What is Botulinum Toxin?
Botox (Botulinum Toxin type A) is particularly renowned for its short-term improvement of facial ticks, fine lines and wrinkles and reducing excessive sweating. It is a natural, purified protein that has been used for therapeutic purposes for decades. It is proven to be safe, reliable and effective, hence its popularity. Botox can only be prescribed by a doctor or qualified prescribing practitioner e.g. nurse prescriber, and has several other medical uses. Botulinum Toxin is used in the reductions of facial wrinkles and fine lines. Skin Medical also uses Botox to combat excessive perspiring, which is clinically known as hyperhidrosis.
At Skin Medical we only use Botox produced by Allergan, which is FDA approved and regarded as the gold standard in laser hair removal.
What causes wrinkles and how does Botulinum Toxin help?
Repetitive facial expressions cause the tiny muscles under the skin to contract, gradually creating wrinkles. When injected directly into these muscles, Botulinum Toxin (Botox) stops nerve impulses reaching the area and causing further contractions. The muscle relaxes, which smoothes the skin covering the muscle. In some cases, with repeated treatments, the wrinkle can actually disappear. The effects of Botox are restricted to the treatment areas and do not travel throughout the body or to neighbouring areas around the injection site.
Are muscle relaxing injections painful?
Some people feel some very mild discomfort, but most find the procedure painless. A topical anaesthetic cream can be applied upon request.
What is the timescale for wrinkle treatment?
Each application of Botox takes around 10 to 15 minutes and the results become apparent within 5 to 10 days. The results should last between 3 and 6 months. If the treatment is repeated this time may lengthen with each procedure.
What is hyperhidrosis and how can Botulinum Toxin help?
Severe underarm perspiration is a serious problem for approximately 1.4% of all adults, affecting both men and women. Its formal name is severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis and it is caused by overactive sweat glands, which cause the level of sweating to significantly exceed the body’s normal requirements for temperature regulation. It can have a distressing and inconvenient impact on daily life, but, despite this, many people never seek treatment, which is unfortunate because there are solutions available. One of these solutions is Botox, which is applied via injections to the problem area to reduce the productivity of the body’s sweat glands and thus the amount of sweat expelled.
How is severe underarm sweating treated by Botulinum Toxin?
When injected under the arms, Botox blocks chemical signals from the nerves and reduces stimulation of the sweat glands, which in turn reduces the production of sweat.
The needle used is very fine, which minimises discomfort, and only about 15 injections are required. Within 4 weeks, a significant reduction in underarm sweating should become apparent.
