Botox Cosmetic

Background Information

Botulinum Toxin Type A is not a new wonder drug. It has been around since 1983. It was approved by the FDA in 1989 to treat certain eye conditions, such as blepharospasm, where the eyelid will not stay open, and strabismus, where the eyes do not line up properly. By 2000 the toxin had also been approved to treat certain types of dystonia (a serious neurological disorder that causes severe contractions of the muscles), and hyperhidrosis (severe sweating of the armpits).

Ironically in all these medical treatments, doctors observed that Botox softened the vertical frown lines between the eyebrows; lines that tended to make people look tired, angry, or old. After clinical research that showed Botox as an effective treatment in reducing the severity of frown lines for up to four months, the FDA granted its approval. In 2002. Allergan Inc. of Irvine, California began marketing Botox as the cosmetic enhancement wonder of the Twenty-First Century.

For both cosmetic and neurological purposes, improvements yielded by Botox are temporary. Treatment must be repeated every 3 to 4 months. Because of this, some patients can build up immunity to the toxin, rendering the treatment ineffective. When it comes to Cosmetic Botox, however, the reverse seems to be true. The more treatments a patient has within a one-year period, the better the results and the longer the improvement lasts between each treatment.

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