What is Microtox?
My solution to softening resting bitch face
I broke the seal, guys. At 41 and 3/4 years old (but who’s counting?), I finally tried Botox—only not Botox but Xeomin, a different brand name neurotoxin. I’ve been tempted by neuromodulators since my late 20s when I had many offers to try them with top skin docs in NYC. “But I don’t have lines yet,” I’d say. “It’s preventative,” they’d always reply. They meant that if I relaxed the muscles responsible for some of my facial contractions, I wouldn’t get the deep creases later on. Good point. Still, I politely declined. But lately, I find myself looking in the mirror, thinking I look a bit, well, grumpy. (I bet you thought I was going to say old.)
The culprits: My glabellar lines, a.k.a. the 11s, those two parallel vertical lines between the eyes that result from a furrowed brow. I call them my “WTF lines” because I get them when I’m thinking WTF. (I have difficulty hiding my facial expressions.) We all furrow our brows. But when we’re young and full of collagen, a protein that makes skin smooth and firm, those lines disappear when we release the muscle contraction. But as we age, we lose collagen, and those lines get etched into the skin’s surface. So, while I wouldn’t say my 11s are too deep yet, the lines are noticeable enough that I think my face is sometimes saying WTF even when I’m not thinking it. Yikes.
I asked my dermatologist friend Karan Lal, MD, a cosmetic (and pediatric) dermatologist with Northwell Health, what I should do about my newly emerging 11s. His suggestion: Microtox. What’s that? “Microtox is when people use neurotoxins at low doses for prevention rather than treatment of fine lines, but it can be used in low doses in traditional areas to maintain some degree of movement without freezing the face,” says Dr. Lal. You’ll also hear it referred to as “baby Botox.” So, what did I get? I had 20 units total, with ten units going into the 11’s (for reference, this area typically receives 20 units). Then, ten units were dispersed in tiny droplets (1 unit per injection site) across the forehead and lateral brow to slightly soften and prevent crow’s feet. Bonus: When injected into superficial skin, microtox can also make pores appear smaller.
Did it hurt? Not really. It was just a pinch at each injection site. Afterward, my face felt fine. It takes about five to seven days to kick in. When it did, I felt some tightness in my forehead, and it was a little weird not to be able to make my WTF face at first. A few weeks later, I do have some forehead/brow movement, and my skin there looks smoother overall, and my expression appears softer. Mission accomplished! How long does it last? Botox typically lasts three to four months. Microtox may wear off sooner because of the low doses, says Dr. Lal. The average price on LI is $320 to $400 for 20 units per area.
Here’s my “WTF” face, in case you' were wondering.
Post injection. A lot of sites, a little bit of botox.
One week later. Smooth!
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