What is Botox Used For?

 

Botox is a protein made from Botulinum toxin that will temporarily paralyze a muscle. In lesser amounts, it can reduce skin wrinkles and help treat a variety of medical conditions, including eyelid spasms and several kinds of migraine.

 

Botox is a toxin, but when your doctor uses it correctly and in small doses, it can have benefits. It has both cosmetic and medical uses.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Botox as a treatment for various health issues, including eyelid spasms, excessive sweating, some bladder disorders, and migraine.

 

How Does Botox Work?

 

Botox is a neurotoxin. This substance targets the nervous system, disrupting the nerve signaling processes that stimulate muscle contraction. This is how Botox causes temporary muscle paralysis.

 

For any muscle to contract, the nerves release a chemical messenger called acetylcholine at the junction where the nerve endings meet the muscle cells. Acetylcholine then binds to receptors on muscle cells, causing them to contract, or shorten.

 

Botox injections prevent the release of acetylcholine, which then stops the muscle cells from contracting. In this fashion, the toxin helps the muscles to become less stiff.

 

Cosmetic Uses

 

The primary cosmetic use of Botox is reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery states that Botox injections are the most popular cosmetic procedure nationwide. In 2016, or 10 years ago, over seven million people had Botox treatments.

 

The effects are temporary, lasting 3 to 12 months, depending on the type of treatment. People often request Botox injections in the following areas of their face:

 

  1. Wrinkles between the eyebrows, called frown lines or glabellar lines.
  2. Wrinkles around the eyes, known as crow’s feet.
  3. Horizontal creases in the forehead.
  4. Lines at the corners of the mouth.
  5. Cobblestone-like skin on the chin.

 

The FDA has only approved the injections for use around the eyes and on the forehead. Research has not proven whether Botox could improve dark circles under the eyes. Some people also try Botox to improve the appearance of their hair, but there is little evidence that this works.

 

Medical Uses

 

Healthcare professionals will also use Botox to treat a variety of medical conditions, most of which affect the neuromuscular system.

 

The FDA has approved Botox for the following uses. The approval is specifically for use in people eighteen or older:

 

  1. Upper limb spasticity in anyone older than 2 years.
  2. Crossed eyes, or strabismus, in those older than 12 years.
  3. Severe underarm sweating, or hyperhidrosis.
  4. Preventing migraines in people whose migraine headaches last at least 4 hours or 15 or more days per month.
  5. Reducing symptoms of an overactive bladder due to a neurological condition if anticholinergic medications do not work.
  6. Eyelid spasms, or blepharospasm, because of dystonia.
  7. A neurological movement disorder called cervical dystonia affects the head, causing neck pain.

 

Some people also have Botox injections for off-label, or unapproved, uses, including as treatments for:

 

  1. Alopecia.
  2. Sialorrhea, which involves producing too much saliva.
  3. Psoriasis.
  4. Dyshidrotic eczema, which affects the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
  5. Post-herpetic neuralgia.
  6. Raynaud’s disease, which affects circulation.
  7. Achalasia, an issue with the throat that makes swallowing difficult.

Related Article: What Does Botox Do to Your Body?