Botox Injections

Botox has now been used for a number of years for men and women that want to hide signs of aging; there is however, still a great deal of ignorance about how it achieves the results it does. To understand exactly what it is and does, we first have to look at just how this amazing miracle of modern science came to be. It may be famous now for its use in cosmetic surgery but it wasn't always that way when it was first being studied by scientists half a century ago; researchers were looking into methods to treat neurological problems in people.

In 1989 it was finally approved by the FDA to treat eye muscle disorders; patients suffering with uncontrollable blinking and crossed eyes were given this and sometimes those who suffered with wrinkles as well. More research was carried out into other medical uses and in 2000 it was allowed to be used on patients that had a cervical dystonia condition; this is where severe neck and shoulder contractions were causing discomfort to a number of people, but other eye conditions were included in this approval. In their research, doctors discovered that Botox softened the frown lines between the eyebrows; this discovery won over the FDA who agreed that it could be used in cosmetic procedures from 2002.

Botox has a paralyzing affect when it is injected into areas of the forehead which control the muscles that cause frowning; when given sufficient injections given over a period of time, frown lines for example, will reduce in intensity. The lines will to the casual observer, disappear but the same process can now be used on laughter lines around the eyes and forehead lines as well. The injections are a purified and watered down version of the sometimes fatal Botulinum poison; Botulinum toxin can be deadly and at the very least make us unwell but when it is used in cosmetic procedures it is safe.

This popularity is due to the fact that we all have wrinkles and lines (increasing with age) when we smile, laugh and make other facial movements which are the result of muscles in the face. The wonderful thing too many people is the treatment can help reduce and often eliminate the signs of aging that have taken years to appear; whilst many manufacturers have tried to produce creams that eliminate these wrinkles and creases (unsuccessfully), this treatment can at least for a short period. Muscles in the area of the botox injection become paralyzed temporarily so they cannot move fully; these treatments provide the user with a facial surface that is smooth and often referred to as looking like a dummy or mannequin.

A person who has undergone this treatment still has enough movement to provide some expressions but they are limited; because most of the wrinkles and creases have all but disappeared, it appears that the person is younger than their true years. Some will be happy that the people who can afford the treatment are still the wealthy with individual treatments still costing a great deal of money; often considered something only celebrities can afford because a single injection can cost anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. There is always some concern about new treatments and botox is no exception with many people worried about the long term effects of injections, but even so this has not stopped its popularity.

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