|
Article Excerpt
Botox: Beyond cosmetic fixes
The procedure that revolutionized wrinkle treatment has myriad medical uses, many still experimental. What's the evidence?
At one time, most of us knew about botulinum toxin mainly as the source of deadly botulism food poisoning. Produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, the toxin is one of the most lethal substances on earth. Ingested, it can paralyze muscles throughout the body, including those that control breathing. Yet on a smaller scale, the same mechanism can do a body good. Injected into muscle tissue, for example, botulinum toxin can ease debilitating spasms and pain.
The many faces of Botox
Today, most of us are familiar with botulinum toxin as Botox, the popular cosmetic treatment approved in 2002 to minimize the appearance of glabellar lines * vertical furrows between the eyebrows that become more pronounced as we age. By preventing muscle contractions that cause facial lines, Botox smooths the skin and makes it look younger. It's now widely used to treat a range of facial wrinkles, including those that appear on the neck (turkey neck), at the corners of the eyes (crow's feet), and across the forehead.
Botox gets the headlines these days as a wrinkle reducer, but it has a longer history as a medical therapy. In the late 1950s, researchers showed that injecting tiny amounts of botulinum toxin relaxed overactive muscles by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a neurochemical essential for muscle contraction. In 1989, Botox was approved for the treatment of strabismus (misaligned eyes) and blepharospasm (abnormal squinting and eyelid twitching). Since then, it's been approved for the treatment of cervical dystonia (muscle spasm affecting the neck and shoulders) and hyperhidrosis (severe sweating). Myobloc, which is made from botulinum toxin strain type B (Botox is made from the type...
|
|
More articles from Harvard Women's Health Watch
Anaphylaxis: An overwhelming allergic reaction.(Report), September 01, 2009
In the journals: Link found between migraines with aura and late-life ..., September 01, 2009
In the journals: Soy extracts don't improve bone density in older wome..., September 01, 2009
In the journals: Endometrial ablation is shown to be safe and effectiv..., September 01, 2009
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
|
