Introduction
Treatment with neuromodulators is the first-choice treatment for expression lines, which occur when we gesticulate. The treatment provides a sensation of facial rest, freshness and good mood.
But it also has many other indications both in and outside aesthetic medicine.
What is it used for in aesthetic medicine?
In addition to treating wrinkles, neuromodulators are used in application to many other disorders in medicine.
- Expression lines(forehead, brow and periocular zone)
- Facial rejuvenating
- Excessive perspiration
- Bruxism
- Facial narrowing
- Vaginism and vulvodynia
Treatments with neuromodulators are a fundamental therapeutic tool in aesthetic medicine clinics; when correctly used, they are innocuous and afford rapid and surprising effects, brightening patient expression, and are very much liked by practically everyone that tries them.
Indeed, neuromodulators are by far the most commonly used aesthetic medical treatments worldwide.
1.- Beauty treatment with neuromodulators: forehead and brow
The essence of such treatment is to relax the muscles we use to make certain gestures that can make us seem angry, tired or in a bad mood.
By relaxing these movements, we not only treat the expression lines but also slow aging in the treated area
Who is neuromodulator treatment intended for?
This kind of treatment is indicated for both men and women, and for both young and elderly individuals.
Since expression lines are involved, i.e., wrinkles that are produced by contracting certain facial muscles, young people are also perfectly valid candidates; it is not a question of waiting until we have marked wrinkles, which would require something more than only this kind of treatment.
It therefore may be regarded as prevention against aging.
What zones are treated with neuromodulators?
There are a number of classical basic zones for treatment:
- Brow or glabella
- Forehead
- Periocular zone
Treatment can also be applied to more advanced zones, often serving as a complement to complete facial harmonization:
- Perinasal lines (bunny lines)
- Wrinkles around the lips
- Gummy smile
- Angles of the mouth
- Chin
- Neck (platysmal bands)
- Lower eyelid wrinkles
How do neuromodulators work?
Neuromodulators act upon the neuromuscular junctions, paralyzing or relaxing the corresponding muscles.
The effect upon the muscle depends on the administered dose; thus, we can simply relax a movement or paralyze it, as we wish.
Effects are also exerted upon the sweat glands and sebaceous glands, reducing their activity. This consequently is an excellent treatment for people with excessive perspiration (hyperhidrosis), and oily skins.
How is neuromodulator treatment carried out?
- The first and most important thing is to decide which facial gestures we wish to smoothen. This implies the selection of concrete points for neuromodulator treatment and the necessary doses.
- Photographs are obtained to allow posterior evaluation of the results, in case further adjustments are needed, and to be able to choose the same effect or change it in later sessions.
- Infiltration is very simple. No anaesthesia is required, and the patient can return to his or her daily activity after completing the treatment.
Posterior care
After treatment, certain care measures are important to ensure that the neuromodulator remains only within the infiltrated zone, focusing its effects there:
- Avoid massaging the zone; this includes avoiding the application of any kind of cream
- Avoid heat sources such as showering, bathing or saunas
- Avoid physical exertion
- Avoid lying down
All these measures should be applied for at least 4-5 hours.
False beliefs
There is a belief that this kind of treatment produces an inexpressive face; many people are therefore reluctant to try it. However, since the effect is dose-dependent and we moreover choose which movements we want to relax, this belief is clearly false. An inexpressive face would only be observed in those cases where the doses and/or points of infiltration decided by the physician or the patient have not been adequate.
In Artemédica we consider neuromodulator treatment to be an art, harmonizing facial expression without paralyzing movement.
Some people are also concerned about neuromodulators, considering them to be dangerous. In this regard it is important to point out that the doses used in aesthetic medicine are far lower than those used in other medical areas such as spastic paralysis in children, and particularly thousands of times lower than the potentially toxic doses.
2.- Neuromodulator treatment for excessive perspiration
It is the best treatment for excessive perspiration, causing us to sweat less.
The neuromodulator inhibits nerve transmission at the cholinergic nerve endings, relaxing activity of the sweat gland in the same way as in the paralysis of muscle contraction.
This mechanism of action makes it an excellent treatment in cases of excessive perspiration or hyperhidrosis in different zones of the body such as:
- The palms of the hands
- The soles of the feet
- Axilla
- Forehead
- Scalp
Application in neuromodulators in hyperhidrosis
Anaesthesia may or may not be required, depending on the zone to be treated for excessive perspiration.
It is needed in the case of the palms and soles, and almost never in the rest of zones. In Artemédica we apply a novel anaesthetic block when using neuromodulators to treat the mentioned zones, thereby preventing pain.
3. Neuromodulator treatment for bruxism
Neuromodulator therapy is effective against bruxism, which is the involuntary habit of clenching the jaws and teeth, generally while sleeping.
Bruxism causes jaw pain and headache, together with wear of the surface of the teeth, among many other effects. Over time, the negative effects of bruxism tend to accentuate and can result in the fracture of fillings, retraction of the gums, alterations of the temporomandibular joint or hypertrophy of the jaw muscles, producing an anti-aesthetic effect in the form of widening of the face.
Neuromodulators are used to treat bruxism through infiltration into the main jaw muscle - the masseter muscle - thereby reducing its contraction force without altering chewing function.
This constitutes an excellent treatment alternative to the usual discharge splints.
It can also be used to narrow the mandible in cases without bruxism, and only for aesthetic purposes.
In the same way as in any other application, the treatment of bruxism with neuromodulators is carried out on an ambulatory basis with little discomfort. The effects are noticeable from within 48-72 hours and last for 3-5 months.
4.- Neuromodulator treatment for vaginism and vulvodynia
Neuromodulators constitute an effective treatment for vaginism, since they relax the perineal muscles that cause the pain.
Vaginism is involuntary contraction of the muscles at the entrance to the vagina, causing pain so intense that it can make intercourse impossible.
Although the causes and types of vaginism are very diverse, the common element in all cases is excessive muscle contraction. In the same way as when infiltrated in any other muscle of the body, the neuromodulators disrupt transmission at the neuromuscular junction. As a result, the infiltrated muscle does not contract or does so more weakly - thereby blocking the vicious circle of contraction-pain-fear-more contraction.
Vulvodynia is chronic vulvar pain that may be either local or generalized, and is typically triggered by contact, in many cases in a concrete zone known as a “trigger point”.
Although the underlying cause is unclear and there often appears to be an important psychological component, it is known that in physical terms there are pain or nociceptive nerve endings that constantly send signals to the brain reporting the existence of damage that actually does not exist. These nerve endings may have suffered injury in the course of surgery, becoming trapped within a scar such as that produced by episiotomy, or alternatively they may start to emit pain signals without any kind of previous physical damage in the zone.
Neuromodulators are used to treat vulvodynia by blocking these neural pain signals.
Frequently asked questions
The tratment was approved in Spain for cosmetic use in 2004 and exhaustive health controls are carried out on this product.
Aspirin should not be taken or subjected to excessive heat, such as a sauna, for five days.
Related treatments
Facial CO2 laser
If the skin shows aging, damage caused by solar exposure, stretch lines, scars, etc., resurfacing with the CO2 laser is the most effective and complete
Hyaluronic acid in the lips
Lip filler can have many more purposes than simply giving volume: moisturizing, restoring the profile, repositioning a corner that tends to descend, or correcting wrinkles.
It beautifies one of the most visible areas of our face, the lips.
Come to Artemédica, facial aesthetic medicine center in Murcia.
If you want a toned and luminous face, with an elastic and smooth skin, contact us so that we can make a diagnosis and propose the most effective facial aesthetic medicine treatment for you.
