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Botox
is the trade name of Botulinum toxin
Type A, a purified toxin produced by
the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
In large amounts, this toxin blocks
the nerve impulses to muscles, causing
a form of paralysis called botulism.
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When
we frown we gather the tissue
between our eyebrows into a fold.
In some of us, this causes a chronic
furrow. This produces a frustrated,
discouraged, angry look on our
face which can make you feel very
self-conscious.
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Now
you can eliminate these frown
lines without surgery and without
scars by a simple treatment with
Botox. By using extremely small
doses of Botox, injected directly
into a specific muscle, only the
action of that muscle will be
paralyzed. Therefore, the problem
that muscle causes, like a twitch,
spasm or frown line, will be stopped.
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The
frown line between the eyebrows is caused
by the action of a muscle called the
corrugator. You can feel this as a thickening
just below the inside of your eyebrows,
when you purposefully make yourself
frown.
Injecting
Botox directly into this corrugator
muscle stops your ability to draw your
eyebrows together when you frown. Once
the muscle is paralyzed, it cannot contract,
and the frown line gradually fades away.
The
actual treatment takes only a few minutes
and the Botox takes effect in three
to four days. Gradually over three to
five months the Botox will fade, nd
the muscle action will return. When
the frown line starts to reappear, a
simple repeat treatment is all that
is necessary to maintain the desired
result.
Botox is also
effective in the treatment of crow's
feet, forehead wrinkles, and neck folds.
This therapy
should be done only by a physician trained
in the use of Botox.
Botox
has been used since 1980 for the treatment
of strabismus (lazy eye), and blepharospasm
(uncontrolled eye blinking). The use
of Botox for forehead wrinkles was pioneered
in 1989 by Dr. Carruthers of Vancouver.
A major study of this technique was
completed in 1995, and a review published
in The Journal of the American Academy
of Dermatology.
The
side effects of Botox are related to
the local injection of the solution.
There will be a slight discomfort from
the needle entering the skin, and a
small chance of a bruise at the site
of the injection. There are no reports
of damage to the eye, with injections
to the eyelid. There have been no ermanent
side effects from the use of Botox.
Approximately 1% of patients will develop
a slight lowering or ptosis of one eyelid.
This is temporary in nature.
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