All about botox

Q1: I am in my early 40s and I am bothered by the wrinkles on my face. Can these be corrected by Botox injections? I have read that it is poisonous and may paralyze the muscles, is this true? Is it also true that the effects are temporary and short lived?

ANSWER: Botulinum Toxin or Botox for treatment of facial wrinkles is fast becoming the most common aesthetic procedure sought after by patients today. Its very popularity has also caused a lot of misunderstanding about its uses and safety. Botulinum Toxin is produced by Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic bacteria found in poorly preserved food. This was a cause of food poisoning in the past. This is a toxin because it causes paralysis of the muscles by preventing the release of acetylcholine, an important chemical for muscle contraction to occur.

Since the isolation of the crude toxin in the 1920s, scientific research has produced a refined form of the toxin that could be stored and used clinically with an excellent margin of safety. The drug is measured in units and the toxic effect, which is paralysis, is easily controlled in terms of amount and precise location. Specific muscles can be targeted and the dose adjusted to get the desired result. Because of these, Botox has found a wide variety of applications making it very effective for wrinkles caused by muscle action. It is very effective for frown lines, forehead lines and crow’s feet or laugh lines.

The clinical effects or results are temporary and may last for three to four months. However, after the second or third treatment, the interval between treatment sessions becomes longer and most patients would require it only once or twice a year. Since the effects are temporary, any of the bad side effects are also temporary and this is the advantage of Botox over surgery. During an operation, if a motor nerve is accidentally cut, paralysis is almost always permanent.

It is so easy to administer, with minimal temporary complications, that its use now is not confined only to dermatologists and plastic surgeons but to any kind of doctor who knows how to use a syringe for injection. Standard furrows and wrinkles are usually corrected by any doctor who has used Botox before. For the advanced applications, however, prospective patients are strongly advised to have their Botox treatment done by somebody who knows the anatomy of the face in detail. Since plastic surgeons do the surgery on the face and are very familiar with its anatomy, they are one of the best doctors who can produce the best results with Botox.

Advance uses of Botox includes lifting of the brows, Botox reshaping of a square face by reducing massager muscle hypertrophy and improving the contour and wrinkles around the mouth and chin and even treatment of excessive underarm sweating.

Q2: My friends have made remarks regarding my sad looking face. Although I am the type of person who does not brood over problems, I have noticed that my eyebrows have drooped down a bit. I am just in my mid-40s and I don’t want any surgery. Can you please help me?

ANSWER: As we age, our skin losses its elasticity and our bones become weak and losses mass. These produce an overall sagging of the skin and drooping of the eyelids. Before the advent of Botox treatment, most surgeons would advise you to wait until the drooping of our lids is severe enough for you to consider surgery. Lucky for you because today we have a good non-surgical alternative for mild to moderate sagging of the eyebrow! Correction of mild sagging of the eyebrow is one of the advance uses of Botox. This is a simple office procedure that will take only a few minutes with a minimum downtime of a few hours or a day. The effects may last only for a few months but it’s definitely worth the cost and the effort. This type of treatment may cost the patient anywhere from P20,000 to P30,000, with most of the amount going to the expensive medicine.

For more information about Botox treatments, please call Jane at 09279350405.