The days pass. You are older, you feel wiser. You wouldn’t trade your years of wisdom for anything in the world. It’s liberating to not be a teenager anymore. You know what you want, what you don’t want and countless other things, too.

Your skin, however, has seen better days. Lines are beginning to form on each side of your smile, below your eyes, on your forehead. You don’t feel well-rested anymore because when you look in the mirror in the mornings, you don’t LOOK well-rested. But your husband or your kids don’t care. They love you anyway. What a relief.

If that knowledge alone would suffice, that would be great. But we are all a naturally vain creature, we can’t stand to look like a wilting flower anymore. Luckily, there are things that can be done.

The first thing that comes to mind these days when we think of wrinkles is probably Botox. What is Botox? An FDA-approved treatment injected by a physician into your skin which reduces lines in your face for up to 4 months. Each treatment is around $250 so it racks up to about $750 a year. Not bad, really, if you have a little extra room in your budget. The downside is, you have to keep getting the treatments to maintain the smoother skin.

This is not the only answer. One of my favorites for shedding a few years off your face is Alpha Hydroxy Acid also known as AHA. It’s a fruit acid that literally helps you renew your skin faster. It really does work well and can be found in numerous products at varying prices. My favorite is Vaseline Intensive Care Body Complexion with Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Vitamins A & E. I actually use this on my face AND body. You can’t beat this price for such a great product.

Drinking enough water is key to keeping skin hydrated and reducing fine lines. It also helps by flushing harmful toxins out of your body. I always think how silly the quest for “the fountain of youth” is, because most of us have access to it already- it’s water. Plain old water. I recommend drinking it with every meal and keeping a bottle of it close at hand at all times.

Another important thing to consume is Omega-3 fatty acids. You get them through eating fish mostly, but also you can opt to take them as a dietary supplement. These fatty acids will make you feel better all over, they are said to “oil” stiff joints, create natural lubrication for intercourse, lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, help to lose weight and so many other things that I will never be able to name them.

These days over-the-creams that smooth away wrinkles are becoming more popular and less expensive. The key is finding one that works for not so much money. Try getting a trial offer, many companies are getting so competitive that they have to have some freebies. A money-back guarantee works the same way, so there is absolutely no way you could be disappointed. You really have nothing to lose.

I hope you found this article informative and use some of these pointers. Thank you!

It was only just a decade ago that a new medical treatment called Botox was introduced to the public as a true solution to skin wrinkles. The before and after pictures were nothing short of astounding and people everywhere sat up and took notice. Then the next turn of events was “Botox parties”, where friends gathered for cocktails wine and cheese as a doctor treated them all for their wrinkles with injections of this new miracle anti wrinkle serum.

Expensive Short Term Results

Soon however, the “Botox bubble” began to burst, as people everywhere found out that there was more to Botox treatments than meets the eye. To begin with, the effects of Botox injections only last some three weeks, with maximum effects only occurring for the first week. Secondly, a Botox treatment costs between $350-$500, which puts them out of reach for most people.

Boom to Bust as Reality Took Hold

Then people began to learn that Botox injections are only effective on wrinkles on the brow, forehead and sides of the eyes, that are the result of involuntary muscle contractions. Finally, those who had undergone Botox injections were reporting back that they were experiencing a deadening of their facial expressions due the their facial muscles being paralyzed by the Botox. So, while Botox did have its fifteen minutes of fame, it appears that the “Botox show” has been canceled.

Mice kept in a germ-free room with intensive nursing care at Harvard Medical School are hopefully the key to this side effect. A mouse gym holds a miniature exercise machine that tests the rodents’ ability to balance on a bar, while in a nearby water maze, mice must recall visual cues from their “training” to swim to safety on a hidden platform - thereby testing memory powers. (Don’t worry: the that forget their lessons are rescued as they start to submerge.)

The new drugs being tested are called Sirtuin activators, and are based on a theory that most species have an ancient strategy for riding out famines: switch resources from reproduction to tissue maintenance. These activators appear to be triggered in mice when fed a healthy diet with 30 % fewer calories. The mice seem to live longer because they are somehow protected from the usual diseases that kill them.

What is Botox?

