Botox has slipped into popular culture as the go-to product to reference when the conversation turns to face lifts. It has become quite a commonplace procedure now: the odds are high that you, or someone you are acquainted with, has already gone through it in order to obtain that smooth skin, free of wrinkles. But there’s a lot more to Botox than meets the eye, and in fact, it’s associated with a lot of peculiar things. Let’s have a look at some of the strangest things about Botox.
Botox is a bacterial toxin called botulinum toxin
That’s right – Botox comes directly from a bacteria. The name Botox actually derives from botulinum toxin, or BTX. The neurotoxin that forms commercial Botox comes from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It was discovered back in the 1820s, when Dr. Justinus Kerner was in the process of finding out why some Germans had been poisoned following the consumption of a batch of blood sausages. Dr. Kerner believed that the blood sausages contained something that had proven fatal to those Germans. He ended up finding a toxin in the meat, and would go on to name his discovery botulism, the potentially fatal disease caused by improperly ingesting botulinum toxin. In fact, Dr. Justinus Kerner was so committed to his cause that he injected himself with the botulism poison he had just discovered. Luckily, this did not kill him, and his work lay the foundations upon which research into botulism would continue in the future.
It’s been used to treat depression
Some research, conducted by M. Axel Wollmer, finds a link between Botox injections and the ability to manage one’s depression. The study, which was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, states that there is some cause to believe that Botox is able to interrupt feedback from the muscles in the face to the brain, feedback which could have allowed negative emotions to be developed and maintained. What the theory basically says is that Botox relaxes the face, which means that the connection between your facial expressions and actual emotions is disrupted.
Botox can be used to treat migraines
The toxin has FDA approval to be used to treat headaches brought on by migraines. No one really knows why Botox eases these headaches, but one popular theory says that it is probably because it keeps pain signals from reaching the nerve endings of your brain.
Botox can’t treat wrinkles caused by the sun
Botox works by paralyzing the muscles under the skin that cause wrinkles. However, when the sun causes wrinkles to form on your face, this is surface level damage on the skin, which cannot be treated by working on the muscles underneath.
It was once part of a convoluted plan to fight the Japanese
The US was researching biological weapons that could be used to fight the Japanese in the 1940s. Botulinum toxin was to be slipped into tiny capsules, and fed to Japanese officials at the hands of Chinese prostitutes. However, the plan was never carried out.
By using Botox you can achieve a more youthful appearance and fresher look with little or no down-time, and at a fraction of the cost of surgery. This can all be done without having a frozen or overdone look. We also offer a large array of skin-care treatments and services customized to each patient’s needs. Whether you are dealing with fine lines and wrinkles, light or dark spots, acne or dry skin, we handle it all. We offer complimentary consultations,and carry multiple lines of skin care products that can help keep your skin healthy and looking beautiful. Book your appointment with us today! 909-792-3223