BOTOX

The type A botulinum toxin is one of the seven toxins that produce the Clostridium Botulinum and it is synthesized in laboratory for its medical use. The toxin causes a temporary paralysis in the muscle injected. Its use has been mainly aimed to neurological spastics diseases and recently it began to be used for face wrinkles. The muscles of the face are in charge of the expression of our emotions (annoyance, joy, sadness...). These muscles are located right under the skin. But their activity causes that these zones become noticeable and even in rest wrinkles appear, being well known the wrinkles on the forehead (due to the frontal muscle), frown (corrugators) and crow's-feet (orbicularis muscle).

The toxin is injected in the muscle and it is an outpatient procedure. The toxin acts on the junction between the muscle and nerve. It prevents the release of acetylcholine, which is the messenger substance for the transmission of the nervous impulse towards the muscle. The effect is not permanent, since the nerve produces new sprouts and connections to the muscle. This means that after three or four months of the injection, the muscular activity begins to be recovered.

After the injection, the effect begins in 4-5 days and lasts between 3 and 6 months, after which the procedure can be repeated. Nevertheless, it seems that after repeated injections the muscle is weakened and less dosage is necessary for more lasting results.

What zones are suitable for the technique?

Frowning wrinkles
Frontal wrinkles
Crow's-feet
Bands of the neck

The results are very good, though temporary. In order to obtain a definitive result it is necessary to undergo some kind of surgery (frontal lifting , cervical lifting , selective section of the corrugating muscles).

The complications are very rare, being small inflammation or hematomas in the zone of injection the most frequent. However, they last few days. If the toxin somehow spreads, some muscle can become paralyzed temporarily (for example, inability to raise the upper lid). In conclusion, it is a good technique to achieve an elimination of the wrinkles without surgery, although its effect is not permanent.