Botox - Information & Advice

Botox is the common name for the protein known as Botulinum Toxin; actually, Botox is the trade name for the product made by Allergan, inc. in the United States where it is widely used as a medication and as an effective cosmetic enhancing agent used to hide wrinkles and skin creases. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein that is extremely dangerous if used incorrectly or in large doses. As it directly affects the nervous system, a relatively small dose of 90-270 nanograms is enough to kill an average human being and approximately four kilograms is enough to decimate the worlds human population.

There are three main uses for Botulinum toxin in the modern day and while there have been no recorded fatalities resulting from cosmetic use, it is still advisable to seek the advise of experienced doctors before you consider treatment. Botulinum toxin is actually split into seven serotypes, ordered A to G, with the most commonly used form being A.

In 2007, the most popular form of cosmetic surgery was Botulinum toxin injections with a total of 4.6 million operations involving the protein. The reason it is so popular is because it helps to hide the one thing that so many people want to hide, aging. The Botulinum toxin is injected in very small doses in and around areas containing wrinkles and skin creases and it immediately begins restricting the nerve impulses being sent to the muscles in that area. After a few days the skin becomes noticeably smoother and wrinkles are reduced due to the muscles causing them being paralyzed.

The second most common use in the medial industry for Botulinum toxin is for therapeutic treatment. The chemicals ability to restrict nerve signals means that it is widely used to help patients overcome conditions such as crippling migraines. The type of Botulinum toxin used for therapeutic purposes is the same serotype as is used for cosmetic purposes, BTX-A or type A. It was first used in the 1980s to treat uncontrollable blinking and crossed eyes but today it is used as a treatment for a variety of conditions such as muscle spasms and upper motor neuron syndrome. BTX-B was also approved by the FDA in 2000 to treat cervical dystonia.

Another very common use for Botulinum toxin is for the treatment of severe underarm sweating. The condition is called hyperhidrosis and can be extremely embarrassing, though during a study in 1993 on a patient with hemi-facial spasms, two British doctors proved that BTX-A can actually inhibit sweating. The FDA later on approved this further use of BTX-A, the first demonstration of its use on non-muscular related disorders.

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