I’m back to write a little about my favorite topic aside from Longevity medicine – aesthetics! If you’re a Longevity groupie, you’ve probably heard us talking on Beautiful You about aesthetic procedures, treatments, and medicine. Now I’m all for the “natural” approach…green tea, pure-distilled water, veggies, supplements without the unnecessary fillers, and properly-balanced hormones are all in Dr. Mixon’s arsenal for a long, healthy life. But what about the unfortunate result of sun, pollution, mother nature’s forces like wind, snow, rain, and even gravity and stress? All these take a toll not only on the way you feel but also the way you look. It’s just not fair! You may have taken good care of yourself your whole life, never smoked, always eat healthy, and exercise routinely. Still, you wake up in the morning to find an old wrinkled prune face staring back at you in the mirror.

One solution I want to discuss in particular is the “B-word” (BOTOX^® Cosmetic). Are you scrunching your face, frowning and/or raising your eyebrows? If you are, just like your mommy used to say, you’re increasing the probability that it will stay that way. Just as your hands crease with time and use, so does your face. The solution is BOTOX^® Cosmetic, a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. BOTOX^® Cosmetic temporarily relaxes those expression muscles in your face you use over and over so the skin is smooth and wrinkle-free.

“But Dr. Mixon,” I’m hearing you say, “isn’t BOTOX^® Cosmetic poison?” The answer to that is yes but this has been blown way out of proportion. I’m sure you’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again; the poison is in the dose. We will never inject more than is necessary to see results to the point that it is harmful.

Let me explain. Let’s take a “natural” compound upon which our very existence depends: Water. Prepare yourself now…Water is poison. It’s true! Consuming large quantities of water will kill you. Likewise, consuming Botulism-contained goods will also kill you. However, the dose that is used for BOTOX^® Cosmetic injections is extremely minute. There’s also a lot of talk about the source and quality of the administration of BOTOX^® Cosmetic. Ours, from the original maker, Allergan, is purified and diluted thousands of times. Then relevant proteins are extracted to become the purest form of BOTOX available. When injected into muscles they can be titrated as much or as little as needed to reduce muscle contractions from frowning, squinting, raising your eyebrows, and puckering your lips.

An interesting fact: there are several FDA-approved BOTOX medical treatments. Most people don’t know that for decades, BOTOX has been used to relax muscles for children and adults who have spastic paralysis, bladder spasms, vocal cords spasms, and cerebral palsy, etc. This is a different type of BOTOX than what is used for cosmetic purposes; the dose is 2.5 times less. If you still need some more convincing, here are some little-known facts about BOTOX^® Cosmetic:

• BOTOX^® Cosmetic is the only treatment approved by the FDA for the temporary relief of moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people 18 to 65 years of age
• There have been 9.5 million BOTOX^® Cosmetic procedures since 2002 – American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
• BOTOX^® Cosmetic has been the most popular aesthetic procedure for past 6 years – American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
• It has 97% patient satisfaction – Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation (ASERF), BOTOX^® Cosmetic Use Survey
• With one simple 10-minute treatment, results can be seen within a couple of days and can last for up to 4 months. No downtime, no anesthesia
• And most importantly, no one has ever died from BOTOX^® Cosmetic. EVER.

Here comes the part where I plug our aesthetic services…I invite you to a FREE consultation to meet with our newest Longevity Aesthetic doctor, Dr. Denise Cinciripini. Dr. Cinciripini has been working with BOTOX^® Cosmetic ever since it was FDA-approved in 2002. Like all aesthetic procedures, BOTOX^® Cosmetic is truly an art. Dr. Cinciripini has the experience to help you look your best, BOTOX^® Cosmetic or otherwise.

What else do you see in that awful mirror? An extra 10 pounds you never quite got under control? Age spots? Hair growing where you’d rather it not? Crow’s feet? The “11”’s between your eyes? Forehead lines you cover with bangs?

Of course, this didn’t happen overnight. It’s all part of the wondrous process of aging. Don’t you feel like a grown-up now? Truth is, we don’t want to feel or look like a grown-up anymore. We want to look as young as possible until the end. Thanks to decades of research and technological advances, think cellulite treatment and circumferential reduction by VelaShape. Think intense pulsed light that lifts away age spots and dull skin as well as giving you the freedom of permanent hair reduction. Think a procedure that actually stimulates your body’s own production of collagen, the Fractional Laser. And think a procedure that literally rids your complexion of those pesky lines from frowning, squinting, raising your eyebrows, and puckering your lips. BOTOX^® Cosmetic.

Call 866-86-YOUNG to schedule or click on the “contact” button at the top right hand side of this page to send us an email with your interests.