You may have never stumbled upon the word neuromodulator in the past. But this product has always been associated with cosmetic treatments. And this blog will walk you through the role of neuromodulators in facial and rejuvenating procedures.
More people are being captivated by the results and benefits of cosmetic therapy. There was a time when people’s first impression about cosmetic therapy always involved plastic surgery and unnatural results. But time changed, and a great innovation took place in the world of cosmetics.
Cosmetic Injectables
From the name itself, cosmetic injectables are facial products or substances injected on the skin to treat and improve certain conditions. The procedure for cosmetic injection is to alleviate uneven texture, improve facial areas, and treat common skin problems such as wrinkles and saggy skin.
Cosmetic injectables have different kinds that patients can choose from to get the result that they want. Same as dermal fillers, wrinkle relaxers are cosmetic injectables that offer natural-looking and rejuvenation results on the skin.
What are neuromodulators?
Neuromodulator or wrinkle relaxers in cosmetics are products used to temporarily reduce wrinkles, frown lines, and saggy skin. It works by temporarily blocking the nerve signals to constrain or reduce muscle movement on the injection site that will eventually decrease or eliminate the appearance of unwanted lines and droopy skin.
Neuromodulation has contributed a lot to clinical medicine and has been changing the life and condition of patients with different diagnoses. Since neuromodulation involves the manipulation of activity and movement directly through the nerves by delivering agents, this technique has brought amazing results to symptoms such as mild to severe headache, spinal cord injuries, involuntary leakage of urine, and chronic pain.
In the world of cosmetics, neuromodulation is one of the most popular treatments among patients. The thing is, most patients do not realize that they are receiving this type of substance agent in their skin.
The best of neuromodulators
Neuromodulators in cosmetics are a wrinkle-relaxing substance that is delivered to the affected area of the skin through injections. People are more familiar with its commercial terms as Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin which are a treatment used to moderate the appearance of symptoms that are usually brought by chronological aging such as wrinkles, frown lines, and crow’s feet.
Botox
Botox is widely known for its effectiveness and amazing result in reducing facial wrinkles and lines. But since Botox is a neuromodulator substance, its components can also be used in treating other conditions, such as:
- Hyperhidrosis – Excessive armpit sweating
- Cervical dystonia – Severe muscle spasm and pain on the neck and shoulder
- Blepharospasm – Involuntary blinking
- Strabismus – Crossed eye or lazy eye
Dysport
Dysport is the treatment for people with moderate to severe conditions of lines in the forehead and eyebrows, also called glabella lines, that are primarily visible when frowning. Although these lines are naturally occurring, they can become more prominent over time even when the face muscle is relaxed.
This type of neuromodulator is only advisable to people with moderate to severe conditions of glabella lines. The substance deeply penetrates the skin to treat serious lines.
Xeomin
Unlike Botox, which contains proteins, Xeomin is the naked form of botulinum toxin. It is injected in the affected area without any additives or on its purified structure to help prevent antibody resistance.
Side Effects of Neuromodulator
Any neuromodulator cosmetic treatment has common side effects after the procedure. The symptoms of these side effects will eventually fade away either with or without follow-up medication. The common side effects are the following:
- Muscle weakness on or around the injection site
- Having trouble swallowing which could take up to several months
- Muscle stiffness and pain in different areas of the body such as arms and legs
- Blurred eyes
- Droopy eyebrows
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Increase body sweat
- Bruising, pain, bleeding, redness, or swelling on the injection site
Neuromodulators can cause more severe and risky side effects, even if used for cosmetic purposes. Here are signs that should not be ignored after a cosmetic injection of a neuromodulator:
- Unusual and severe muscle weakness on the body area that was not injected during the treatment
- Intense trouble breathing, swallowing, and talking
- An uncontrolled leak of urine
- Change in voice and drooping eyelids;
- Eye pain, moderate to a severe change in vision, and irritated eyes
- Chest pain or pressure
- Pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder
- Irregular heartbeats
- Pain or burning when you urinate
- Trouble emptying your bladder
- Sore throat
- Cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath
- Eyelid swelling
- Crusting or drainage from your eyes
Safety
Although there are risks and side effects imposed on neuromodulators, most of them are harmless and will eventually fade after a while. The substance has been studied and used by professionals in different areas in medicine that have changed the lives of patients. A neuromodulator is a safe option in cosmetic injection.
Result of Neuromodulator as a cosmetic injection
The general result of the neuromodulator is to minimize facial muscle movement to straighten out natural wrinkles and lines. Some patients are worried about getting a result that will make their faces overly stretched and emotionless. There is no risk for this to happen if you had a cosmetic injection administered by a professional practitioner who will know exactly how much dosage to give to you. Patients can attain a natural-looking result.
Another concern that people want to get neuromodulation injection is that they are worried that the aging signs that they have before the treatment will worsen since the effect of neuromodulators does not last forever.
The effect of neuromodulator injection is not permanent. Wrinkles and lines are natural signs of aging. We will eventually get there. However, cosmetic neuromodulators can prevent for a while the additional formation of wrinkles and lines. Also, deep wrinkles and frown lines in the face that are present before the treatment can be reduced even after the effect of the treatment fades off.
Neuromodulators as cosmetic injectables are proven to have promising results and benefits. If you want to learn more about your options for neuromodulation, Vital Aesthetics has experts to help you walk through the process.