Botox® in Santa Barbara, CA
The passage of time shows up in the lines, creases, and wrinkles on the face. You may experience “crow’s feet” around the outer edge of your eyes, lines across your forehead and between your eyebrows, or around your mouth, and these usually get more noticeable with time. However, there is an FDA-approved, non-surgical treatment that can erase the appearance of these wrinkles called Botox®. Using a series of quick injections in strategic locations around the face, it is possible to remove years from your appearance.
When you are ready to look younger or less tired, Dr. Sara Yegiyants can help. She is a triple-board certified plastic surgeon with a strong background in visual art prior to her career in plastic surgery. She offers a wide array of advanced non-invasive, minimally-invasive, and surgical procedures to help her patients look and feel their best. Our boutique plastic surgery practice serves Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Ventura, and surrounding areas.
Why Do Wrinkles Form?
There are a number of factors that contribute to the formation of wrinkles. First, you may notice that genetics plays a role; some people are more or less prone to the appearance of wrinkles as they age, and their genes contribute to this.
For all of us, collagen and elastin production in the skin decreases with time. These proteins contribute to the flexibility and fullness of our skin, and less of them means that our skin may stretch and sag, losing its elasticity over time. The subcutaneous fat underneath the skin also diminishes with time, making the lines that appear in the skin more visible.
Additionally, our facial expressions cause the contractions of various muscles in the face. The skin stretches in response to these movements; repeating these same muscle contractions thousands of times leads to creases in the skin. The combined repetitive movements and loss of elasticity in the skin work together to form wrinkles over time that generally start off as small, faint lines in the face. Left untreated, you can expect the wrinkles to deepen as you age.
Meet Dr. Yegiyants
Sara Yegiyants, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in surgical and non-invasive procedures. Learn more about Dr. Yegiyants and why you should choose her for your next procedure.
How Does Botox® Work?
Every facial expression you make requires the contraction of many facial muscles. Each small movement in your face is coordinated by the nervous system, which communicates with all of your facial muscles to cause them to move in an orchestrated way. The result of these complex, coordinated movements may be a smile or a squint, for instance.
Botox® contains a neurotoxin (called botulinum toxin) that works by interrupting the communication between the nervous system and the muscles. When injected into certain parts of the facial muscles, the Botox® prevents their contraction and movement.
The result is a smoothing of the skin that reduces the appearance of wrinkles caused by these facial expressions and prevention of further damage to the skin.
Botox® can be accompanied by other injectable treatments, called dermal fillers. These products work to actually fill in the creases of the wrinkles, even further enhancing the youthful smoothness of the facial skin. These are particularly effective at treating deeper wrinkles that may occur across the forehead, around the eyes, between the eyebrows, or from the nose to the corners of the mouth. They can also be used to fill in hollows that occur with the loss of fat tissue in the face.
Schedule a Consultation
Ready to take the next steps towards booking a procedure? Schedule your consultation today to begin your aesthetic journey with Sara Yegiyants, MD, FACS.
What Is Botox® Treatment Like?
Botox® injections must be performed by trained physicians, and you will want to choose someone who is highly skilled at cosmetic treatments. Dr. Yegiyants, with her advanced visual arts background and superior aesthetic sense, is an excellent choice for your Botox® treatments. Dr. Yegiyants will first study the contours and wrinkles of your face to consider the placements for the best and most natural-looking outcome.
You will have several small injections, but your session will not take long. During your treatment, you may feel a minor burning sensation that lasts only a few seconds, but most patients describe it as highly tolerable and less painful than they expected. For patients who are particularly sensitive or apprehensive about needles, we now offer Pro-Nox™, an inhalable, patient-controlled analgesic that is immediately effective in reducing and even eliminating pain and anxiety.
Patients are able to return to daily activities immediately following Botox® injections. While you may have some minor redness, most patients do not have any visible signs of the treatment within an hour or two. It takes a few days for the toxin to take effect, and your final results will be visible within 7-10 days after treatment. The results last an average of 3 months; most patients return quarterly to maintain wrinkle prevention and their renewed, youthful image.