In its traditional use, Botox is most popularly talked about as a way to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. “By preventing your nerves from telling your facial muscles to contract, Botox weakens your ability to make a particular facial expression,” explains Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “As the skin is not folded, skin lines present in those areas fill in on their own.”
Botox can also be used before said fine lines even form — as a preventative measure — by “not having the skin exposed to the repeated muscle movements that would otherwise lead to wrinkling,” says Zeichner.
And aside from smoothing fine lines (and preventing them from forming in the first place), there are also other uses for Botox, according to the Allergan-owned company. Because Botox offers both cosmetic and therapeutic indications, we asked top dermatologists for more information about its most popular off-label uses. Here’s what they had to say.
