Today we know botulinum toxin as Botox. I recall when I only knew of botulism as a lethal food poisoning that paralyzed your muscles including those that control breathing. Now we know that a regulated dosage of Botox can be helpful. For instance, injected into muscle tissue, botulinum toxin can reduce spasms and pain.

Today I usually think of Botox as an injection that gets rid of wrinkles, at least temporarily.  Most of the cosmetic injections are on the vertical furrows between the eyebrows that become deeper as we age. By preventing muscle contractions that cause facial lines, Botox smooths the skin and makes the skin look younger.

Today it is also used to treat a range of facial wrinkles including those on the neck, commonly called turkey neck, and at the corners of the eye called crow’s feet.

However, Botox has a longer medical history. In the late 1980s it was approved for the treatment of misaligned eyes (strabismus) and abnormal squinting and eyelid twitching. Since then it’s been approved for the treatment of muscle spasm affecting the neck and shoulders called cervical dystonia as well as for severe sweating.

Botox and some of its cousins such as Myobloc, have the approval for just a few medical conditions. However, once a drug is approved it can be prescribed at a clinician’s discretion. As a result, Botox is being used for many conditions including reducing migraine headaches.

The effects of using Botox for cosmetic or medical conditions are temporary which means doses must be repeated. The dose depends on the patient’s weight, the condition being treated, which muscle is being injected, and how much of that muscle is being treated. With repeat injections, muscles may atrophy and lose some function. That is usually when injections stop.  Some patients who receive large doses become resistant to the drug but now they have developed antibodies to deal with that problem.

More on Botox and medical conditions in my next post.
If you receive Botox injections, let us know what your condition is or is it cosmetic? It will be interesting to see which areas are treated more. Our own clinical survey.

To you healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

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