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According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, over one and half million Botox injections were performed in 2002 making it the number one non-surgical cosmetic procedure in the United States. These numbers are anticipated to increase due to Botox's latest approval by the Federal Drug Administration.
Botox Cosmetic was approved for cosmetic purposes by the Federal Drug Administration on April 15, 2002. Its purpose is to relax facial muscles causing targeted wrinkles to smooth and diminish. More specifically, Botox was approved "to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines between the eyebrows." However, since Botox has been approved by the FDA since 1989 for other medical conditions, the use of it is not limited to just the frown lines. It can be used for several "off label" procedures that are not specifically approved but are legal.
Whether the procedures are considered "off-label" or not, Botox is most successful when used on wrinkles that are the result of repeated facial expressions where the muscles contract- generally on the upper third of the face. Some examples of these grooves caused by overly worked muscles are horizontal forehead furrows, vertical frown lines, and wrinkles in the corner of the eyes known commonly as "crow's feet". Some doctors are even using it to treat "turkey gobble" neck, "marionette lines", lip lines, and creases along the nose and mouth. It should be noted that Botox is less effective on wrinkles caused by gravity or age. Another form of treatment such as collagen injections may be more beneficial. Botox is successful in diminishing the appearance of wrinkles caused by repeated contractions of the muscle because it acts as a paralytic. When injected directly into the muscle, it actually impedes the muscles ability to contract by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. If a muscle cannot tighten, a wrinkle cannot be formed.
Other less common uses of Botox include the treatment of excessive sweating in the armpits, hands, and feet as well as migraine headaches.
Botox is a botulinum toxin type A which is derived from a naturally occurring bacterium. The bacterium is commonly known as food poison and in larger doses can be very harmful. However, for medicinal uses, the botulinum is extremely diluted, purified, and sterilized. It has been used to treat neurological disorders for several years and is proven to be safe in small doses. Only about 20 units are used for a typical cosmetic injection, and it would take "hundreds of thousands" of units to harm a human.
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