Botox
Botox is an extremely popular cosmetic treatment used worldwide for an assortment of conditions. Instantly recognisable across the globe, BOTOX® is the commercial name for Botulinum Toxin Type A, a protein derived from the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum.
Botox is most commonly used to treat wrinkles on the forehead, crow’s feet that form around the eyes and pronounced wrinkles around the neck too. However, new uses for Botox are constantly being discovered, with scientists recommending that Botox can be used for conditions like excessive sweating.
How does Botox work?
The process involves several tiny injections of Botox directly into the muscles of your face. When injected into muscles, Botox has a local effect, blocking the transmission between the nerve endings and muscles fibres around the injection area – this causes weakness in the nearby muscles. However, it is this that smoothes out the skin and removed the appearance for frown lines, crow’s feet, wrinkles or the medical condition you may be treated for.
How long does the treatment last?
The entire Botox injection process takes about 10-20 minutes and requires no anaesthetic as any discomfort is minimal and brief. If you have had Botox injections to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improvement will be noticeable within a week and will last for approximately four months. If you wish to maintain the effect, repeat treatments will be required as the effect of Botox will eventually wear off.
What else is Botox used for?
Botox for Hyperhidrosis – We all need to sweat. Sweating allows the body to regulate its temperature but unfortunately, some people sweat to the point where they need to change clothes several times throughout the day just to stay dry. Not only does stale sweat begin to smell, but the patches of sweat that appear can be very embarrassing to sufferers.
Hyperhidrosis either starts in childhood (primary hyperhidrosis) or can start at any point in an adult’s life (secondary hyperhidrosis). The condition can be exacerbated by anxiety, certain medications or another underlying condition. Either classification of hyperhidrosis can affect any part of the body, from hands, to feet or the armpits or groin.
When patients have exhausted the usual methods such as prescription antiperspirant deodorants or a combination of toiletries, they visit us for a solution.
By injecting Botox into the area that is suffering from hyperhidrosis, e.g. the armpits, the treatment helps to control sweating by temporarily blocking the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. The treatment has been fully approved and licenced, therefore it has been shown to be safe as well as effective.
Botox for Migraines – Migraines are not just bad headaches; sufferers may experience dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting or photosensitivity. Triggers may vary from person to person and sufferers tend to be aware that a migraine is on its way. Doctors typically treat migraines with painkillers such as ibuprofen or asprin but suggest you choose a dispersible type that will be absorbed in the stomach quickly.
For those who live in constant fear of their next migraine, doctors can prescribe triptan medicines but they don’t work for everyone and if they are taken too early, they will not work. Luckily there are other options available to migraine sufferers, such as Botox.
Botox injections are injected into the facial muscles, around the brow, forehead, and side of the head and near the neck. This helps to reduce the frequency of migraines, the severity of the symptoms and lasts for up to six months.