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Probably the most common cosmetic skin treatment performed in the United States and around the world, Botox is an anti-wrinkle injectable made from a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It was first used to treat “crossed eyes” (strabismus), uncontrollable blinking (blepharospasm), and uncontrollable muscle contractions in the head and neck area (cervical dystonia). Then doctors discovered that it was also helpful in reducing the crow's feet lines in some of the people who received it for eye muscle conditions. After several successful clinical trials, Botox received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2002 for correcting certain facial wrinkles. It’s also been approved to treat excessive sweating. |
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How does it work? As you age, the dynamic lines, wrinkles, and folds that form in your skin when you move your facial muscles—when you smile or frown, for example—become static, or permanent. In other words, they remain visible even when your face is still. Botox helps reverse that process. When injected in tiny, diluted amounts into facial muscles, the neurotoxin in Botox temporarily blocks the impulses that nerves send to them. This action relaxes the muscles, causing the overlying skin to remain unwrinkled and smooth.
Botox is frequently used to enhance the rejuvenating effects of other cosmetic skin treatments, including laser therapies and dermal fillers.
What is the treatment like? Botox treatments consist of a series of quick, tiny injections. No numbing anesthetic is needed, although you can request one if you’re worried about pain. Most treatments take less than 15 minutes. There’s no downtime. You can return to your daily routine immediately, although you should avoid heavy physical exercise and lying down flat for at least 4 hours.
Side effects are usually quite minor. Some redness, tenderness, swelling and bruising may occur, but these disappear within a few hours.
In 2009, the FDA required the manufacturers of both Botox and Dysport, another anti-wrinkle injectable made from C. botulinim toxin type A, to include warnings on their labels of a extremely rare but potentially life-threatening side effect—botulism poisoning. Such cases, however, have occurred almost exclusively in children with cerebral palsy who were given overdose amounts of the neurotoxin for an unapproved treatment—to control their involuntary movements. When used to treat facial wrinkles, Botox has been found to be very safe and well tolerated. Of course, you should make sure you receive your treatments from an experienced and well-trained healthcare professional.
How long do the treatments last? The effects of Botox—a reduction in the appearance of lines and wrinkles—usually begin to appear within 3 to 7 days after treatment. Although results vary, the effects tend to last up to 4 months. Follow-up treatments are then need to keep wrinkles at bay. Some evidence suggests that repeated treatments extend the time that Botox stays effective.
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| More About Botulinum Toxin... | | |  |
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Leading clinician and rejuvenation expert Dr. Brian Biesman discusses Botox.
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