Botox and Wrinkle Reduction

The Effectiveness of Botox in Wrinkle Reduction

It is well known that the Botox can treat the dynamic wrinkles that normally appear on forehead. The picture below shows  forehead of  patients before and after injected with botox.

Figure 1: Picture of patient before and after treatment of Botox

                                                        (Image adopted from: Billinkoff Aesthetic Incorporation)

There are also others area injected with Botox. The others commonly area injected with botox are shown in the picture below:

Figure 2: Others commonly injected area

                                                                                            (Image adopted from: Hana Dental Center)

However, the effect of Botox is just temporaly and normally can last for few to several months depending on area of muscle injected and individual patient. The functional recovery is due to the formation of new neural sprouts and this process takes at least 2-3 months in striated muscles but probably takes much longer in smooth muscles. This is because longer clinical effects have been described when injections of Botox are given in a smooth muscle such as the detrusor.(Allergan Incorporation. 2010) The diagram below showing the recovery of muscle contraction.

A)Figure 1:  Nerve Sprouting: 

1. New nerve endings sprout and connect to the muscle after the original nerve ending is blocked.


2. The ability of the nerve to cause muscle contractions is renew . 






Figure 2:  Reestablishment of Nerve Connection:

1. Eventually, the new nerve sprouts retract.

2. The original nerve ending regains its function,acetylcholine released. 

Figure 1&2 adopted from: Allergan Incorporation. 2010. Mechanism of Action


Click on the video below to view how Botox is injected and it's effectiveness. (Adopted from Youtube.com)