Quite simply, Botox is a type of toxin produced by the bac­terium Clostridium botulinum. If you’re thinking that some­thing sounds familiar about this substance, that’s because this bacterium is the same one that causes botulism, or food poi­soning. It’s also the same bacterium that some countries stockpile as a bacterial weapon. You might be wondering if this is a substance you would want injected into your face.

Thanks to the wonders of medical technology, injecting Botox into the face isn’t only possible, it’s being done thou­sands of times a day, and safely. In the late 1970s, scientists discovered that botulinum toxin, when it was diluted to a great degree, had some very positive characteristics, proper­ties that could bring significant relief to thousands of people who had specific neuromuscular problems throughout the body. And after years of science and serendipity, experts discovered that botulinum toxin A (the bacterium has eight different toxins, or serotypes, each named for a letter of the alphabet) has cosmetic uses as well, especially when it comes to getting rid of wrinkles in the upper third of the face–that is, along the forehead and at the outer corners of the eyes. If you’re familiar with the concept of homeopathy, you’ll see a similarity with Botox.

In homeopathy, a substance– sometimes one that is poisonous when taken at regular strength, such as arsenic–is diluted to such a tremendous de­gree that when it is finally ingested, it is completely safe. Bot­ulinum toxin is extremely potent, but Botox injections contain a greatly diluted form of the toxin, rendering the in­jection safe yet effective.

Injections of Botox, one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures on the market today, are used for the reduction or elimination of facial wrinkles caused by dynamic, or hyper-functional, muscles (muscles that get a lot of use). Those are the wrinkles that form when you contract your facial muscles to form a frown, squint, grimace, smile, or other type of expression, resulting in those tell-tale lines around your eyes, mouth, or nose, and across your forehead. Botox can be very effective in temporarily getting rid of some, but not all, of your facial wrinkles. But before we talk about which wrin­kles Botox can banish, let’s find out more about this popular substance.

How Botox Can Help?

Every year in the United States, millions of men and women undergo one or more cosmetic procedures that in some way enhance or change their ap­pearance. From chemical peels to nose reconstruction to eyelid tucks, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other cos­metic surgeons across the country are reshaping the way Americans look, and as a result, how they feel about them­selves. Own up to it: you may believe the old adage that wrinkles add character to a face . . . but you don’t want it to be your face, at least not just now when you’re thirty or forty or fifty. You want to look as young as you feel and be as naturally beautiful as you can be. And why shouldn’t you?

The desire to look young and beautiful is far from new. Since ancient times, both men and women have searched for ways and concocted formulas to look more youthful. Eye and face cosmetics were used by the ancient Egyptians, the most famous of whom is Cleopatra, who was known to use lactic acid to peel her skin to look more beautiful. Archaeologists have found formulas, written on papyrus, that explain how to prepare mixtures of plants and honey for women to use as facials. Archaeological digs have also uncovered many con­tainers that once held green malachite, black antimony powder, and lead sulfide, all types of minerals that were ground up and used as cosmetics.

Ancient people even performed crude cosmetic procedures to improve–in their opinion–people’s appearance. In west­ern Russia, for example, a broad, flat nose was considered beautiful, so parents would bind the nose of a child to achieve this result. Because the Chinese believed that dainty feet were a sign of wealth and beauty, the practice of binding the feet of girls to prevent foot growth existed for thousands of years. Among some African tribes, an elongated neck is considered a thing of beauty, so some women keep adding rings around their necks to gradually stretch it to a desirable length.

Modern-Day Botox Procedures

As we’ve seen, there have always been people who are willing to undergo different procedures or use various products to help them look young and beautiful. Apparently many people still feel similarly. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, 623,588 Botox procedures were performed in 1999, two years before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even approved Botox injections for cosmetic use. These procedures, which were done to reduce or eliminate wrinkles on various sites on the face and neck, are known as “off-label” uses (once a drug has been approved for one use, it can legally and ethically be used for other purposes, at the discre­tion of the practitioner). Botox has been approved for various medical (that is, noncosmetic) uses since 1989. And its off-label uses for cosmetic purposes continue to grow: in 2000, the number of procedures was 730,787; in 2001, it ballooned to 913,484.

