We are all pretty well versed on how Botox smooths the lines on our forehead, crows feet and frown lines. When used for these purposes, Botox is injected into the muscle to inhibit certain nerves from firing, resulting in a more relaxed muscles and a smoother appearance to the overlaying skin. But it can also be injected more shallowly for a different effect. You may have heard it called Microtox, or Baby Botox.
When it is injected shallowly into the skin (intradermally) it can leave your skin with a beautiful, smooth, almost matte-like finish, as if you just clicked “airbrush” in your photo editor.
Botox, when placed intradermally:
- Significantly diminishes oil production
- Reverses the inflammatory process that causes acne and rosacea
- Helps smooth the texture of the skin
- Diminishes the appearance of acne scars
- Reduces the appearance of large pores
While some oil is important to maintaining healthy skin by keeping it soft and hydrated, some people do have excess oil production, and greasy skin. Overly large pores can also make skin texture look rough. Intradermal Botox, placed only in the specific areas of the face where the sebaceous glands are, helps control and reduce the amount of oil produced, as well as shrink pore size.
I’ll be honest, when I heard about this treatment I wanted to know exactly how it worked…and I geeked out on reading the science behind it, and the initial study done by a physician in Chicago, Dr. Shah. Here’s a link to his study, for any other nerds like me out there.
So, here’s the Reader’s Digest version of how this treatment works:
How does Botox reduce oil production? Botox, when injected intradermally, works to inhibit the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which affects oil production. Dr. Shah, who piloted the researched in this area, demonstrated in a study that intradermal Botox reduced oil production by about 30% in 4 weeks in people with oily skin.
How does Botox shrink pores? The intradermal Botox targets the muscles which control pore size. When these muscles are effected, pores actually decrease in size. When the pores reduce in size, the surface area of the skin is reduced and the skin is tightened, creating a lifting effect.
The effects are not permanent, but generally last about 4-6 months. Permanently shrinking sebaceous glands is probably not a good idea anyway since as we age and experience hormonal changes, oil for the skin can become beneficial at that point, rather than troublesome.
Micro Botox for the Neck
Micro injections of Botox can also be used to create a lifting effect on the neck, improving laxity and crepiness. The picture below shows just how effective this treatment is:
