To say that Botox is a popular esthetic treatment is a vast understatement. Over 21 years has past since the introduction of botulinum toxin A injections (Botox) have been used for the unsightly frown lines between the eyes and smoothing of facial wrinkles. Botox treatments are the most commonly preformed minimally invasive cosmetic procedure in North America. There were nearly 2.5 million cosmetic procedures done with Botox in 2008 according to The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Women accounted for 92% of the total cosmetic procedures done. Botox cosmetic proceduresaccounted for 24% of all cosmetic procedures done in 2008. The safety records of Botox treatment is nearly unparalleled by just about any other delivered medication on the market.

 

How Does Botox Work

Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin, which comes in the form of a purified protein. Botulinum toxin A is the most commonly used form with a few thousand articles supporting its use in scientific and medical literature. The mechanism of action for botulinum toxin A is really quite simple. It is injected into the facial muscles and, within a few hours, it attaches itself to the nerve endings of the motor muscles, thereby affecting the nerve transmission to these muscles. It takes anywhere from two to ten days to block the nerve transmitters which innervate the muscles where it was injected. There is no loss of sensory feeling at all during the time that botulinum toxin A is effective. Once these motor nerve endings are interrupted, the muscles cannot contract. When the muscle does not contract, the dynamic motion that causes wrinkles in the skin will then cease. The only reason there are wrinkles in the skin in the first place is because the muscle is moving underneath it, thereby these are called dynamic wrinkles. Approximately three to ten days after treatment, the skin above these motor muscles becomes nice and smooth. The effects of Botox lasts approximately three to four months depending on various factors including the amount of botulinum toxin A injected, metabolic activity of the patient and lifestyle choices, which may cause the Botox treatment not to last as long. When the patient sees the wrinkles reappear, the patient needs retreatment.

This is one of the reasons that Botox has such an incredible safety record. Botulinum toxin A treatment by its nature is a temporary treatment and when the treatment effects are gone, they are gone completely. This is a little different than the usual mindset of dentists. Dentists don’t usually think of our treatments as temporary. The most common dental treatment that is like Botox therapy is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is a temporary procedure that needs to be refreshed from time to time.

Botox and Facial Esthetics

The most common uses for Botox is smoothing of the facial wrinkles of the forehead, between the eyes (glabellar region) and around the corners of the eyes (crow's feet). These are the most common cosmetic uses that have put Botox on the esthetic map.