Botox, a Simple Introduction
Saturday, April 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
While a great many of us have heard the word Botox a great many times could we all explain exactly what Botox is? The article below explains exactly what it is in the simplest way so that anyone can understand the topic completely.
Botox is simply a poison, a specially treated form of the Botulinum Toxin. Botulinum is a poison, an extremely potent one, which is incredibly poisonous to humans. Without this special treatment Botulinum is one of the most poisonous substances to man.
Botox (which is a registered trademark) is created from one of the seven neurotoxins (botulinum toxin A) which are produced by the bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum. Clostridium botulinum causes the food poisoning Botulism, which halts the transmission of messages from the brain, along nerves, to the muscles. This stops the muscles from contracting and can cause paralysis and death.
FDA-approved Botox is accepted as safe and is used in the treatment of spasms and involuntary muscle contractions which are commonly seen in the likes of blepharospasm, cervical dystonia and strabismus. Even though Botox is a specific commercial product the word is used more generally to describe the popular skin care treatment to reduce facial wrinkles and fine lines.
A few years ago Botox Cosmetic was given FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for aesthetic use while being available on prescription only. Only the least amount of Botox should be used and only one injection should be given in any three month period. Folk taking antibiotics and women who are breast feeding or are pregnant should never use Botox because of a possible risk of adverse reaction to it.
The cosmetic treatment commonly known as Botox, due to the fact that the substance is injected into the facial muscles, is usually only done in a controlled medical environment. The Botox paralyzes the muscles and effectively removed even the deepest wrinkles, furrow and frown lines ((glabellar lines). Unfortunately, over the weeks, the effects of the treatment reduce and the lines and wrinkles return (making the treatment only temporary).
Over the last few years Botox has become one of the most popular anti-aging treatment. So popular is it that people have created a social event around it. The so called “Botox Parties” are were groups of people have the treatment in a social environment rather than a medical one. The FDA have warned that such parties could be dangerous as the consumption of alcohol is common and having alcohol in the system when having the treatment can cause a dramatic increase in the amount of bruising.
Dysport is another, similar, brand to Botox which is quickly becoming rather popular. However, due to the sad fact that people who have this type of anti-aging treatment display an expressionless face which lasts for a while has left many who would rather use other types of treatments. Two of the most popular treatments for the removal of fine lines and wrinkles are chemical peels and microdermabrasion.
