What are the benefits of using Botox?

Overview

What is Botox?

Botox (botulinum toxin injection) is a medicine prepared from botulinum toxins produced by a bacterium, Clostridium botulinum.

Botulinum toxins are neurotoxins that cause muscle weakness and affect the nerves. The toxin in high doses causes botulism in humans. It is a life-threatening disease that destroys the nervous system and causes muscle paralysis.

Botox is beneficial for humans in small doses and can be used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Moreover, the Food and drug administration (FDA) has approved Botox to treat various health conditions, such as eyelid spasms and bladder disorders ¹Overview| Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com

Forms

Various forms of Botox

Botulinum toxin is highly hazardous, and 1 gram of crystalline toxin can kill around one million people. Hence, Botulinum injections contain a very minute amount of Botulinum toxin.

Some of the common Botulinum toxin available commercially is as follows:

• Onabotulinumtoxin A(Botox)
• Prabotulinumtoxin A(Jeuveau)
• Incobotulinumtoxin A(Xeomin)
• Abobotulinumtoxin A(Dysport)
• Rimabotulinumtoxin B(Myobloc)

Botox, in the correct dose, is safe for curative purposes. Botox is the leading non-surgical cosmetic technique in the United States ²Facts| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov ,³Facts| Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com

Method

How does it work?

• Botox temporarily prevents acetylcholine production and disrupts muscle contraction and nerve signaling processes. As a result, the treated muscle cannot contract.
• Acetylcholine is the chemical messenger released by nerve endings and carries information from the brain to the body through nerve cells.

Procedure of Botox

The procedure is usually done in a doctor’s clinic and involves the following steps:

1. The Botulinum toxin powder is diluted in saline water and injected into the neuromuscular tissue.
2. The doctor uses thin needles to administer a tiny Botulinum toxin into the target area of concern. He may require giving around several injections depending on the treatment area size.
3. Sometimes ultrasound is used to administer the needle at the proper position.
4. The entire process takes around ten minutes ⁴Method| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Benefits

Benefits of Botox

Cosmetic benefits

Reducing facial wrinkles such as

• Treating the frown lines between the eyebrows
• Treating lines around the eyes (crow’s feet lines)
• Horizontal lines on the forehead
• Fine lines around the mouth
• Knobby chin (cobblestone chin) ⁵Benefits| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

However, the FDA has approved cosmetic treatment only for the forehead and eyes.

Medical benefits of Botox

Healthcare professionals generally use Botox treatment to correct patient’s neuromuscular disorders.

Some of the FDA-approved Botox treatments for medical areas include

• Chronic migraines that last for at least 4 hours and have several attacks per month
• Excessive underarm sweating(hyperhidrosis)
• Overactive bladder (frequent urge to urinate)
• Lower limb spasticity(muscle stiffness) for ages above two years
• Eyelid spasm because of dystonia (involuntary muscle contraction of the eye)
• Cervical dystonia ( involuntary contraction of the neck muscles)
• Crossed eye(both eyes do not look at the same place) for ages above 12 years ¹⁰Benefits| Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com

Some of the unapproved uses of Botox treatment are as follows

• Psoriasis (a skin disease that causes itchiness and scaly patches)
• Alopecia (baldness)
• Post-herpetic neuralgia (nerve pain after herpes infection)
• Achalasia( a swallowing disorder in which the esophagus is unable to pass food to the stomach)
• Sialorrhea (inability to control saliva in the mouth)
• Dyshidrotic eczema( a disease in which tiny itchy blisters occur on the hands, fingers, and feet)
• Vulvodynia(pain in the external female genital area)
• Raynaud’s disease( a disease in which blood flow to the fingers and toes is obstructed due to stress or cold)
• Anismus (a condition in which outlet obstruction occurs during defecation)

Medical conditions that benefitted from unapproved Botox treatment are as follows

• Keloids from wound healing-Keloids are scar tissue that grows excessively
• Hidradenitis suppurativa-A skin condition that causes abscesses and skin scaring
• Hailey-Hailey disease-A hereditary skin disease that causes painful boils in the skin folds such as the neck and armpits.

However, more research is required to validate Botox treatment safety and efficacy ⁶Benefits| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Advantages

Advantages of Botox treatment

• It enhances the beauty
• It is an excellent anti-aging treatment
• It is a fast outpatient procedure
• The results are noticeable in a few days
• The results last for months
• Inexpensive when compared to other surgical procedures

Side effects

Side effects of Botox

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Dry eye
• Excessive tearing
• Swelling
• Weakness
• Skin rash
• Itching
• Neck pain
• Upset stomach
• Loss of sensation
• Paralysis in nearby muscles
• Mild pain in the injected site
• Crooked(distorted) smile
• Temporary drooping of the eyelid
• Deterioration of neuromuscular disorders
• Cardiovascular problem (a disease affecting the heart and blood vessels)

Some rare side effects requiring immediate medical attention are:

• Breathing difficulty
• Swallowing difficulty
• Speaking difficulty
• Extreme weakness
• Eye problem
• Loss of bladder control (urinary inconsistency) ⁷Side effects| Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com

Duration

Duration of Botox treatment

Duration taken for visible results after Botox

• Most people may take one to four days for the toxin to show its effect.
• However, full effects are visible between 10 to 14 days
• Depending on the treatment type, it may last from 3 months to 1 year. After that period, the toxin effect disappears, and wrinkles or sweating problems for which treatment was previously done might reappear.
• To maintain the treatment effects, one must take additional sessions of Botox treatment.
• However, one must consult the healthcare professional to know the frequency of treatment repetition ⁵Duration| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Cost

Cost of Botox

• The treatment cost of Botox varies for different geographical locations and depends on factors such as the treatment size and the number of injections.
• The average cost of Botox cosmetics is around 380$.
• The average price of Botox treatment in the United States is between 200$ and 1400$. The price also varies depending on the clinic’s location.
• Health insurance usually does not cover the Botox treatment cost when used for aesthetic purposes ¹Cost| Researched based study from americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org

Precautions

Precautions after Botox treatment

To avoid Botox cosmetics spreading to other areas

• One must avoid any pressure on the treated area
• One must avoid rubbing or massaging the treated area
• One must avoid physical exercise for 24 hours

If Botox is injected between the eyebrows

• One must avoid bending or lying down for about four hours to prevent eyelid droop ⁴Precautions| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Risk People to refrain from using Botox

People with the following condition must refrain from using Botox:

• People having an allergic reaction to the Botox drug
• People with weak facial muscles
• People with drooping eyelids
• Pregnant woman
• Nursing mothers
• Neuromuscular disease (a disease affecting muscle functioning due to nerve problems) ⁹Precautions| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Takeaway

Key Takeaways

• Botox cosmetic is an FDA-approved, safe, and non-invasive procedures requiring no hospital stay.
• One must always take Botox cosmetic treatment under a licensed medical clinic.
• Before treatment, one must always tell doctors about their allergies and medical conditions.
• Botox treatment requires treatment after every four to six months to maintain the best effects.