Just what is Botox—if that is its real name?
Botox is a popular medication that has revolutionized the field of medicine and cosmetology. But despite being a household name, Botox is just one brand name for botulinum toxin; others include Xeomin, Dysport, Letybo, Myobloc, and Jeuveau. “Toxin?” I hear you asking. “Aren’t those bad for you?” Well—in this case, at least—yes and no. The modern wellness industry’s obsession with cleanses and “detoxing” has contributed to a popular idea that all toxins are always harmful. But while all toxins are inherently, well, toxic (that’s just how words work), in controlled dosages administered by trained medical professionals, some toxins can have effects that border on the magical or miraculous. Botulinum toxin (“tox” to its friends) is one of these.
So what is tox, anyway? Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. In the human body, tox blocks certain neurotransmitters, causing temporary flaccid paralysis of the muscles. (The flaccid here refers to the fact that by blocking the nervous system’s messages that tell muscles to contract, tox effectively keeps the affected muscles in a relaxed state.)
Interestingly, this bacterium is also responsible for the food poisoning botulism, commonly associated with eating expired canned food. Most of us probably recognize a warped or bulging food can as a sign that the contents have gone bad and that eating them is a sure way to spend a miserable couple of days worshipping the porcelain god—or worse. That’s our friend C. botulinum at work.
But when purified and administered by a licensed healthcare professional, tox is perfectly safe and FDA-approved for both medical and cosmetic applications. In small, controlled doses, tox has proven to be an effective medical treatment for a variety of conditions associated with excessive involuntary muscular activity or spasms, including cerebral palsy and stroke, as well as overactive bladder, crossed or “lazy” eyes, excessive sweating, and even migraines.
But it’s the cosmetic applications that made tox—especially under the tradename Botox—a household name.
Inject toxins into my face? Why?
As we age, our facial skin begins to show lines and wrinkles, especially around areas like crow’s feet, laugh and frown lines, and furrowed brows. These can make us look older and more tired than we actually feel. While some embrace these signs of aging (and, y’know, good for them, I guess), others may understandably feel self-conscious about them. If that sounds like you, good news! There are solutions—you do have options—and tox is one of them.
Tox’s fantastic ability to turn back life’s clock by smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles has made it a staple of modern cosmetology. Once, the only way to reverse these signs of aging was some form of face lift. But by injecting small amounts of tox into the facial muscles responsible for these lines, you can now have a more youthful appearance without surgery.
It may seem odd to purposely inject toxins into your face, but these treatments are FDA-approved, can have long-lasting benefits, and are more safe and convenient than surgical methods. In just a few short appointments, you can see dramatic results: tox treatments don’t just reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles; they leave you feeling more confident and comfortable in your own rejuvenated skin.
Okay, so now I’ve got a face full of tox. What am I in for?
Now that you know why you’d want tox injections, you’re probably wondering what to expect from the procedure. In a nutshell, tox injections are just what they sound like: a trained professional injects a small amount of purified botulinum toxin into the muscles responsible for creating fine lines and wrinkles in the face. Depending on your feelings about needles, though, this simple procedure may sound to you like something out of Saw movie. But fear not, gentle reader: tox injections are quick and relatively painless. While some patients do experience some discomfort during the procedure, they typically report that it is minor, tolerable, and well worth it for the results.
After injection, tox works by preventing the motor neurons in the affected area from releasing acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter your body uses to activate muscles. This effectively blocks messages from your nervous system to the muscles at the injection sites, leaving those muscles in a constantly relaxed state. Since it’s the repeated contraction of those muscles over time (when, say, laughing, frowning, or squinting) that creases the skin into wrinkles, stopping those contractions allows the skin to begin to smooth out again.
You should start to see noticeably smoother skin in the targeted areas within three to five days, achieving the full benefits after about a week. While the exact duration of the treatment’s effects varies from person to person (and among different tox formulations), most patients enjoy a more youthful appearance for two to four months—and in some cases, up to six.
This means that the average person needs only seasonal tox treatments to keep these signs of aging at bay. But it’s not just about improving your physical appearance: a younger-looking face in the mirror leaves you feeling younger, and many tox patients report that their more youthful and refreshed appearance creates a new sense of confidence and wellbeing that they thought they’d lost to time. And with confidence being one of the three secret keys to success, there may be no limit to what the new you can do.
But it’s a toxin, right? Aren’t there risks?
Despite those benefits, it’s perfectly understandable to be concerned about risk factors associated with tox. It is a neurotoxin, after all—or at least it’s derived from one. The first important thing to understand about the tox used in medical and cosmetological applications is that it’s a purified form of the toxin. And the various purified forms on the domestic market have all been investigated, scrutinized, evaluated, and ultimately approved for use by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
The second important fact is that tox treatments are administered by someone who’s trained and licensed to do so. This isn’t your neighbor Susan cracking open a misshapen can of Campbell’s and sticking you with some moldy soup between the eyes; it’s a highly regulated medical procedure performed by a medical professional.
Of course, as with almost all medicine, there are possible side effects. There’s a slim chance of bruising or swelling at the injection sites, headaches, or temporary drooping of facial muscles—but these risks can be effectively mitigated by choosing a reputable and experienced provider. When properly applied, tox is actually indicated as a treatment for some of those same side effects—for instance, migraines.
So the real risk of tox treatments comes when you cut corners on medical safety to save a buck. In places like the Rio Grande Valley, it can be tempting to get medical or cosmetic procedures across the border, where the comparative lack of regulation can result in lower costs for the “same” treatments.
But the regulations we have stateside are in place for a reason, and the same factors that lower treatments’ costs in Mexico also increase risks. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin after all—one of the most potent ones we know of—and while we’ve spent a lot of time here today on why that shouldn’t be a cause for concern, that’s only true because of the regulations we have governing its purity and application here in the States. Absent those safeguards, a neurotoxin is, frankly, one hell of a thing to gamble with. Remember that botulism, the illness caused by wild botulinum toxin, can be absolutely misery-inducing at best and, at worst, fatal. It’s hard to imagine that shaving off a decade or so would be worth risking the rest of your life.
So when it comes to tox, shop local and play it safe.
Think of it like electricity: getting struck by lightning will almost certainly kill you. But when that same electrical energy is supplied in safe amounts through conduits created by trained professionals using appropriate safeguards, you get a working television, Netflix, Spotify, central air and heat, electric light, and a thousand other things no denizen of the 21st century could imagine living without. Plug your phone charger into any wall socket: don’t think twice, it’s all right.
But when it comes to putting in a new outlet or light fixture, you’ll want to hire a bonded electrician or else risk frying yourself or burning down your house. Playing with fire (or lightning in a bottle) can feel so safe that you never even think about the risks. But that’s only possible because trained professionals using highly regulated tools made it so. Tox is a lot like that. With appropriate safeguards, it’s an invisible modern convenience; in the wrong hands, though, it’s just not worth the risk.
All things considered, tox is highly effective as a cosmetic treatment to reduce the signs of aging and improve your facial appearance. It has been determined safe for long-term use when administered by experienced practitioners. As we age, it is important that we feel our best and remain confident in our skin.
Are you ready to erase the fingerprints of time from your face?
Make an appointment today or drop by our clinic in Pharr to learn more about what tox treatments can do for your looks and overall sense of wellbeing. From erasing wrinkles and volumizing your lips to providing pap smears and giving flu shots, we do everything you need to keep you looking and feeling your best! The medical professionals at our clinic are trained experts who understand how to use tox safely and effectively. Talk with us today to see whether tox is right for you!