Botox and Your Beauty

Anti Aging Information

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Botox Treatment Information Botox is the 21st century's magic wand against aging. In one appointment, without great expense, pain, surgical intervention or the possibility of scarring, this revolutionary anti-aging treatment can take twenty years off your face and does not involve such invasive treatment as more serious cosmetic surgery.

Botox, a wrinkle-removing treatment delivered by injection and derived from a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, was first discovered in the1950's when researchers noted that patients who used it for strabismus (crossedor "lazy" eyes) and uncontrollable blinking suddenly shed crow's feet and frown lines, often for up to six months. In 2002, new formulations for cosmetic use were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Botox, under various trade names, swept the cosmetic procedure industry.

When used under the skin, in minute doses (25 to 50 units), this potent strain of bacteria freezes the tiny muscles responsible for wrinkles and frown lines between the eyes, also called glabellar lines. It does this by blocking the nerve signals that cause the muscles to contract, which is how wrinkles and lines are formed.

Botox is remarkably effective in removing forehead lines,crow's feet around the eyes, and grooves around the mouth due to persistent jaw clenching, but it doesn't work on wrinkles caused by sun damage or gravity -like the grooves and pouches beneath the eyes.

Botox is now the most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S.,accounting for 4.6 million treatments. These anti-wrinkle treatments area vailable from plastic surgeons, cosmetic physicians, dermatologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and even physician's assistants, under the supervision of a licensed practitioner.

A Botox treatment takes about 30 minutes and involves nothing more than a topical anesthetic and sub dermal injections in the areas to be treated. These can be somewhat painful for about 15 to 30 minutes, producing a stinging rather than an aching pain, but the sensation doesn't last. The effect, as muscles relax and skin smooths, can be immediate and astonishing.

Unlike many wrinkle treatments (specifically chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing), patients can return to work almost immediately. There is little bruising, bleeding or extended pain, and few precautions. Patients should avoid touching or rubbing the treated areas because it might displace the serum. Washing the face in extremely hot water, or taking a sauna, is also not a good idea for the first day or two, since heat promotes circulation and the serum needs to remain where it was injected to perform effectively.

Patients who have had a Botox treatment may experience a slight headache, some nausea or indigestion, or a mild respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. A few have even reported tooth problems, though such occurrences are rare. Equally rare are drooping eyelids - the result of relaxing muscles.

Long-term effects, after a decade of use, can include noticeably raised eyebrows. Some users have also reported "frozen" faces, or an inability to smile, but this is usually attributed to administration of the serum by inexperienced therapists, or too-frequent injections. Truly "long-term" effects are still unknown, because Botox has only been around for a decade as a cosmetic remedy,though its use in other applications (chronic pain, for example, or eye problems) has been going on for half a century with few reported side effects.

If you live in Brazil,where beauty is the national obsession, you can get Botox treatments for nothing, provided you make less than $250 a month! In the United States, Botox injections cost about $300. If you are planning several cosmetic procedures, you might want to consider traveling to Mexico, Puerto Rico or even Asia, where the costs are about one-half to one-tenth those in the U.S. Medical tourism is a great way to save on these non-insured costs, but always get a referral from a friend or a family doctor before you proceed, as medical licensing of professionals varies from country to country, and a bad Botox can be worse than no Botox at all.