What is botulinum toxin type A?

Botulinum toxin is the protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The generic term "Botox-Treatment", usually refers to the brand of the first drug that contained botulinum toxin and is commonly used for botulinum toxin treatments. This biologically produced polypeptide is used by the medical industry to treat numerous problems, although the tendency is to use botulinum toxin in the aesthetic field, against wrinkles and expression lines, but also to prevent hyperhidrosis or excessive sweat of the armpits, hands and feet. On the market, there are different formulations of botulinum toxin, which takes different names depending on the country that distributes them.

What is the purpose of botox?

The purpose of botulinum is to block the release of acetylcholine, a fundamental substance to transmit nerve impulses to the muscles, regulating their contraction and movements. Without being able to receive the stimuli sent by the nervous system, the muscles stop contracting and relax until they reach muscular paralysis. Small doses of the toxin injected into the muscles, allow treating different disorders related to excessive or inadequate muscle contraction, as well as having a temporary effect. As long as the dosage and administration of the botulinum toxin are done, but in a targeted and controlled manner. In aesthetic medicine injections, or infiltrations of botulinum toxin are used to reduce and attenuate expression wrinkles, signs and grooves caused by the repeated contraction of the facial muscles that are activated daily and unconsciously, we think for example to express emotions. Acting directly on the muscles responsible for their formation, Botox allows you to temporarily stretch expression wrinkles, giving the face a relaxed appearance without resorting to surgery.

How is it injected?

The specialist, when treating facial wrinkles, uses an ultra-thin syringe needle to inject botulinum toxin into muscle tissue to be very meticulous and precise. The protein disables nerve transmission to the facial muscle by blocking the release of a neurotransmitter, eventually allowing the muscles to relax. When the doctor intervenes on hyperhidrosis, he will inject the drug into the sweat glands.

What to evaluate before treatment?

Botulinum is not always effective against wrinkles, for example, those caused by gravity or excessive exposure to the Sun and tanning lamps. Before a session of botulinum toxin injections, the doctor together with the patient will evaluate with a preliminary visit the limits of therapy and whether it is safe and suitable for the patient's clinical picture. It is understood that this is a paid procedure. The limits to be taken into account that can in reality also be the merits are that the treatment is temporary; it is not suitable for all wrinkles and signs of expression; does not stop the process of natural aging of the skin of the face; injections should be carried out by specialized and qualified doctors who know where and how to locate the injection points and how the drug operates, as well as to dose and dilute it correctly; injections can cause side effects, like any drug on the market, so it is better to check the list of ingredients in order to check if there are unsuitable substances. The doctor will go ahead with the preliminary examination with a visual examination of the skin in order to analyse the type of wrinkles and will be ready to palpate and touch some areas of the face in search of the injection points, very important to inject the right dose of medicine without spreading it to other areas. The degree of sensitivity of the skin will also be evaluated to understand if you need an anaesthetic ointment. 

Times and duration of the treatment

The injection cycle will be agreed with your doctor and depends on the area you need to intervene on and the result you want to achieve. In any case, the treatment has a total duration of between 10 and 20 minutes. Normal activities can be resumed at the end of the sitting. Just have the care not to massage or rub the treated areas and to avoid intense physical activities in the following 48 hours, in order to prevent the spread of the toxin accidentally. The effect of penetration of botulinum toxin is not immediate, as it will take 2 to 5 days to see the first improvements, up to a maximum of 2 weeks. At this point, you usually carry out a check-up to check the results of the treatment and make some small changes if necessary, normally at the dosage as you prefer to start with a minimum dose to gradually increase. The result will spontaneously subseat within 4-6 months, the time variable is determined by several factors, but perhaps the most important one is the subjective response that the organism gives to botulinum toxin. It will be necessary to regularly perform the cycles of injections prescribed to maintain the result obtained.