Botox (Cosmetic Botox)
Content
Description
Botulinum toxin (known as BOTOX® according to one of the manufacturers) is a substance used to smooth wrinkles by blocking nerve signals to muscles.
Botox is prepared for an injection treatment, which can be applied directly to areas with wrinkles: forehead creases, eyebrows, crow feet, neck (barbie-botox) or sweat glands (hands, armpits).
Medical uses include treatment of muscle spasticity and facial asymmetry, migraine headache.
Facts
- No anesthesia
- Outpacient procedure
- Procedure takes 20 minutes
- Minimal recovery time
Facial muscles are called mimical muscles - they are attached to skin of the face and create facial expressions by their contractures.
Injections of Botulinum toxin Type A (BOTOX®) are successfully used to paralyze muscles. Relaxed muscles relax the skin and wrinkles are smoothed out.
Areas of application:
- glabella (skin between eyebrows)
- forehead
- crow's feet
- eyebrow
- neck
- hyperhidrosis (sweat glands - axillae, palms, soles of the feet)
Effect of Botulinum toxin is immediate, but full effect occurs within 2 weeks and lasts for approximately 3 (to 6) months.
Recovery time in minimal and no restrictions are required after the application.
The minimal invasiveness and temporary effect are the reason why this treatment is the most common aesthetic procedure in the USA.
Botulinum toxin is a substance produced by the bacterium *Clostridium botulinum*; the toxin causes the disease known as botulism. People often contracted it by consuming improperly processed meat products.
The toxin blocks the transmission of nerve signals to the muscles. When a small amount is injected into the muscles, it causes muscle paralysis (lasting about three months) and smooths out facial wrinkles (as the muscle relaxes and stops pulling on the skin to which it is attached); it also reduces sweating by preventing the activation of sweat glands.
Botulism is caused by systemic intoxication with botulinum toxin; symptoms include:
- blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids dry mouth
- difficulty speaking and trouble swallowing
- facial muscle weakness and the progressive spread of weakness—from the neck, torso, and arms down to the lower limbs
The administration and correct dosage of botulinum toxin constitute a medical procedure that must be performed by a physician.
