Botox has the effect of making men and women appear younger than they really are; there are many myths about what it is and before a person starts a course, it is worth finding out more information. Before this can be done we need to go back a little in time to when this was originally discovered. The substance is derived from Botulinum toxin, discovered nearly five decades ago; researchers were looking into methods to treat neurological problems in people.

A treatment finally came in 1989 when the FDA granted approval for it to be used on these patients with visual conditions; conditions that caused uncontrollable blinking and crossed eyes were the first people to benefit. In the year 2000 was given the all clear for the of treatment cervical dystonia. it was found to be effective at helping patients with neck and shoulder contractions but other eye disorders were included at the same time. In their research, doctors discovered that Botox softened the frown lines between the eyebrows; it was after this discovery that it officially came into existence and was FDA approved for cosmetic use in 2002.

You see botox is a neuro toxin, meaning it paralyses the muscles it is injected into and makes them relax; eventually, over a period of several months, given enough of these injections, the frown lines start to soften. If this procedure is continued, in many instances the lines will soften so much they will seem to disappear; now the same procedure is used on other areas of the face where lines form, generally with age. The form used in these injections is one that has been cleaned up and diluted, posing no threat; this same botulism can make us very ill but when use in cosmetic surgery it is a purified form the Botulinum toxin.

Of course we all like to laugh and obviously use our faces for other gestures but the muscles controlling this are the cause of the line we see and obviously, these injections can stop this. When we are young and our skin is more elastic, these lines do not show but as we age the constant use of facial muscles leaves us with lines; many ?skin age reduction cream’ manufacturers have tried to produce creams that reduce facial line but this is the only treatment that works, currently. Because botox paralyzes the facial muscles, normal movement, expressions and gestures are almost impossible to make; that’s why people who have had these treatments can look like mannequins.

Depending on the amount of treatments, a person can look fairly normal but their facial gestures will be restricted so that the creases and lines do not show. 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. There is always some concern about new treatments and botox is no exception with many people worried about the long term effects of injections, but even so this has not stopped its popularity.