Archive for the ‘Non Fiction’ Category

A Quick Guide To Botox

Monday, June 8th, 2009
Barry Lycka recently asked:


Botox (Botulinum toxin type A) has been used for over 15 years in the cosmetic surgery industry as a popular treatment for ****** wrinkles. Indeed, it has become the most popular procedure, in the world, with 6 million Americans treated last year, alone. It derives from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can be harmful when present in high doses and is the toxin that causes food poisoning. However, small dilute quantities can be injected safely under the skin to act as a muscle relaxant.

How does it work?

Botox is used to treat lines and creases by injecting small amounts into the ****** muscles. Normally, chemicals released by nerve cells in the face cause the muscles to tighten, leading to frown lines. Botox blocks these chemical signals causing a slight weakening of the muscle contraction and a smoothing of the skin’s appearance. Contrary to popular belief, skillfully applied Botox does not paralyze the ****** muscles completely, just relaxes and reduces their response.

What can Botox do for me?

Botox treatment can reduce the appearance of frown lines, forehead wrinkles and crows feet around the eyes. It can also be used to treat creases around the mouth. When performed properly it should have a gentle relaxing effect while still allowing natural expressions like smiling and frowning. Botox treatment will not reduce lines caused by sun damage and may not be fully effective on very deep creases. Is it safe?

A course of Botox injections is a well established and recognized treatment that is considered to be safe when carried out by a qualified practitioner. There are, however, some groups of people who should not use Botox. These include pregnant and breastfeeding women and anyone suffering from a disease that affects the nerves or muscles. Certain medicines can react with Botox and you should consult your doctor if you are taking antibiotics or drugs to control heartbeat irregularities, Alzheimer’s disease or myasthenia gravis (a chronic autoimmune disorder). If you are known to be allergic to any of the ingredients in Botox or if the area to be treated is infected, you should not have the treatment.

What happens during treatment?

First the surgeon will discuss your medical history and assess which areas of your face to treat. A series of small injections will then be directed straight into the ****** muscles using a fine needle. You will not need an anesthetic as the injections cause very little pain. The whole procedure should be completed within a matter of minutes.

How quickly will I recover?

As soon as the procedure is completed, you will be able to return to normal activities. Some patients report a slight headache but this should soon pass. Sometimes you will be advised not to lie down for 3 or 4 hours after the procedure as this can encourage the Botox to spread to other areas of the face. You should not rub the treated area for the same reason. Botox usually takes 3 to 7 days to take full effect, after which time visible improvement in ****** lines should be noticeable. Your normal ****** expressions should still be present. The beneficial effects of Botox usually last for 3 to 6 months.

Are there any side effects?

Side effects of Botox treatment are usually mild. Some patients experience a slight headache for the first 24 hours after injections to the forehead area, especially after their first treatment. Mild bruising of the injected area can also occur. In very rare cases, excess Botox can cause droopy eyelids, a condition known as ptosis. This is unlikely to occur when the treatment is carried out by an experienced cosmetic surgeon and will gradually correct itself as the Botox wears off. If you do experience drooping eyelids, you should tell your consultant. Although very unlikely, a small percentage of patients may suffer an extreme adverse reaction to Botox. You should seek medical help immediately if you experience difficulty in swallowing and breathing or develop a rash.

What are the advantages of using Botox?

Since its initial introduction, Botox treatment has quickly gained in popularity and is consistently one of the most requested cosmetic procedures. It is a relatively safe treatment for most people with few documented reports of serious complications. The treatment is very simple and quick and almost painless. Because no general anesthetic is required, recovery time is rapid with little or no side effects. The results of the procedure are fully reversible over time as the muscle weakening effect of the Botox eventually wears off.

Individual Botox treatments are relatively cheap and, as the effects last for 3 or 4 months, do not have to be repeated too often. Some patients find that after several sessions, the time between treatments can be increased to about 6 months.

Where should I go to get Botox treatment? Once you have decided to have Botox treatment it is important to choose the right cosmetic surgeon to perform the procedure. Botox has a proven track record for safety and good results but only when carried out by a reputable practitioner. Choose a fully qualified surgeon who has already carried out many Botox procedures. Look for a clinic where the surgeon is willing to carry out an initial consultation so that you have the chance to ask any questions and thoroughly discuss the implications of the treatment. A good cosmetic surgeon should always be happy to give you lots of information and may be able to show you photographs of past clients and the results of their treatment. It’s also a good idea to ask around your friends for personal recommendations.

