The Fountain Rejuvenation Center
What is Botox?
Botox® is a trade name for botulinum toxin A. In this way, Botox® is related to botulism. Botulism is a form of food poisoning that occurs when someone eats something containing a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin A is one of the neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. The most serious symptom of botulism is paralysis, which in some cases has proven to be fatal. It would ordinarily take about 400 bottles of Botox cosmetic to produce a fatal paralysis.
The botulinum toxins (there are seven -- types are A through G) attach themselves to nerve endings. Once this happens, acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for triggering muscle contractions, cannot be released. A series of proteins, VAMP, syntaxin and SNAP-25, are essential for the release of acetylcholine. Certain botulinum toxins attack these proteins. Botulinum toxin A (Botox) affects the SNAP-25.
Basically, the botulinum toxins block the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract.
Botox in the Body
Botox® (botulinum toxin type A) is successfully used to treat blepharospasm, strabismus, and cervical dystonia -- these are all conditions that in some way involve spasms, involuntary muscle contractions. The skin around a person's eyes does not stay smooth forever. The repetitive use of surrounding corrugator and procerus muscles can cause severe glabellar (frown) lines.
Within a few hours to a couple of days after the botulinum toxin is injected into the affected muscle(s), the spasms or contractions are reduced or eliminated altogether. The effects of the treatment are not permanent, reportedly lasting anywhere from three to eight months. By injecting the toxin directly into a certain muscle or muscle group, the risk of it spreading to other areas of the body is greatly diminished.
Botox® Cosmetic has been successfully used to treat severe glabellar (frown) lines forhead wrinkles, crow's feet and many other areas. When Botox® Cosmetic is injected into the muscles surrounding the brow area for instance, those muscles can not "scrunch up" for a period of time. They are weakened and do not pull on the skin to make a furrow or wrinkle. The wrinkles in that area, therefore, often referred to as frown lines, temporarily go away.
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