You have probably heard of Botox and the benefits that it can have for preventing dynamic wrinkles on the skin. But many of our patients have not heard of MicroTox. This is a treatment that we use at Mimi Lee M.D. PA in Little Rock. While it uses the same active ingredient as Botox, we use it near the surface instead to change how your skin behaves. With MicroTox, we can improve the skin’s texture, tighten the jawline and shrink pores. We’ll explore a little more about how this treatment works and whether it may be a good treatment for you.
The Science of Botulinum Toxin in the Skin
The active ingredient in Botox, Botulinum toxin type A, blocks the chemical signal that nerves use to communicate with nearby cells. The effects occur locally, so where you inject it determines which nerves are affected.
How Traditional Botox Relaxes Facial Muscles
In traditional Botox, the product is injected into a particular area of the targeted muscle. Once there, it blocks acetylcholine, which tells a muscle to contract. Once Botox is in full effect, the muscle cannot tighten fully, and the skin above it stops folding. Products like Botox and Dysport work well on dynamic wrinkles, meaning the creases that form when you frown, squint or raise your brows. The effect lasts as long as the nerve signal stays blocked, usually three to four months. Muscles are at a greater depth, so deep injections are needed to reach them.
How Microdroplet Injections Affect the Skin Instead
Rather than injecting full units of Botox into the muscle, with MicroTox, Dr. Lee places tiny droplets of diluted toxin into the dermis, or the layer just below the surface. At this depth, the toxin reaches the oil glands and sweat glands instead of large muscles. It can lower oil production by blocking the same type of nerve signal, reducing the activity of the glands.
MicroTox can also cause oil glands to shrink eventually, which tightens the outer layer of skin. Because of this, the skin can have a smoother texture with smaller-looking pores. These injections also stimulate collagen production, which can help to tighten areas like the jawline or neck.
Why Injection Depth Changes What MicroTox Can and Cannot Do
A few millimeters of depth separate effects on the muscles from effects on the skin. When injected deeply, the toxins relax muscles, but shallow administration only works on the surface. MicroTox will not soften frown lines like standard Botox, but it will refine the skin.
What Happens Inside the Skin After a MicroTox Treatment
- Pores Visibly Tighten: The toxin limits how much oil each gland makes, and less oil collecting in the follicle makes pores look smaller within the first week.
- Oil Production Slows Down: With sweat and oil gland activity diminished, the skin looks less shiny and feels cleaner, which can also calm minor breakouts.
- Skin Surface Contracts: Micro-doses in the dermis create a light tightening across the area, which sharpens the jawline and softens horizontal neck lines.
- Facial Movement Stays Intact: Since the toxin never reaches the muscle, you keep full control of smiling, frowning and every other expression.
- Glow Increases Over Several Days: Smoothing starts around three to five days after treatment, with the full glowing effect visible near day seven to ten.
The History of MicroTox
The technique began in 2001, when Singapore surgeon Woffles Wu started injecting tiny amounts of diluted toxin into the skin rather than the muscle. He called it Microbotox. The idea spread quickly through Asia, and South Korea made it part of mainstream skincare years before it reached the United States.
Similar approaches have many different names, which can be confusing for potential patients. These names include MesoBotox, Baby Botox, SkinTox, Skin Botox and microdroplet injection. There are slight variations in the methods and techniques between these treatments, and each provider has a different approach, but the core method is the same: diluted toxin placed near the surface in many small points. It helps to ask your provider exactly what their treatment involves so you know what to expect.
What the Research Says About MicroTox
Several studies have shown the benefits of intradermal toxin. A 2023 split-face study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology treated one side of each patient’s face with injected microbotox and found it reduced enlarged pores and oil effectively with no downtime, and that the injected side showed effects longer than a topical version.
A roundtable in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal reviewed how diluted toxin placed in the dermis can improve pore size and skin laxity while lowering oil output through several nerve pathways. In general, the early results of these treatments are promising and warrant larger studies so we can learn more about the benefits of MicroTox.
How Dr. Mimi Lee’s Approach to MicroTox Differs
Dr. Mimi Lee has spent more than two decades performing microinjections and has personally placed over 130,000 units of Botox and Dysport. This experience translates well to MicroTox, where results depend on putting many small doses at exactly the right depth across the face.
She performs every MicroTox session herself. During your visit, she matches the technique to your skin, often pairing surface micro-doses with standard injections to treat texture and deeper lines in one appointment. She also selects from Botox, Dysport and Letybo based on what suits your skin rather than using one product for everyone.
Book Your MicroTox Consultation in Little Rock, AR
The first step is a consultation where Dr. Lee can look at your skin and the amount of laxity on your neck and jawline and determine if MicroTox is the right treatment for you. She will also explain more about the injection process and what to expect from the results. To get started, call Mimi Lee, M.D., P.A. at 501-224-0880 or request an appointment online.