What are some ways to slim down your calves? Is it safe to inject botulinum toxin?

Author: Fan Jincai, Chief Physician, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Reviewer: Fan Jufeng, Chief Physician, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

In today's society, plump thighs and slender calves have become the goals pursued by many women. Many people are troubled by thick calves. If the thick calves are caused by physiological reasons and are disproportionate to other parts of the body, affecting the appearance, you can seek help from medical beauty.

Figure 1 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

Today we will introduce the treatment method for calf muscle hypertrophy.

Thick calves caused by physical exercise can be treated by removing the cause. For example, through scientific and reasonable exercise, you can keep the muscles relaxed and contracted within a scientific range, which can prevent the calves from being too thick and make the muscles bulge more evenly without causing excessive protrusion.

Thick calves are caused by unreasonable posture, such as wearing high heels, walking with an unreasonable gait or posture, and excessive force on a certain area of ​​the calf, resulting in muscle hypertrophy. This situation is very common. The calf muscle hypertrophy caused by this factor is unbalanced and more conspicuous in appearance, and more people require treatment. Removing these unreasonable factors in life may alleviate and improve the condition. Only when the calf is extremely thick and affects the appearance, such as catwalk models, who have high requirements for leg shape and this is a professional requirement, will we consider medical intervention.

Calf muscle hypertrophy can be treated by botulinum toxin injection. After botulinum toxin is injected into the muscle, it blocks the conduction of nerve signals, causing some muscles to atrophy due to disuse. In addition to injecting botulinum toxin, there are also surgical methods. One is called nerve disconnection, which is to selectively free the nerves that control the muscles and then cut them off. The muscles will slowly atrophy and achieve the treatment purpose. There is also a surgical method called gastrocnemius removal. The biggest advantage of this surgical method is that it completely removes the muscles, making the calves thinner and having an immediate effect. According to the different demands and physical conditions of the patients, the doctor will give the best treatment suggestions.

Botulinum toxin injections are suitable for patients with mild calf muscle hypertrophy.

Figure 2 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

The biggest advantage of botulinum toxin injection is that it is very simple and causes little trauma. You can go to work and live normally after the injection, and the technical requirements are not very high.

There are two major defects in the injection of botulinum toxin. One defect is that the dosage cannot be too large, because botulinum toxin is a relatively toxic drug, and its management is very strict. It is managed as a Class I drug. The muscles in the calf area are large muscle groups. A small amount of injection often does not play a big role, and too much injection can be life-threatening. The commonly used dose is generally within 200 units. If it exceeds 200 units, the risk is very high. Within 200 units, the large muscle groups of the calf seem to be inadequate. Therefore, botulinum toxin injections can only play a relieving role in the treatment of thick calves, and it is difficult to achieve a very ideal state. The injection points of botulinum toxin are often scattered. Due to the large muscle capacity, the muscles at the injected site atrophy, and the muscles at the uninjected site will not atrophy, which will cause an uneven and rough surface.

Another drawback is that it is short-acting. The drug's effectiveness generally lasts for 3-6 months. If no additional injections are given beyond 3-6 months, the skin will rebound and slowly become thicker after muscle movement resumes, so repeated injections are required.

Injection of botulinum toxin to slim the calf is generally done without local infection, fever, and during the menstrual period. No anesthesia is required for injection of botulinum toxin, because the needle used for injection is very thin, the trauma is small, and the pain is very mild, which can basically be tolerated. Generally, the injection can be completed in three to five minutes.

Botulinum toxin injection is basically a point injection. Many points are set in the area where you want to reduce muscle volume the most, and then the injection is performed point by point. Because there are large blood vessels in large muscles, once botulinum toxin enters the blood vessels, it often causes a very large systemic reaction and even causes cardiac arrest. Therefore, during the injection process, the technique is very important. During the injection process, the needle should be inserted slowly. After the needle enters the desired muscle layer, it should be withdrawn to see if it has pierced the blood vessels. Confirm that it has not entered the blood vessels before injection, so as to ensure safety.

The biggest adverse reaction to botulinum toxin injection is cardiac arrest, which is life-threatening. This situation is often caused by excessive dosage and injection of botulinum toxin into blood vessels, so the operation and dosage must be strict and standardized.

Also, during the injection process, the injection is uneven, or the drug does not spread around, causing severe local muscle atrophy, and the parts that were not injected or where the drug did not work are still enlarged. So after the injection is completed, gently massage the injection site to evenly disperse the drug, so that the effect will be better. Also, move your legs slightly to help evenly distribute the drug, which can make the effect more ideal.

If the injection is done at the wrong level, such as into a nerve, causing nerve damage, local numbness or even paralysis of the lower limbs may occur, but this risk is relatively uncommon.

Therefore, we would like to remind everyone here that you must go to a professional and regular hospital or medical beauty institution for treatment.