About Botulinum Toxin

Botulinum toxin was initially implicated in a disease called botulism that resulted from improperly cooked meat in eighteenth-century Germany. But by the 1980s, cosmetic surgeons discovered that administering it in small quantities to the right facial muscle tissues could enhance a person’s esthetics considerably. It seemed to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, helping to make patients look more youthful.

It’s important to point out that Botox® is different from dermal fillers. It does not add plumpness to the face or stimulate collagen production. Instead, it is a relaxant that takes the strain out of your facial muscles, reducing the extent to which they crumple your skin when you make an expression.  

Sometimes, furrows are the result of pure aging, but they can also form because of overactive muscles deep in the face. Botox is unique because it stops muscle fibers from firing directly by blocking signals from the central nervous system that tell muscles to fire. As such, it can complement dermal filler procedures. 

Botox® Safety Facts

The idea of putting a “toxin” into your body can seem a little strange to some patients. But it turns out that Botox® is one of the safest cosmetic treatments available. 

Here are some remarkable facts about the procedure you should know: 

• Only 36 cases of adverse effects of Botox® were reported to the FDA between 1989 and 2003 – and more than half of those were caused by underlying conditions, and not the substance itself. 
• More than 4.5 million people received Botox® and similar medications to fight wrinkles in 2016 alone. 
• Botox® is currently the number one cosmetic procedure in the US