Botox was first introduced to the public in 1989. Fast forward more than 30 years, and it has become the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure. With more than 7 million Botox treatments administered every year, odds are, you either know someone who has gotten Botox, or you may have even received Botox treatments yourself.
Once considered a luxury of the rich and famous, Clostridium Botulinum injections, the active ingredient in Botox treatments, has taken the world by storm. Commonly recognized for its ability to smooth wrinkles and “freeze” signs of aging, the use of Botox treatments has found its way into a variety of medical fields and has been proven to offer a wide range of health benefits.
Botox is a popular and sought-after treatment for fine lines, wrinkles, as well as an effective treatment option for treating a variety of medical conditions.
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Cosmetic Uses of Botox
The most common and popular uses of Botox treatments are for cosmetic purposes. While you may think of Botox as simply a treatment for fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, forehead, and mouth, Botox treatments are being utilized for other cosmetic treatments.
Cobblestone Chin
Uneven skin texture and bumpiness on the chin is referred to as “cobblestone.” It usually appears when you flex your chin muscles. Whether caused by the loss of collagen or overactive mentalis muscles, Botox is used to help smooth the appearance of your skin’s texture.
Gummy Smile
If too much of your gums are shown when you smile, this can be the result of your upper lip raises too much when smiling. Commonly referred to as a “gummy smile,” Botox is used as an effective treatment and a non-invasive alternative to correcting this condition. By restricting the movement of your upper lip, Botox can dramatically improve the appearance of your smile.
Body Contouring
Botox is a minimally invasive alternative for body contouring is becoming an increasingly popular treatment in the United States. When Botox is used for body contouring, it is injected intramuscularly. It is used to atrophy the muscles, resulting in a slimmer, more contoured appearance. The most common areas treated with this type of Botox injection are the shoulders, the calves, and the thighs.
Medical Benefits of Botox
The benefits of Botox extend far beyond improving the way you look. Doctors and medical professionals are recognizing Botox as a treatment for chronic medical conditions. Botox treatments are providing relief to long-term sufferers of a variety of disorders, illnesses, and neurological conditions.
Excessive Sweating
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is a neuromuscular condition that results in uncontrolled and abnormal sweating. This sweating occurs even when the person is not hot and is not helped by traditional or prescription antiperspirants. People with hyperhidrosis often drip sweat or sweat through their clothing.
Botox treatments are being used to treat hyperhidrosis and are FDA approved for the treatment of excessive sweating from the armpits. One of the benefits of Botox for this condition is that it blocks the nerves that activate your sweat glands. Botox is also used to treat excessive sweating in the face, hands, and feet as well.
Chronic Migraines
Chronic migraine sufferers experience headaches for 15 or more days a month. It is estimated that more than 4 million people suffer from chronic migraines. In 2010, the FDA approved Botox for the treatment of chronic migraines in adults.
Botox works by essentially blocking the migraine before it starts. It is injected directly into the pain centers associated with headaches and stops the release of chemicals that are responsible for pain transmission.
The benefits of Botox for migraines increase exponentially with each treatment.
Overactive Bladder
If you have an overactive bladder, frequent urination and incontinence can greatly impact your quality of life. An overactive bladder is the result of your bladder muscles contracting irregularly.
Urologists can treat these muscles with Botox causing temporary paralysis to a portion of your bladder muscles. The results of Botox treatments for overactive bladder are improved bladder function, less leaking, and can last up to 6 months.
Crossed Eyes
This medical condition, known as Strabismus, was the first medical use of Botox injections and was FDA approved for the treatment of crossed eyes in 1989. Having misaligned eyes can lead to a number of impairments in your vision and is a result of imbalanced muscles contracting around the eye to pull it in an unnatural direction.
Botox benefits people with Strabismus by relaxing these muscles and allowing the eyes to appear more aligned, and in some cases, completely realigning the eye.
Cervical Dystonia
Spasmodic torticollis is a painful condition. Neck muscles involuntarily contract and cause the head to tilt or twist either to one side or forward or backward. This nerve disorder causes extreme pain and muscle tremors.
In 2000, Botox was FDA approved to treat this debilitating disorder. Botox works to relax the muscles that cause torticollis and can relieve cervical dystonia symptoms.
Chronic Drooling
Most commonly, a condition related to Parkinson’s disease, chronic sialorrhea, or drooling results from either the overproduction of saliva or excess salvia in the mouth from a reduced ability to swallow. Chronic sialorrhea can lead to problems with speech, oral hygiene complications, skin conditions, and other health issues.
Botox can help to significantly reduce drooling by blocking the chemicals that are responsible for activating the salivary glands and produce results that can last up to 6 months.
Teeth Grinding
Bruxism, a condition that includes teeth grinding and jaw clenching, can cause painful and tense muscles in your jaw. It can also lead to damage to your teeth, headaches, and other dental problems.
Botox is injected into your chewing muscles, relaxing and releasing the tension caused by bruxism. The temporary paralysis of these muscles also helps to reprogram your brain and prevent the overuse of these muscles and lessen the frequency of grinding and clenching.
Future Benefits of Botox
Botox has changed the course of treatment for so many people, from its unmatched ability to counter the signs of aging to providing relief to chronic pain sufferers.
It is consistently being tested and studied to analyze the benefits of Botox beyond what it has been shown to be effective in. Currently, Botox is being used off-label to treat depression, abnormal heartbeats, cleft lip scars in children, and more.
Botox has proven its efficacy as more than just the answer to forehead lines and crow’s feet. It’s safe to assume that even more benefits of Botox will be discovered in the near future.
How Can Beautifi Help?
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