What else is Botox used for?

Although Botox is most well known as a cosmetic procedure for the reduction of ****** lines, it is also used in the treatment of several medical conditions. Botox can be used to reduce muscle spasms and twitching of the neck or eyelids. It has also proved successful in the treatment of excessively sweaty armpits by blocking the chemical transmitters that cause the sweating. Depending on the reasons for treatment, sometimes the cost of Botox injections can be covered by medical insurance.



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The Emergence of Botox as A Headache Treatment

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
Lee Dobbins recently asked:


Botulinum toxin A has been around for about three decades, but its many benefits to the health of patients taking it are just starting to surface.

Medical doctors, especially in the United States, started injecting what is more popularly known as botox to patients who suffer from an eye disorder known as strabismus. Strabismus is characterized by an abnormal misaligning of the eyes, leading to crossed eyes.

In 1989, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of botox as a treatment for eye muscle disorders like uncontrolled twitching. Thus, the use of botox in the medical profession became wide spread.

But like many other drugs, the potential of botox has expanded beyond its original purpose. In the recent years, the drug has also been discovered to treat the awkward excessive underarm sweating and more importantly, to get rid and prevent wrinkles in the face.

Cosmetic treatment

It is its use as cosmetic treatment that botox’s popularity rapidly shot up. From the United States, cosmetic surgeons and practitioners from across the globe started injecting botox to vanity-conscious patients who aim to prevent the onset of ageing in their faces.

Many ageing ladies, and several men as well, prefer to use botox to preventive premature and timely ageing wrinkles. It is because unlike other forms of treatment, botox does not involve the use of scalpels and surgical procedures.

The doctor would just need to inject the drug to several specific areas of the face and the neck for its effect to linger for at most six months. The satisfying result on earlier patients also has helped make the popularity of botox even more evident.

Botox as headache treatment

But did you know that recently, another used of the drug has been discovered accidentally? Yes, aside from helping patients prevent and control ageing wrinkles and eye muscle spasms, botox has been discovered as a potent drug to treat severe headaches.

In the medical profession, headaches were largely dealt by neurologists who specifically focus on the illness’ diagnosis and cure. But until recently, plastic surgeons were accidentally linked to a longer-term treatment of headaches or migraines.

Several clinical tests have proven that the patients who were injected with the botox treatment for eye spasms and aesthetic purposes were spared from the onset and occasional attacks of migraines.

Surveys covering botox patients also confirm the notion. Those patients emphasized that after using botox, they have not experienced severe and even mild headaches, for at least six months.

Specific injection points

However, doctors note that to be able to treat headache episodes, botox has to be injected in specific areas of the body. Particularly, studies and reports of patients indicate that botox has to be injected in any of the following areas: the side and the back of the head, the forehead, the eyes and the muscles of the brow.

Other than the specified areas, botox injections are not found to lead to the prevention and cure of headaches. Those who suffer migraines on a daily, weekly and regularized basis are singled out as the primary beneficiaries of the new botox purpose.

It is logical that from the start of this new discovery, botox would further become popular not just for beauty-conscious people, but also for those who have grown tired of consulting to neurologists for the treatment of headaches.

Surpassing neurologists’ prescriptions

The traditional headache treatments have almost become obsolete with the emergence of botox as a headache treatment. Thus, neurolgists’ patients have expressed relief that they have been given alternative treatments than the conventional drugs for headaches like the sumatriptan, or more commonly known as Imitrex.

Side effects

Almost all medicines and treatments have side effects, and of course, botox is of no exception. However, the side effects linked to botox treatment are limited to inability to move the brow muscles, which to some patients is good because frown lines in the forehead can be alleviated.

Other than that, there is no other side effect linked to botox intake.

Botox has truly become extremely useful in the medical world. It is no wonder that the drug’s popularity continuously rises up as years go by. Those who are afraid of needles are now given more reasons not to fear injections anymore.



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