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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.
Botox, a wrinkle-removing treatment delivered by injection and derived from a
bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, was first discovered in the
1950’s when researchers noted that patients who used it for strabismus (crossed
or “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 are
available 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 subdermal 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 smoothes, 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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