Botox, medically known as botulinum toxin, blocks nerve signals that cause muscles to contract and the skin to lose its elasticity. Your muscles lose their strength over time, but age isn’t the only factor that affects your facial muscles and skin.
Other factors like stress, health condition, lifestyle, diet, exposure to sunlight, and more can cause you to look much older than you really are. Injecting small amounts of this neurotoxin can temporarily and quickly eliminate some of your facial wrinkles, giving you an instantly younger look.
There’s a reason why more and more people choose to get botulinum toxin injections; they’re not just for celebrities anymore. If you want to know more about them and when they became so popular, this article is for you.
The Origins of Botox
Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that produces botox, was first discovered by a Belgian scientist in the 1920s. It took over 20 years for another scientist to isolate botulinum toxin in its crystalline form.
During the 1970s, scientists started to test the toxin on monkeys in an attempt to treat strabismus, a condition in which the eyes do not align properly. Over time, they noticed that it was reducing the wrinkles between the monkeys’ eyebrows and nose.
When the FDA first approved it in 1989, it was for the treatment of strabismus. Other uses soon followed, however, and before long it was known everywhere for its ability to make you look years younger. Nowadays, it’s one of the most common non-surgical cosmetic treatments available.
Advantages of This Type of Injection
Botox offers a variety of advantages. The Long Island-based professionals over at JamesChristianCosmetics.com explain that one of the major benefits of this special neurotoxin is that its results are fast and noticeable.
They say that it’s even possible to get a botox injection on your lunch break! It is also very affordable compared to some other alternatives. Another perk is that there’s no recovery time after you get injected.
To top it all off, it also provides almost instant results that last for several months. Needless to say, it also gives your face a youthful glow that would be difficult or impossible to achieve any other way.
The Rise of Botox
From the very beginning, botox proved to be extremely popular. In 1991, a company named Allergan bought it for $9 million. In that same year, they generated $13 million in sales. The company was eager to promote the wrinkle-reducing product, and it conducted a series of studies on the matter.
By 2002, this powerful toxin had gained FDA approval for treating glabellar lines, making it the first drug to get approval as a strictly cosmetic product. In the year that it was approved, it generated $310 million in sales. By 2013, the company reported $3 billion in revenue from botulinum toxin.
How Botox Works and What It Treats
The most common use of botulinum toxin is to reduce facial wrinkles, but it has a wide range of other applications as well. It can help treat conditions such as blepharospasm, which causes uncontrolled blinking, and strabismus, which is what botulinum toxin was originally intended to treat. It can even treat excessive sweating.
The neurotoxin works by helping to block signals from the nerves to the muscles, which prevents the muscles from being able to contract. This allows the face to look smoother and more relaxed.
However, it can’t eliminate wrinkles caused by sun damage or gravity. All in all, it is mostly used to treat wrinkles around the eyes, mouth, and forehead caused by old age or excessive muscle contraction.
All in all, if you’re looking for a cheap and quick way to look younger, botox injections might be right for you. Furthermore, the fact that this neurotoxin has been around for decades, and has been tested extensively on various patients, can offer you some peace of mind that you might not have with newer, less proven treatments.
This extra reassurance is perhaps the main reason why botulinum toxin injections have become increasingly popular over the years. Not only are they faster than other treatments, but they’re also quite effective. Plus, if you factor in all the convenience it offers, you’ll see that it’s also quite affordable.
One last word to the wise, though; always make sure you consult your doctor before getting any type of injection. Depending on your age as well as other factors, your healthcare provider will advise you on the best type of treatment for your case.
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