With the new FDA approval of Botox on April 15, 2002, for removal of frown lines–also known as glabellar lines– on the forehead, experts believe the number of procedures will greatly surpass the million mark. Right now, only one other cosmetic procedure–chemical peels–is performed more often: more than two million people undergo them each year. And some combine a chemical peel with Botox injec­tions to get rid of wrinkles and improve skin texture. It’s important to note that the only cosmetic use the FDA has approved Botox for is the removal of glabellar lines. However, doctors have been using Botox for cosmetic reasons in this and other areas of the face for about ten years. Some of the wrinkle sites, like smile lines that run from the nose to the corners of the mouth and down the sides of the mouth, do not respond as well to Botox be­cause the facial lines that form there are not as strongly muscle-driven as those in the other regions. However, Botox can be used along with other cosmetic procedures to get the look you desire.

But overall, the risks of Botox, when administered by a knowledgeable professional, have been very low. And this safety factor has fueled a growing interest in Botox among people of all ages. Botox injections have become all the rage, and not just among aging baby boomers. Approximately 17 percent of the people who underwent Botox injections in 2000 were be­tween the ages of nineteen and thirty-four, hardly an agegroup one usually associates with bothersome wrinkles and aging skin problems. By far the largest percentage of Botox users was the 35 to 50 age group, at 41 percent. Those in the 51 to 64 age group counted for 29 percent, with men and women 65-plus rounding out the total at 13 percent.

As of spring 2001, about 12 percent of those getting Botox injections were men. And the number of men seeking Botox injections is expected to grow. Botox is an easy, convenient way to accomplish the look they want. And it’s not just actors, jet-setters, and chief executive of­ficers who are lining up for their injections. Even construction workers, police officers, social workers, and others from all walks of life are looking to get rid of wrinkles.

So why is everyone doing it? Well, you may want to look younger to help advance your career. For some industries, pleasant looking is a must, and you’d better look young and vital to stay in the game.

There is no need to show your true age. Nobody should have to “grow old gracefully,” that’s really just a nice way of saying you look old. It doesn’t have to be this way?not when you have some terrific options that can keep you looking younger longer. One of the most popular ways of keeping your youthful looks is by having Botox injections. Botox injections are the fastest growing cosmetic procedures available. Some consider Botox to be the ultimate fountain of youth, thanks to its wide availability, few side effects, affordable cost, and great results.

What is Botox?

Botox injections, more formally known as injections of the Botulinum Toxin, is actually an injection of the same toxin that causes food poisoning. The Botox injections, however, are sterile and purified. Injecting the toxin into certain muscles can temporarily paralyze the muscles, preventing their ability to contract and cause fine lines and wrinkles, particularly in the facial area. This can occur without causing damage to the muscle tissue.

Are There Side Effects to Botox Injections?

The effects of Botox injections do not last forever, and, to continue having the desired results, multiple injections are usually required approximately every 4-6 months. Side effects are generally minor, and can include headache, nausea, pain at the injection site, and muscle weakness. In rare cases, or cases where inappropriate techniques, untrained administrators, or incorrect dosages were used, drooping eyelids can be seen.

What’s the Best Site for Botox Injection?

The most common sites for Botox injections are in the frown lines of the forehead, but many physicians offer Botox for treatment of other facial and neck wrinkles. Patients can expect to see instant results from injections. Botox is a very effective way for treating those pesky forehead frown lines that can make a person look angry or irritated.

Are Botox Injections More Effective Than Moisturizers?

Using Botox injections as opposed to an anti aging wrinkle cream or an anti aging complex provides more thorough and more visible results. Many creams and moisturizers have very subtle effects and need to be applied very diligently over a long period of time in order to see results. Botox treatment is an alternative that allows people to rid their face of lines and wrinkles more quickly, and for a longer period of time.

Benefits of Using Botox

Many people that are looking for anti aging cosmetic procedures that are affordable, not terribly painful, and very effective will opt for Botox injections. If you are looking to buy Botox injections, you will find that the average Botox injection will cost between $350-500 per site; which is only a drop in the bucket when you compare the cost of a facelift or other cosmetic surgical procedure.

Some practitioners will offer Botox creams or other Botox alternatives, but, according to the Academy of Anti Aging Medicine, these are not found to be as effective as the actual Botox injections. In order to get the desired results, it’s recommended that you have Botox injections as they are intended.