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Botox Treatment Information Botox is the 21st century's magic wand against aging. In one appointment, without great expense, pain, surgical intervention or the possibility of scarring, this revolutionary anti-aging treatment can take twenty years off your face and does not involve such invasive treatment as more serious cosmetic surgery.
Botox, a wrinkle-removing treatment delivered by injection and derived from a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, was first discovered in the1950's when researchers noted that patients who used it for strabismus (crossedor "lazy" eyes) and uncontrollable blinking suddenly shed crow's feet and frown lines, often for up to six months. In 2002, new formulations for cosmetic use were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Botox, under various trade names, swept the cosmetic procedure industry.
When used under the skin, in minute doses (25 to 50 units), this potent strain of bacteria freezes the tiny muscles responsible for wrinkles and frown lines between the eyes, also called glabellar lines. It does this by blocking the nerve signals that cause the muscles to contract, which is how wrinkles and lines are formed.
Botox is remarkably effective in removing forehead lines,crow's feet
around the eyes, and grooves around the mouth due to persistent
jaw clenching, but it doesn't work on wrinkles caused by sun damage or
gravity -like the grooves and pouches beneath the eyes.
Botox is now the most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S.,accounting
for 4.6 million treatments. These anti-wrinkle treatments area vailable
from plastic surgeons, cosmetic physicians, dermatologists,
nurse practitioners, nurses, and even physician's assistants, under the
supervision of a licensed practitioner.
A Botox treatment takes about 30 minutes and involves nothing more than
a topical anesthetic and sub dermal injections in the areas to be
treated. These can be somewhat painful for about 15 to 30 minutes,
producing a stinging rather than an aching pain, but the sensation
doesn't last. The effect, as muscles relax and skin smooths, can be
immediate and astonishing.
Unlike many wrinkle treatments (specifically chemical peels and laser
skin resurfacing), patients can return to work almost immediately. There
is little bruising, bleeding or extended pain, and few precautions.
Patients should avoid touching or rubbing the treated areas because it
might displace the serum. Washing the face in extremely hot water, or
taking a sauna, is also not a good idea for the first day or two, since
heat promotes circulation and the serum needs to remain where it was
injected to perform effectively.
Patients who have had a Botox treatment may experience a slight
headache, some nausea or indigestion, or a mild respiratory infection or
flu-like symptoms. A few have even reported tooth problems, though such
occurrences are rare. Equally rare are drooping eyelids - the result of
relaxing muscles.
Long-term effects, after a decade of use, can include noticeably
raised eyebrows. Some users have also reported "frozen" faces, or an
inability to smile, but this is usually attributed to administration of
the serum by inexperienced therapists, or too-frequent injections. Truly
"long-term" effects are still unknown, because Botox has only been
around for a decade as a cosmetic remedy,though its use in other
applications (chronic pain, for example, or eye problems) has been going
on for half a century with few reported side effects.
If you live in Brazil,where beauty is the national obsession, you can
get Botox treatments for nothing, provided you make less than $250 a
month! In the United States, Botox injections cost about $300. If you
are planning several cosmetic procedures, you might want to consider
traveling to Mexico, Puerto Rico or even Asia, where the costs are about
one-half to one-tenth those in the U.S. Medical tourism is a great way
to save on these non-insured costs, but always get a referral from a
friend or a family doctor before you proceed, as medical licensing of
professionals varies from country to country, and a bad Botox can be
worse than no Botox at all.
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