The Benefits of Botox Treatments

The scientific name for Botox is botulinum toxin A and although it is a highly toxic protein, it does wonders when used as an injection to help get rid of wrinkles and frown lines. It is one of the most commonly used cosmetic procedures performed on both men and women.

The treatments are quite safe and even though this toxin is the one that causes botulism food poisoning, the doses that you receive in the injections are quite small. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of many medical conditions since the 1980's, but has only been used for cosmetic purposes for the last decade to replace other techniques in the war against age, including the still popular skin brightening system.

Botox is injected into specific muscles of the body to target specific problems. It has been used to successfully treat many eye conditions, such as cross-eyedness, which at one time could only be corrected surgically. Other medical conditions that respond well to these injections are:

• eyelid spasms that cause uncontrollable blinking

• as an alternative to medication to reduce embarrassing facial spasms

• dystonia of the neck, a painful condition in which the head is turned to one side

• muscle spasms of the face, head, neck or jaw

• stuttering, voice tremors and spasmodic dysphonia

• excessive sweating

When Botox is injected into the muscle that is affected by the disorder, the toxin prevents the neurotransmitters in the nerves from emitting impulses and this in turn keeps the muscles from contracting at the same rate of frequency as it once did. This helps to bring pain relief to a wide range of patients and give them relief from having to take medications to control the muscle spasms.

Botox, when injected into frown lines and wrinkles on the face helps to smooth out the skin and the wrinkles disappear. The contraction of the facial muscles is the cause of these wrinkles and when the muscles are in a more relaxed state, the skin does not wrinkle. This treatment has been successful for reducing crow's feet, which are the wrinkles that form around the eyes and forehead wrinkles.

Although it can take as long as 7 to 10 days after a treatment for you to be able to see visible results, the muscles start to relax within 1 to 3 days of the treatment. A treatment typically lasts for about three or four months, at which time you will need another one to maintain your youthful appearance.

One of the first questions those interested in botox injections ask is "What are the side effects?" There are side effects to receiving these treatments but they are of short duration. The side effects you experience will depend on the muscle which received the injection.

Because the toxin relaxes the muscle, it also induces some muscle weakness. Nausea, headache and symptoms of the flu have been reported by some patients. The treatments have really not been used widely enough to determine whether or not there are any negative long-term effects from receiving an injection.

You do have to be aware that Botox cannot cure all the signs of aging on your face. Some of the wrinkles you have may be due to damage from exposure to the sun and the natural process of aging. While it cannot completely cure wrinkles of this nature, it can alleviate the problem helping you look younger.