There's a common misconception that Botox makes you look older when it wears off. On the contrary, regular Botox treatments make you look younger even after the neurotoxin wears off.
If you stop BOTOX treatments after many years of regular injections, the only effect will be that your wrinkles will return, albeit a bit more slowly than if you had not been using BOTOX. It's true: Even after you stop, you will still look younger than you would have if you had never been injected.
"Botox is a neurotoxin that paralyzes the muscle. After people use it, they start losing volume in their face, and that accelerates the appearance of aging."
When people see lines forming after BOTOX wears off, they assume treatment made their wrinkles worse. Actually, your face simply returns back to its natural state. No new wrinkles or lines are ever caused by these injections.
Does Botox ruin your face? Studies have shown that Botox (most commonly known as the brand name Botox), when used in low but effective doses, does not ruin your face, but rather is a temporary paralyzation of the microscopic muscle nerve endings.
Many people worry that if they stop getting BOTOX injections, their wrinkles will come back faster and worse than before. However, this is not the case. If you stop BOTOX injections, your wrinkles will slowly start to come back, but slower than if you had never used BOTOX to begin with.
If you use Botox for ten or more years, your skin will appear brighter and smoother with fewer wrinkles. Even after stopping Botox injections after years of use, you'll still notice fewer wrinkles between your eyes or on your forehead, which means you'll continue to age gracefully.
Nausea. Redness. Temporary facial weakness or drooping. In rare instances, the botulinum toxin may spread beyond the treatment area, causing botulism-like signs and symptoms such as breathing problems, trouble swallowing, muscle weakness and slurred speech.
Botox acts by paralyzing the muscles in a given area, causing wrinkles to smooth. Once the effects of the Botox wear off, the patient will appear the same as they did prior to the treatment. Prolonged treatments will not cause sagging of the skin.
And if you're wondering if Botox works if you already have wrinkles, the answer is a resounding YES. In fact, smoothing out facial wrinkles and fine lines, like laugh lines, crow's feet, frown lines, etc., is the primary FDA-approved purpose of Botox injections.
At what age should you stop using Botox? There is no upper age limit for people who want to have Botox. In fact, many women enjoy the refreshed look they can get from Botox and complementary treatments when they are in their 60s or older.
One of the most common misconceptions about BOTOX and other injectable wrinkle relaxers is that using these products will make the patient appear frozen, plastic, or overly tight. In reality, the enhancements made with BOTOX injections can look exceptionally natural when performed by an experienced injector.
Long-Term Consequences of Over-Use
Negative side-effects of prolonged over-use of Botox may include muscle weakness as the facial muscles involved with Botox application slowly lose their ability to function normally.
Using Botox® After Your 40s: Part Of A Wider Treatment
If you consider starting Botox® after the age of 40, you should be aware that Botox® works better with the fine lines due to repetitive movement of the face (smiling, frowning, etc). It works much less for muscles that become heavy or sag from age.
In fact, regular Botox use can actually retrain certain muscles to move less, leading to smoother skin with less Botox over time. After Botox wears off, your face returns to its natural state. The dynamic wrinkles that your Botox kept hidden show up again. You will not have any new lines caused by Botox.
Why Does Botox Make Your Forehead Shiny? Light naturally reflects off of smooth surfaces, so the smoother your skin, the more light will bounce. Botox injections smooth the skin, which can cause it to appear shinier, especially if it is overdone.
People in their 50s will want to tackle lax skin and loss of collagen too. So, Botox treatment is usually combined with dermal filler to help lift and tighten areas such as the jawline to improve the appearance and to treat loss of volume in the face and cheek area.
But this is due to normal aging, not due to any filler use. So, the short answer to the original question is that you'll just look like an older version of yourself, with the wrinkles and hollows you would have had if you had never used Botox or fillers.
In general, most people should have Botox injections once every four months is usually an ideal frequency for this treatment. But because everybody has a different body, you may need your injections more or less frequently.
Botox wears off gradually and the effects will fade over time—meaning wrinkles and fine lines won't suddenly reappear overnight.
Cleanse and moisturize regularly
Cleansing and moisturizing help protect skin and keep it healthy; but banish regular soap, which can be drying for older skin. Instead, use a cleanser that gently washes without stripping skin of its natural moisture. Avoid skin toners, especially those with a stringent or alcohol base.