5 facts and myths about botox

Say ‘botox’ and you get a waterfall of wild stories. From caterpillars-never-enough who only want more to the holy grail for migraines. I haven't gone beyond an intake myself yet, but if I ever sit in someone's chair, it will be with cosmetic doctor Aleid Koppius. The person to present all those claims about botox to. She can beautifully confirm them or refer to the land of fables.

1. Botox and fillers are as good as the same: myth

“This is really apples and oranges. Botox is a medication designed to relax muscles. You can remove lines or expressions caused by muscle tension by using botox. A good example is the frown. When you look angry, you create a line, and when you relax those muscles, you have no line. The cause here is the muscle. The difference with a filler is very large because a filler is a gel that can take up space and thus literally fills something in. If you have no line in a relaxed state, then a filler would create a bump there.”

2. You always want more botox: fact

“In a sense, it is addictive to see that you get a nice effect from it. However, it always remains personal whether you are sensitive to it and whether you find it very important. If you are afraid that you won't know when to stop, then you shouldn't do it. Compare it to coloring your hair; you can also feel more beautiful because of that. I have a long-term and good treatment relationship with most people, which makes them trust that I won't do something unnecessary.”

3. You will always see botox: myth

“No, because it does not have a permanent effect. It is the temporary blocking of signal transmission from a nerve to a muscle. By blocking this, you get muscle relaxation, and that effect lasts about four months. After that, it recovers, and you get tension back in that muscle. What you do see is that the more often you do it, the longer the effect lasts; for example, you could get an effect lasting five or six months. It's like a leg in a cast; you lose strength. A muscle becomes smaller if you don't train it. You can see this very clearly in people who clench their jaws or grind their teeth; they usually have strong chewing muscles. If someone does this and you block the signal, you get a v-shaped face because the muscle becomes smaller.”

4. Botox is bad for you: to some extent a myth

“Botox is a toxin produced by a certain bacterium, and toxin is literally translated as poison. It is important that you never take more than necessary, just like with paracetamol, but it is not bad for you. Botox is a medication, and therefore you always have a chance of side effects. To use botox as a medication in the Netherlands, you must go through the strictest medical selections. By the way, botox has been around for decades; it was previously used in hospitals for muscle spasms – and still is. So it was initially a medication for the medical market, but due to its effect, it subsequently also entered the cosmetic market.”

5. Botox can help with migraines: fact

“Yes, the effect has been scientifically proven, but we still don't fully understand the link between muscle relaxation and its positive effect on migraines. Migraines are a neurological problem, which is separate from tension headaches. Discovering which muscles are involved is a difficult puzzle. I really look for the possible triggers and do not treat all muscle groups listed in the protocols at the same time. I am more cautious about that.”

Because it is bursting with facts and myths in the land of botox, we will delve into new claims next time. Stay tuned, also for the filler edition. And do you have questions? Email me at adeline@amayzine.com and I will present them to Dr. Aleid Koppius.