|
BOTOX®™
BOTOX®™ is a form of Botulinum Toxin Type A that was first used in the 1970s by Dr. Alan Scott as a treatment for strabismus in monkeys. Within seven years, he had performed the first human trials. Subsequently, ophthalmologists began using BOTOX®™ to treat strabismus, nystagmus, and blepharospasm.
In 1990, the first paper reporting the use of BOTOX®™ for cosmetic purposes was published. Since that time, the use of BOTOX®™ has become such a popular therapeutic option for the management of wrinkles that it was the second most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S. in 1999. (Chemical peels were the most common.)
The use of BOTOX®™ in the U.S. grew by 216 percent in 1999 in spite of the fact that the FDA had yet to approve of its use for cosmetic purposes.
The cosmetic indications for botulinum toxin currently include the prevention and amelioration of dynamic wrinkles (wrinkles "in motion") and cessation of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis). Botulinum toxin can also be used to ameliorate banding of the platysma muscles of the neck, which leads to a condition commonly known as "turkey neck." Some practitioners have also obtained satisfactory results in treating the signs of aging in the lower face.
Continuing use of botulinum toxin uncovers even more indications. For example, some patients who have undergone botulinum toxin therapy for cosmetic indications have also reported improvement in migraine headache symptoms. This remains an important area of investigation.
Scott A: Clostridial toxins as therapeutic agents, in Simpson LL (ed.): Botulinum Neurotoxin and Tetanus Toxin. New York, Academic Press, 1989; 399-412.
Blitzer A, Binder WJ, Aviv JE et al.: The management of hyperfunctional facial lines with botulinum toxin. A collaborative study of 210 injection sites in 162 patients. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 123:389, 1997.
Carruthers JD, Carruthers JA: Treatment of glabellar frown lines with C. botulinum-A exotoxin. J Dermatol Surg Oncol 18:17, 1992.
|
