Botox® is made from "botulinum toxin type A", a poison produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, a severe form of food poisoning.
Botox is injected into the muscles used in frowning and raising the eyebrows to paralyze them and thus smooth out the wrinkles. The botulinum toxin is eventually metabolised by the body after three to four months, and many prefer to repeat the injection once in a while in order to maintain a wrinkle-free look.
In the US Botox is more popular than breast enhancement surgery. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), more than 1.6 million people received injections in 2001. In the UK 50 000 Botox injections were made in 2003.
Botox first began to be used in the 1980s to treat uncontrollable blinking (blepharospasm) and misaligned eyes (strabismus). Cosmetics treatments were pioneered by dermatological surgeons in 1987.
According to Allergan, producer of the drug, BOTOX® currently is in use or under study as a treatment in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Botox is reportedly a favourite with Oscar nominees who have injections in their armpits to paralyze the sweat glands there thus making sure that they don't have sweaty patches under their arms.
Common side effects of Botox injection include droopy eyebrow or eyelid, headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, and nausea.
Recent comments