Today, the variety of Botox uses includes ocular muscle spasms, problems with eye coordination, severe armpit perspiration, and as an anti-wrinkle treatment for crow's feet, frown lines, and to eliminate furrows in the forehead.

How Botox Works
Botox combats wrinkles that are created when nerve cells within the muscles beneath the skin release a chemical called acetylcholine. This chemical triggers a muscle contraction that creates wrinkles. The Botox product, medically known as Botulinum Toxin Type A, is an injectable compound that disrupts the release of acetylcholine, which essentially paralyzes the muscle and stops the contraction. Results are fully evident within one week after treatment and remain for a minimum of three months.

Botox typically reduces wrinkles by 80 percent. Patients are typically between the ages of 35 and 60. Results vary among individual cases, and the results are temporary. You will need to plan for additional injections, depending on your long-term treatment goals.

The Botox Procedure
Botox injection is performed in the doctor's office, usually without anesthesia. However, a numbing cream may be applied to the treatment area. Patients may experience some minimal discomfort from the needle injection. Depending on the extent of treatment, the procedure can take a few minutes up to 20 minutes. Generally, patients return home shortly after the treatment is complete.

The selection of injection points is critical to the success of the procedure. The points of injection are first scored with a marking pencil. The doctor may select numerous injection points for each location to be treated. These points may not be located on the wrinkle itself, but at the area where the muscle contracts. Antiseptic is also applied.

The doctor will then determine the amount of Botox to be used for the procedure.

The Botox filler is then injected into the marked points beneath the skin. The toxins in Botox fasten to the muscles' nerve endings, which inhibits the release of the chemical acetylcholine. This will stop the muscle contractions that wrinkle the skin.
Results are usually evident within one week and last about three to five months.

Botox Side Effects and Recovery
The most common side effects of Botox include headache, nausea, flu-like symptoms and redness and pain at the injection points. Infrequently, patients may experience muscle weakness or drooping of the upper eyelid muscles. This side effect usually resolves itself within days, or in rare cases, months after the procedure.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires black box labeling on Botox and similar products to warn of a rare, but potentially life-threatening complication if the toxin spreads beyond the injection site. A black box is the strongest warning that the FDA can place on a product. None of these complications occurred in people using Botox for cosmetic reasons and the FDA states that cosmetic use of botox appears to be safe.

Alternative and Additional Treatments
There may be alternative treatment options, depending on your condition. Other minimally invasive procedures include Collagen. For severe wrinkling, surgical procedures may be more appropriate, such as a Facelift, Forehead Lift, and Eyelid Surgery (Lower Eyelid / Upper Eyelid)

Your doctor may recommend additional treatments for you to consider in conjunction with Botox. These might include chemical peel, laser skin resurfacing, or dermabrasion.

Consult a Qualified Doctor About Botox
If you are considering Botox injection, consult a qualified doctor about your goals and expectations from the treatment.