Botox Clinic
By Alan
Botox or the botulinum toxin is a substance made up of several proteins
secreted by a bacterium. The Botox substance is divided off from the
poison botulinum toxin responsible for the disease botulism. Botox is an
active ingredient, just as we give a vaccine to a virus; Botox will not
give you botulism. The toxin blocks the action of the neurotransmitter
responsible for muscle contraction which lowers the effect of wrinkling
due to the contraction of the skin with age.
The Botox is used solely for the ironing out of wrinkles of the upper
areas of the face, wrinkles on the neck, forehead and crows feet. It is
not indicated for use on wrinkles on the lower part of the face because
as it relaxes the muscles it can cause abnormal movements of the mouth,
modify the facial expression or cause distortion. In some cases, it can
be used on the neck, but this practice is reserved for patients who have
muscle contractions that are very pronounced.
The points against the use of Botox are during pregnancy or during
breast feeding and if the patient has some neuromuscular diseases such
as myasthenia. There is no allergic reaction to this product it
therefore does not need to be tested beforehand.
After a preparatory meeting to verify if this is a good product for the
particular patient the injection is done without anaesthesia and takes
about ten minutes. One person in fifty will experience a slight pain
which can be counteracted with an anaesthetic ointment to applied one
hour before. There are usually 5 to 7 points of injection per area to be
treated and then a cold pack is applied to the face.
The results will start to emerge between the third and fifth day and
will be complete within three weeks. A critical period before any
re-injection to cover where, in some cases, a small muscle moves
slightly. This would be applied at the lowest effective dose.
Because the injected muscles recover will eventually recover the
treatment is not permanent. It is recommended to return approximately
every six months depending on the recurrence of the lines. After three
years the period between injections may spread to six to twelve months.
Botox can replace a face-lift because it deals only with wrinkles. But
when we age, skin, muscle and fat sag down in the face, and then Botox
can do nothing. However, the association of lifting and Botox can
improve appearance for the maximum results.
Side effects are very rare and always reversible, i.e. there are no
permanent side effects possible with botulinum toxin. Sagging eyelids
were occurring but now, with proper control of doses and injections,
this risk has almost disappeared. But there are some possible side
effects, Fugitive oedema (2 or 3 hours) headache (3 days), sometimes
sagging eyebrows (3 weeks).
The injections can “miss the spot” so it is important that the doctor
has a perfect command of the injections and is extremely well trained in
the anatomy of the muscles.
Creams based Botox may not have the effect of Botox because they do not
cross the skin barrier enough to go to straight into the muscles. They
often contain a glycolic acid or its equivalent which produces a slight
firming effect but only for a few days. |
