Makeup Tricks

Botox has become a well used cosmetic enhancement over the last few years by ridding people of age line and wrinkles; with so many rumors about it’s use, more facts need to be available about what it is and what it does. To help with this, we need to step back a few decades to when this substance was first researched and used. The substance is derived from Botulinum toxin, discovered nearly five decades ago; originally the purpose of this was to treat neurological disorders.

It wasn’t until around 1989 that the Federal Drug Administration agreed to allow its use in medical procedures to help people with disorders of the eye; conditions that caused uncontrollable blinking and crossed eyes were the first people to benefit. By the new millennium it had been approved for a number of other conditions including cervical dystonia; this disorder causes severe neck and shoulder contractions but they also permitted it to be used with other eye problems. Scientists found that if the botox drug was injected into the lines between the eyebrows it would gradually soften them and make them disappear; this discovery won over the FDA who agreed that it could be used in cosmetic procedures from 2002. See how botox works.

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; after a number of treatments the lines start to lessen. 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 (you might also be interested in best wrinkle creams). The injections actually contain a purified form of the Botulinum toxin; Botulinum toxin can be deadly and at the very least make us unwell but when it is used in cosmetic procedures it is safe.

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; whilst many manufacturers have tried to produce creams that eliminate these wrinkles and creases (unsuccessfully), this treatment can at least for a short period. 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.

People still have enough movement to look fairly normal but not enough to cause these wrinkles; so in fact by taking these injections they help you to look younger. Some will be happy that the people who can afford the treatment are still the wealthy with individual treatments still costing a great deal of money; this is why it has been coined as something only celebrities have performed because the least expensive injection can still cost upwards of 300 dollars to in excess of 1,000 dollars. 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.

Filed under: Beauty