Botox

Botox - botox - botox. We've all heard about it on television shows, the news, and radio but what is it exactly and how can it make you look younger?

BOTOX is a purified protein extracted from Clostridium botulinum bacterium and is used to reduce or eliminate frown lines (moderate to severe) between the brows, forehead creases, crows feet near the eyes and thick bands in the neck. At Advanced Skin Solutions of Tulsa, Dr. Leslie Masters will inject small doses of BOTOX into muscles that cause these stubborn lines. The BOTOX injections work by blocking the nerve impulses, paralyzing the muscles, thereby smoothing the wrinkles on the skin, producing a younger appearance in just minutes.

The entire treatment only takes 10-15 minutes and requires no anesthesia and no recovery time.The anti-wrinkle effects of BOTOX usually last for 4 months in both men and women.

Aging, cellular changes, collagen depletion, loss of hormones and damage caused by free radicals leads to wrinkling of skin, which actually is a complex process involving a combination of various other factors.

According to a recent survey, about 90% men and women observed a marked improvement in the disappearance of frown lines in one month after BOTOX treatment. Dr. Masters examines and determines the exact "trouble spots" for administering the tiny injections of BOTOX in certain muscles of the brow area. In some cases, Dr. Masters may numb the area with cold pack or anesthetic cream. By injecting the toxin into a certain muscle or muscle group directly, the risk of spreading the toxin to other areas is reduced.

It must be noted that BOTOX will not radically change the facial appearance of an individual and frown lines are simply reduced.

According to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), more than 1.1 million people were treated with BOTOX injections in 2002 of which 54 percent of those surveyed were 35 to 50 years old. Total BOTOX treatments grew to 3.8 million in 2005. The ASPS reports that BOTOX has ranked as the most popular plastic surgery procedure in the United States for the last four years.

BOTOX should not be administered to those suffering from myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome. Side affects of BOTOX injections include pain and bruising at the injection site, redness, temporary headache, flu-like symptoms, nausea and temporary facial weakness or drooping.