I generally try to wait until I'm back to "baseline" before I get my Botox injections. For me it's not necessarily the lines that stand out the most to me, but more the quality of my skin. It's an almost unidentifiable quality: am I dry? Am I tired? Is my texture bad? I just know I don't like what I'm seeing, and then it finally occurs to me it's time for Botox. My Botox generally takes at least a week to kick in, and I don't like to be frozen. When it does kick in, again, it's not the less movement I like, it's just an overall softened, hydrated appearance.
This unidentifiable quality I like made me remember a study I had read about Botox and how it increases the elasticity of skin. So it not only smooths your lines but it actually makes your skin more like it was when you were younger.
Researchers wanted to find out how Botox affects two features of the skin that weaken as we get older: pliability (stretchiness) and elasticity (the ability to recoil). The pliability and elasticity of each woman's skin was assessed at baseline, two weeks, two months, three months, and four months after they had a Botox injection.
They found that Botox injections increased both the pliability and elasticity of the skin for up to four months. After four months, the skin returned to baseline levels (which is usually the timeframe for the effects of Botox wearing off).
So what’s the verdict? It was concluded that the changes that occurred in the patients' skin who received Botox appear to be the opposite of the changes that are associated with the aging process. The OPPOSITE of the aging process! I’m not gonna lie, that sounds pretty fantastic.
So whether you get Botox to lessen wrinkles, or as a pre-juvenation to stave off the inevitable, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck by also getting better, younger-looking skin quality.