Did you know that the discovery of Botox dates back to the 1800s? When being more precise, the possibility to use botulinum toxin injections for medical purposes was discovered in the 1820s. However, the implication of Botox has drastically changed since that time.
So, how is botulinum toxin used today? And what are the typical areas for cosmetic Botox injections? Let’s figure it out together by going through the information below.
Please note: To guarantee the proper result of a Botox injection, not only the technique of its application but also the quality of the preparation is important. Thus, make sure to order Botox from trustworthy suppliers only.
What Is Botox and What Does It Have to Do with Botulinum Toxin?
Before discussing the main areas of cosmetic Botox implication, let us define what it is. In basic terms, Botox is a drug that is applied in medicine for a number of therapeutic and cosmetic purposes.
The main ingredient of Botox is botulinum toxin, which is a substance that is produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. Here are the main facts on it:
- On the one hand, botulinum toxin is very dangerous, as it might cause botulism, a rare disease that paralyzes muscles and leads to death in the worst cases;
- On the other hand, however, botulinum toxin might be very efficient and helpful when it comes to its medical application.
While being extremely efficient, Botox treatment works in the following way:
- Firstly, an experienced health care practitioner injects the preparation into the treatment area with the help of micro-needles;
- Secondly, Botox starts acting by means of affecting nerve signals and, thus, causing temporary paralysis of your muscles;
- As a result, you get the desired therapeutic or cosmetic effect from the treatment.
When speaking about the duration of the effect from Botox, it is essential to mention that it is not permanent. Under normal circumstances, it lasts up to five months. However, the exact duration of Botox treatment strongly depends on the individual peculiarities of a patient.
Despite the fact that the Botox treatment is safe and FDA approved, it might still lead to a number of side effects, such as:
- The injection site irritation, including redness, swelling, and bruising;
- Temporary headaches and flu-like symptoms such as fever or runny nose;
- Difficult swallowing;
- Etc.
Please note: In order to minimize the possibility of serious side effects and ensure the safety of a Botox injection, it should be performed by an experienced health care practitioner.
How Is Botox Applied?
A wide range of Botox indications might be subdivided into two main groups, namely its therapeutic and cosmetic usage. Thus, let us have a closer look at them.
Therapeutic Treatments
When discussing therapeutic indications Botox of Botox, it is important to mention that botulinum toxin has been initially used to treat the symptom of crossed eyes (or, as it is medically called, strabismus). Since that time, however, the preparation started to be applied for the following medical conditions:
- Muscle spasms. One of the main purposes of therapeutic usage of Botox is to treat contractions in muscles, such as neck spasms;
- Excessive sweating. As well, the preparation serves as an efficient treatment of hyperhidrosis;
- Overactive bladder. Another symptom Botox might treat is the sudden and difficult to be controlled need to urinate;
- Lazy eye. Moreover, the preparation is capable to take care of amblyopia, which is characterized by wandering inward or outward eye;
- Chronic migraine. Repeating headache episodes might also get improved by a botulinum toxin injection;
- Etc.
So, Botox might come in handy with numerous therapeutic indications and is, therefore, an efficient preparation in contemporary medicine.
A side fact: Apart from the above-mentioned therapeutical indications of Botox, it might also be used to treat depression, premature ejaculation, abnormal heartbeat, cold hands, painful sex, and other symptoms. However, these Botox treatments remain unapproved by FDA.
Cosmetic Treatments
Apart from its therapeutic indications, Botox is widely applied in aesthetic medicine these days. The preparation can both assist you in acquiring a more youthful appearance and enhance your general beauty. Here is the list of the main cosmetic indications for a Botox injection:
- Facial fine lines, folds, and wrinkles. The Botox preparation has proven to be extremely efficient when it comes to smoothing fine lines, folds, and wrinkles. When being more precise, the preparation is effective in treating bunny lines, crow’s feet, smile lines, horizontal forehead lines (as well as other forehead wrinkles), and other folds that are caused by active facial expressions or the aging process;
- Neck and chest wrinkles. Apart from its lower and upper face implications, the preparation is applied to the neck and chest areas of your body. For instance, it might substantially reduce horizontal wrinkles around your throat;
- Dimpled chin. Another example of how is Botox used in cosmetic procedures is the way it treats a dimple in the middle of a chin, which is not related to the aging process but is rather a genetic trait;
- Lowered eyebrows. Furthermore, Botox is oftentimes used for a brow lift. Thus, the preparation is capable of providing you with an efficient eyebrow lift and, as a result, a much more open outlook of your eyes;
- Thin lips. Botox results will also be visible when it comes to plumping lips and making them more volumized with the help of the preparation;
- Etc.
Therefore, the injectable treatment that involves botulinum toxin is super-efficient in the world of aesthetic medicine.
What Are the Main Areas Botox Injections Are Applied to?
Based on the above-mentioned information, Botox has a wide range of applications and, therefore, might be administered into a whole bunch of areas. So, let’s go through the most common Botox injection sites.
For medical purposes, Botox is most frequently injected into the following treatment areas:
- Neck (to reduce neck spasms);
- Underarms (to treat hyperhidrosis);
- Bladder muscle (to take care of overactive bladder);
- Extraocular muscles (to cure lazy eye);
- Temples, nose bridge, forehead, neck, back of the head, upper back above the shoulder blades (to fight migraines);
- Etc.
For cosmetic purposes and skin-care, in their turn, Botox is usually administered into these body and facial parts:
- Frontalis muscle (to smooth forehead lines);
- Eyebrow area, or as it is also called, the area of “11 lines” (to reduce wrinkles between eyebrows or provide a patient with an eyebrow lift);
- Crow’s feet area (to diminish folds around the surrounding skin);
- Nasalis area (to take care of “bunny” lines around the nose);
- Corners of the mouth (to treat smile wrinkles);
- Neck (to lessen neck wrinkles);
- Jaw area (to fight dimpled chin);
- Lip area, namely the Cupid’s bow (to perform a lip flip procedure);
- Etc.
Thus, Botox is applied to a great number of body and facial areas.
To Sum Up
All in all, Botox has a wide range of medical and cosmetic indications. Therefore, it might be administered into a great number of areas of your body and face. So, how about trying out a Botox injection and experiencing its benefits yourself?