It’s been a long and challenging year for us all, and no one could have predicted the events that affected the world during 2020 and the start of 2021. Fortunately, it looks as if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we can start to look forward to the future and return to more of everyday life in the months ahead.
At Dr Anita Dhunna’s cosmetic practices in Brookman’s Park, Hertfordshire, and South Woodford/Essex we hear from patients who have been affected by the lockdown of recent months, not only emotionally and physically but facially. Many of us feel as though we aged five years in 2020 and primarily due to not being able to visit our favourite cosmetic clinics for regular cosmetic treatments such as Botox® and the stresses of COVID, life in lockdown and frowning more because of these stresses.
Why do patients turn to Botox?
When we create certain facial expressions (frowning, smiling, concentrating, raising our eyebrows), this can cause expression lines (dynamic wrinkles that appear due to the face’s continuous muscle movements). Last year was particularly hot and sunny during the spring and summer months, and with many of us at home, we took more advantage of the nice weather, choosing to sit in the garden or take long walks outside. For some of us, who neglected to wear sunscreen or protective shielding such as a hat, this meant sun damage, dehydrating the skin and further exacerbating expression lines and dynamic wrinkles.
What is Botox? How does it work?
Botox® is one of the most popular and most famous anti-wrinkle injection treatments today and is the only substance on earth that can effectively reduce expression lines through injectable delivery into the face. It does this by temporarily relaxing facial muscles, which cause lines and wrinkles: those on the forehead, around the eyes, between the eyebrows and down the sides of the nose. These lines are most commonly formed when the facial muscles move and are not to be confused with ‘static’ lines and deeper wrinkles, such as those we see when the face is at rest. These wrinkles are better treated with dermal fillers and cannot be effectively treated with Botox® alone.
Many of our patients find that combining Botox® and dermal fillers offers life-changing results and can address dynamic and static lines, wrinkles, and creases of the face and neck.
So how do you know if you’re suitable for post-lockdown Botox® with Dr Anita Dhunna in Hertfordshire?
Dr Anita Dhunna is a fully qualified medical professional. It is part of her professional duty of care to ensure your safety and the efficacy of any treatment that she performs. Therefore, Dr Anita will always carry out a no-obligation, initial consultation and pre-treatment analysis of your facial anatomy and skin quality before advising on any injectable anti-ageing procedure.
She will be able to discuss with you what’s really bothering you about your facial appearance after the long and stressful year we have all had, as well as assess your facial lines and check your medical history to determine whether Botox® is both a safe and suitable option for your individual facial concerns. She’ll explain how the treatment will work and when to expect results to appear, as well as how long they could last.
She’ll also suggest suitable skincare or combination treatments, such as PDO threads or dermal fillers if she feels that you may benefit from these treatments in addition to Botox®, and can create a bespoke, tailored plan for your requirements. Once she feels that a treatment using Botox® injections would indeed refresh your look and offer optimum results, she will invite you to make your first appointment for treatment.
Your Botox treatment
A Botox® treatment is relatively quick and simple to administer (if performed by a medically qualified and fully-trained practitioner), so you shouldn’t be in the clinic for more than 30 to 40 minutes. There is no clinical or cosmetic downtime (apart from a few superficial lumps which subside within around 30 minutes) and no need to take any time off work for rest or recuperation. This makes Botox® an excellent lunchtime treatment, perfect for those of us who are back to work and can’t take time off.
The results from Botox® injections can be seen anything from 24 hours to 2 weeks, following from your treatment, and you may return to the clinic after 14 days if you feel that you might need a top-up treatment. Results last between 4 and 6 months, and if you take care of your skin, avoid strong sunlight, wear a high-factor SPF and drink plenty of water, you could experience results for as long as up to 8 months! The longevity of results depends on the individual, so we always suggest a twice-annual visit to the clinic to maintain smoother, more youthful-looking skin with Botox®.
Botox® is immensely popular, simply because it works. It’s virtually pain-free and straightforward to administer by a medically registered practitioner. No wonder our clinics are inundated with enquiries to book in with Dr Anita, after the lockdown, as all our patients can now return to looking fresh, vibrant and more wide-awake with these remarkable anti-ageing injections in a safe, professional and welcoming environment.
