Causes of Facial Aging and How Botox Can Help?

Is your face showing signs of aging? Come to Dr. Jane Weston MD in Menlo Park, CA today to find out how our Botox treatments can benefit you. Our office is conveniently located at 1047 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Call us today to book an appointment.

Table of Contents:

What are the main causes of skin aging?
Does Botox help with aging?
How can Botox improve your aging skin?
How does Botox work to reduce wrinkles?

There are many factors that contribute to facial aging, one of the main culprits being sun exposure. While the sun provides necessary vitamins and nutrients (such as vitamin D) that are essential to one’s health, too much sunlight can contribute to wrinkles, fine lines and even a leathery-like texture. Botox is a common aesthetic treatment that can treat a wide number of skin irregularities, such as wrinkles, furrows and uneven skin tones.

What are the main causes of skin aging?

There are many contributing factors to aging skin, some of the most common include:

Breakdown of Collagen: The collagen in the skin makes up three quarters of its dry weight. The quality and quantity of collagen play a major role in the appearance of skin. Slowing down the breakdown and degradation of collagen fibers, replacing it, or stimulating its production are all vital to youthful skin.

Sun Exposure: Repeated exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun is the main cause of premature aging skin and skin damage, accounting for nearly 90% of cases. The sun has carcinogenic properties and can be harmful to the skin. Even only a few minutes of sun exposure each day can cause noticeable changes to the skin over the years. Photo aging occurs over a number of years. Several scientific studies have shown that repeated exposure to the sun and its UV radiation breaks down collagen and elastin and can even impair the synthesis of these important proteins.

Oxidation: When highly reactive small molecules known as free radicals are exposed to the body, they can damage important cellular structures found in the skin. In fact, these free radicals can damage virtually any molecule in the body. Damage caused by free radicals leads to the generation of even more free radicals. These can produce negative effects in every layer of the skin: the hypodermis, dermis and epidermis. Although our bodies are equipped with natural internal antioxidants, they are not enough to protect our skin from irreversible damage.

Inflammation: When the skin is invaded by foreign pathogens like viruses and bacteria, it becomes inflamed as a defense mechanism. Inflammation is also essential to the healing process of skin and limits the damage to skin cells caused by everyday chemicals and pollutants. Although inflammation may be helpful in the short term, chronic inflammation is one of the biggest contributing factors to early onset skin aging. Symptoms can be subtle, and include skin sensitivity, redness and irritation.

Does Botox help with aging?

Yes, Botox can help reduce the signs of aging. Botox injections are proven to combat common signs of aging, such as the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines. The botulinum toxin, which is the primary active ingredient in Botox, has been used for nearly two decades as a solution for the visible signs of aging skin. Botox can be used preventatively, which works to treat wrinkles before they become apparent.

How can Botox improve your aging skin?

Botox works by relaxing overactive facial muscles and decreasing movement that causes wrinkles, effectively paralyzing the muscles that cause wrinkles when contracted. Botox can be used to improve facial aging by softening lines and brightening the overall skin tone. Botox should not dramatically alter one’s appearance, nor give someone a ‘frozen’ appearance. Its results are very natural when administered by a qualified medical professional.

How does Botox work to reduce wrinkles?

Botox works by temporarily paralyzing the facial muscles that cause wrinkles. If the muscles cannot contract, they are not able to produce wrinkles, such as those associated with crow’s feet and the frown (glabellar) lines between your eyes. Botox is able to do this by interfering with the facial nerves responsible for muscle contractions.

If you or someone you love is looking to reduce the appearance of facial aging, come to Dr. Jane Weston today! Our kind and compassionate professionals are experienced in helping people look their youngest and can help you take years off your appearance! Call us today to book an appointment, we look forward to serving you! We serve patients from Menlo Park CA, Palo Alto CA, Woodside CA, Belmont CA, Redwood City CA, and Mountain View CA.