Are There Any Alternatives To BOTOX®?
Botulinum toxin type A, also known as BOTOX®, has become a cultural phenomenon and is used for a wide range of cosmetic as well as medical applications. Even though your facial expressions might only last for a few seconds, the constant shifting of skin throughout daily life eventually forms lines and creases known as dynamic wrinkles. While there’s no real substitute for the muscle relaxing ability of BOTOX®, Los Angeles’ Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills team explains that there are other effective wrinkle treatments. They may not be as powerful, but they can still make your skin look smoother and more youthful.
For anyone not ready for injections, who has developed a “resistance” to BOTOX®, or who can’t get back to their dermatologist for additional treatments due to COVID restrictions or other challenges, here are some other proven, non-surgical ways to reduce wrinkles or prevent them from worsening:
• Antioxidants
One way of maintaining skin that looks supple and wrinkle-free is by regularly using face creams that contain antioxidants. Our skin is constantly exposed to damage by free radicals from the air around us, the food we eat, sunlight, smoking, and other sources. Antioxidants like vitamin C, retinol (vitamin A), vitamin E, and green tea extract help to repair this damage.
• Moisturizers
Ever noticed that your skin looks more lined and wrinkled when it’s dehydrated? Although moisturizing can’t prevent wrinkles from occurring, nor erase them forever, keeping your skin hydrated will make your skin look plumper and conceal wrinkles, including any of the small ones that BOTOX® hasn’t smoothed out.
• Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are another solution for reducing the wrinkles around the eyes, such as crow’s feet, along with the frown lines and forehead wrinkles that are typically treated with injectables. They can also be safely used for under-eye wrinkles and fine lines around the mouth. Peels slough away the damaged surface layer of skin, enabling products to penetrate the pores more effectively while stimulating new cell turnover and collagen regeneration. The new skin that is revealed looks healthier and less wrinkled. These work best for fine, superficial wrinkles.
• Laser Skin Resurfacing
The reason why younger skin looks so much healthier and less wrinkled is because it contains an abundance of collagen, a protein that keeps it strong and elastic. Since you lose a certain amount of collagen from your skin each year as an adult, it gradually becomes thinner and is more prone to wrinkles. Laser skin resurfacing is a non-invasive way of encouraging the creation of new collagen to enhance the overall quality of the skin.
• Microneedling and PRP
With this treatment, micro-injuries are used to promote healing processes in the skin. Very fine needles puncture the skin’s surface to gradually encourage collagen production in the deeper layers of skin. Microneedling can also be combined with PRP (platelet-rich plasma).
• Ultherapy®
Heat treatments are often used for addressing some of the similar signs of aging that BOTOX® is approved for. The ultrasound energy can lift and tighten skin to reduce wrinkles on the brow area, neck, jawline, and even on the sensitive area around the eyes. The skin responds to the heat produced in Ultherapy® by generating more collagen and elastin.
• Avoiding Harmful Habits
Preventing premature aging from occurring in the first place is easier than having to repair more severe damage later in life. To keep your skin in its best shape, avoid smoking, and use sun protection each day, since damage to your skin is cumulative and occurs over a lifetime. Try to avoid habits—such as constant wrinkling, frowning, and squinting—that make wrinkles worse.
To find out more about what to expect from BOTOX® or to learn about other options for getting a more youthful face, contact Skin Care and Laser Physicians of Beverly Hills by filling out a contact form, or give them a call at 310-246-0495.