.
## What Happens After a Few Months?
Over time, Botox becomes less effective, and signals from the brain can reach the muscles again. The Botox protein gets broken down into amino acids like any other protein in the body. These smaller components get recycled and used to make other proteins, or they get excreted from the body.

Side effects are very rare, making Botox a safe and easy way to reduce wrinkles and achieve smoother skin.

**Get started by booking a consultation with a Persimmon.life professional to find out more.**
