Botox® Information

Botox®:

Botox® injection is a therapeutic muscle relaxing agent that works to interfere with muscle nerve endings. When Botox® is in your system, it blocks the signals to your muscles that would normally tell them to contract. When the muscles are not allowed to contract, the skin will not be able to shift for a period of time, thus smoothing out the skin covering the muscle.

The Cosmetic Use:

The wrinkles and lines that often appear on the face are feared by many because they are the telltale signs of aging. Muscle movement due to unconscious emotional reactions causes the skin of the face to shift and contort. As time passes, the shifting of the skin through muscle movement causes the skin to form lines, or wrinkles.

Most brow lines are formed by excessive contraction of the two major muscles in the forehead, the corrugator and procerus muscles. Before any treatment, your doctor will determine where to inject the Botox® by examining your capacity for moving these as well as other muscles in your facial area. Location, size and use of muscles always vary from person to person.

When receiving Botox®, your doctor will administer several tiny injections directly into the muscles that cause lines to form on the face. When injected into the face, Botox® acts as a freezing agent to keep your muscles in place when your face would normally move. By doing this, it reduces the formation of worry lines and crows feet on the face, which are mostly caused by the show of emotion.

This non-surgical procedure does not require anesthesia, but your doctor may choose to numb the area with either an anesthetic cream or a cold pack prior to your injection. There is usually minimal discomfort and it is very brief. There is no need for down-time, most return to their daily activities immediately following the procedure.

Many see improvements of frown lines, forehead wrinkles, and crows' feet within days. Improvement can continue for as long as a month and usually lasts for up to four months. This procedure is a safe and effective way to minimize facial lines caused by unconscious displays of everyday emotion.

A physician will pay around $400 for a single vial of Botox®. This means that a single Botox® treatment can cost anywhere from $250 to over $500. This is all dependent on the amount of Botox® being used during your treatment (which will be dependent on the severity of your facial lines), the area in which you live and the clinic you go to. Botox® is not a permanent cure but it can lead to younger, smoother, healthier looking skin.

The Medical Uses:

Botox® injection treatments have been successfully used to treat blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking) and strabismus (misaligned eyes), and have also been proven useful in treating cervical dystonia (involuntary neck muscle contraction). These are all conditions that involve involuntary muscle contractions.

The injection is directed straight into a certain muscle or muscle group. This reduces the chances of the Botox® spreading to other areas of the body. When Botox® is injected into the muscle, it acts as a freezing agent. Anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days after the Botox® is injected, most of the muscle spasms are reduced or even completely eliminated.

When physicians learned that patients with muscle contraction problems responded well to Botox®, they started using the injections to treat other medical ailments. Some of these ailments include strokes, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, headaches and migraines.

Strokes:

Physicians have discovered that Botox® helps in the treatment of patients with strokes by relieving uncontrollable muscle tightness that can prevent stroke patients from functioning normally. This uncontrollable muscle tightness is caused by Spasticity, which occurs after damage is done to the brain or spinal cord.

Spasticity causes the muscles to become overactive which can cause pain and prevent normal movement. Botox® is injected into the affected muscle or muscles in order to block transmissions that are sent to the muscles telling them to contract. This permits the muscles to relax and allows the stroke patient to regain their normal muscle movement.

Multiple Sclerosis:

Adults with Multiple Sclerosis can be overcome with many symptoms that are related to muscle movement and contraction. These symptoms include: spasms, cramps, Spasticity, Nystagmus and Dystonia. Spasms and cramps are often caused by the constant muscle contractions. Spasticity, as explained above, causes the muscles to overreact, causing pain and prevention of normal movement. Nystagmus is a condition which causes jerky, uncontrollable eye movements. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions, which usually produces twisting and repetitive movements and/or abnormal postures or positions.

There are many other symptoms associated with Multiple Sclerosis, but these symptoms that effect normal muscle movement, have been studied and often treated by Botox®. Many patients have had positive results and have regained their muscle functions.

Cerebral Palsy:

Cerebral Palsy is a developmental disability that affects body movements and muscle coordination resulting from injuries to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth. Cerebral Palsy causes the brain to constantly send signals to the muscles telling them to contract. In children, this causes an increase in muscle tone. Children who have too much tone in their lower extremity muscles have trouble walking. Children can also have trouble reaching for and/or holding objects.

Botox®, when injected into these muscles, cuts off the signals sent to the muscles. This allows the muscles to relax and can allow children to walk more normally. Once muscle stimulation is reduced, children can resume more normal movement.

Headaches and Migraines:

Botox®, when injected into the muscles of the brow, eyes, forehead, side of the head and back of the head near the neck has been known to immediately reduce the pain of headaches and migraines. Doctors believe that by injecting Botox®, the relaxation of the muscles allows for more blood flow which can reduce the pain of headaches and migraines. Most patients experienced headache relief for 4 to 6 months.

Botox® only provides temporary relief to patients with medical ailments, but studies have shown that regular Botox® injections have allowed many patients to regain some of their normal muscle function.

Side Effects:

Like any other medical injection, Botox® has potential risks and side effects. The most common side effects associated with Botox® injections are: headaches, upper respiratory infections, droopy eyelids, nausea and flu like symptoms. The injections can also cause redness or irritation of the skin, facial pain and/or muscle weakness.

The development of certain side effects depends on where the Botox® is injected. All of these symptoms are known to be temporary and most only last for up to a few weeks but some can persist for several months. It is important to talk to your physician in order to learn all possible results so that you can feel completely comfortable about this procedure.

Botox® Parties:

Botox® parties have become a very controversial topic. Botox® gatherings, which have recently been dubbed Tupperware parties for the 21st Century, involve groups of friends getting together to receive Botox® injections. Most often these parties are held at a doctor's clinic or office. The participants all gather in a central room to eat and converse. One by one they are brought into the next room to be injected with Botox®.

Many physicians oppose Botox® parties because they believe that procedures should only be performed in sterile, medical environments. Botox® parties can be harmful and can cross the line of professional medicine. On the other hand, many physicians greatly encourage Botox® parties.

Botox® patients are often hesitant to receive the injections at first. Creating a social setting, and allowing new patients to see the procedure being performed on others, often alleviates their hesitation. Physicians also enjoy the fact that they are receiving multiple patients at one time; it can cut down on the wait and office time. Botox® parties have not yet proven to be harmful, and have quickly become a way to get together with friends and, at the same time, reduce the visible signs of aging.

Patients with certain medical ailments have been able to live better lives because of the effects of Botox® on their muscles. On the other hand, those patients looking for younger, smoother, healthier looking skin have also benefited from the drug's effects. Whether being used for medical or cosmetic reasons, Botox®; has proven to be a completely safe and reliable way to relax the muscles and allow for normal movement, while at the same time smoothing skin lines and wrinkles. By helping the patients both medically and aesthetically, Botox® has become an amazing 21st century drug.

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