Botox
BOTOX® is the brand name for the purified form of Botulinum toxin Type A, which is produced by the bacteria, Clostridium Botulinum.
Botulinum Toxin A is possibly the world’s most popular aesthetic procedure and the reason for this is obvious. A short course of a few injections, results in months of minimized skin wrinkles. BOTOX® is used routinely to treat wrinkles on the forehead, the frown between eyebrows and around the eyes (crow’s feet). It can also be used to treat wrinkles on the neck, lips, and nose.
Botox injections have also be used successfully to treat excessive sweating, the habit of teeth grinding and to bring relief to migraine sufferers.
BOTOX® is a purified protein that relaxes muscles. There are 7 types of Botulinum neurotoxin derived from different strains of the Clostridium Botulinum bacteria cultivated in a laboratory and Type A (BTX A) is the one most widely used.
The message for a muscle to contract is controlled by a chemical transmitter called Acetylcholine (Ach). After an injection with BOTOX®, the release of Ach is blocked. The muscle therefore does not get the message to contract. Reduced muscle contraction leads to improved texture of the overlying skin and a reduction of skin wrinkles. In the same way, BOTOX® injected into the skin blocks the action of the nerves that supply the eccrine glands, thus preventing them from producing sweat.
