These days the quick fix for signs of aging like saggy skin and age lines is a course of botox injections; there is still a huge gap in most people's knowledge about how it creates the effect it does.
Botulinum toxin was first researched back in the 1960's; researchers were looking into methods to treat neurological problems in people.
Back a few decades in 1989, the FDA of the United States approved Botox to treat disorders of people regarding their vision. This included a blinking disorder called blepharsopasm, and people who had eyes that were not alligned correctly.
More research was carried out into other medical uses and in 2000 it was allowed to be used on patients that had a cervical dystonia condition; this is where severe neck and shoulder contractions were causing discomfort to a number of people, but other eye conditions were included in this approval. Scientists found that if the botox drug was injected into the lines between the eyebrows it would gradually soften them and make them disappear; following this the FDA finally recognized the implications and agreed its commercial use in 2002.
When Botox is injected into the muscles of the forehead, it blocks nerve impulses which results in the weakening of the muscles that cause frowning; in time frown lines gradually soften and subside if sufficient treatments are given.
Continued treatments mean in many cases the lines disappear and now the same treatment is used on other areas of the face like the crows' feet, laughter lines and other facial wrinkles. The injections are a purified and watered down version of the sometimes fatal Botulinum poison; Botulinum toxin can be deadly and at the very least make us unwell but when it is used in cosmetic procedures it is safe.
Unfortunately, lines and creases form whenever we laugh (especially as we get older) or make any other facial gesture; they are caused by muscles contracting. The wonderful thing to many people is the treatment can help reduce and often eliminate the signs of aging that have taken years to appear; this is something that many skin creams have attempted to do for many years.
After being injected into the effected area, botox temporarily paralyzes these muscles so that you can't make these expressions; people who have regular treatment often look as though they are dummies because they cannot smile properly or make other facial gestures that we tend to rely on.
A person who has undergone this treatment still has enough movement to provide some expressions but they are limited; because most of the wrinkles and creases have all but disappeared, it appears that the person is younger than their true years.
Whilst popular this cosmetic treatment is still very expensive for what it is; the average cost of just one injection in the United States ranges from a few hundred dollars to in excess of 1,000 dollars, depending on where the injection is used. The side-effects of regular botox use may take some time to appear as it is only a recent addition to the cosmetic surgeon's armory but for now, its use does not seem to be diminishing.
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