The Regimen

Botox Or Notox? The Needling Questions

Botox Or Notox? The Needling Questions

Aging is a fact of life. Looking your age is not. The millions of dollars consumers spend every year on cosmetics, skin care, facials, chemical peels, cosmetic surgery and Botox are a testament to the powerful desire to look as young as we feel. And why not?

We’re big proponents of retaining a youthful appearance. But is injecting yourself with a milder form of a deadly toxin the best way to avoid looking your age? Let’s explore.

Botox is a liquid neurotoxin produced in a laboratory and derived from a deadly bacterium called “Clostridium botulinum.” Sounds great so far.

It’s injected into small facial muscles to reduce the wrinkles caused by too much smiling, frowning, squinting, or just being alive on the planet.

When done properly, by a qualified, highly trained professional, it can have some really quite appealing results—wrinkles appear lifted, skin seems firmer, tauter and younger.

There’s a reason it was the number one minimally-invasive cosmetic procedure in the United States last year. Six point seven million people got Botox injections in 2015.

But it can also have some less appealing results. Complaints from people who’ve tried Botox range from facial spasms to droopy eyelids to swelling to numbness that won’t go away. Some users find they lose the expressiveness in their face. They end up unable to really smile or find themselves looking perpetually surprised. 

Then there’s the price. Botox is expensive. To treat the three most common areas, the crow's feet, forehead, and the vertical lines between the brows requires approximately 60 units at prices ranging from $10-$20 per unit. That’s $600 to $1200 per session. And you’ll need to do it every 3-6 months to keep the effects.

Despite these concerns, 6.7 million or more people are convinced it’s the path to retaining their youthful appearance. We can’t argue with that. But we can offer some alternatives.

 

Your Notox Youth Retention Program

Vitamin A Propionate

Cell renewal is your body’s own mechanism for keeping skin healthy and bright, but the natural cycle takes about 30 days. Vitamin A Propionate, the patented ingredient in Vivant Skin Care corrector serums, accelerates that important renewal cycle to between 10 and fourteen days, so new, firmer, healthier skin is revealed more quickly. Regular exfoliation with a corrective serum containing Vitamin A Propionate helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and other signs of photoaging.

Try: Derm-A-Gel® Daily Vitamin A to diminish the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots and promote a brighter, more youthful appearance. 

 

Peptides

Peptides are short molecular chains of amino acids, essentially the building blocks of protein. They work by stimulating the fibroblast cells in the dermis to produce collagen and elastin. And like Botox, peptides work to inhibit the receptors that contract facial muscles. Peptides are particularly effective around the eye area where the skin is thinner and the muscle is close to the surface.

Try: Wink Eye Rejuvenation Cream with Vitamin A Propionate, peptides and caffeine for exceptional lifting, firming and brightening around the entire eye area. Rejuv Rx Peptide Concentrate is an exceptionally rich serum that enhances firmness and elasicity. Its anti-aging properties make it an ideal alternative to injectables and, if you choose to do botox, will extend the results. 

 

Antioxidants

The oxidative stress skin is exposed to daily from pollutants and UV radiation catalyzes the free radicals that break down collagen to cause wrinkles and sagging skin. Fight the age-accelerating effects of free radicals with a frontline antioxidant defense. 

Try: Vivant’s Pure C + E, which combines two antioxidant heroes, vitamin C and E, in one highly effective formula to neutralize free radicals, protect from damaging oxidative stressors, and promote regeneration of healthier, glowing skin.

 

These four products used consistently together will help you renew and retain your healthy, youthful, radiant appearance. This quartet doesn’t have the instant gratification that an injection can provide, but it definitely won’t hinder your ability to smile. If you’re a proponent of Botox, these products can extend the life of your injectable treatment. Either way, it’s a win.

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