When a good friend turns 30, it’s time to celebrate.
Costhetics, Australia’s leading resource for timely news and information about aesthetic enhancement, hopes you’ll join us in wishing “Happy 30th” to Botox. It first stepped into the anti-ageing spotlight 20 years ago. Ten years earlier, however, this special neurotoxin was approved for treating a painful eye problem that causes the eyelids to clamp shut, and has helped thousands of people to see more clearly.
Now that’s something to celebrate!
Injections vs. Blepharospasm: Guess Who Wins!
If your eyes…
- Feel dry and gritty
- Squint often
- Are sensitive to light
- Blink excessively
- Droop closed even when you’re wide awake
…you may be suffering from blepharospasm.It’s a rare neurological disorder and it is often misdiagnosed. There was a time when eye surgery (myectomy) was the only option for someone with this life-altering problem. The procedure was delicate and the results were unpredictable. Then came Botox for blepharospasm.
How One Injectable Opened Eyes
Botox is the answer to the decades-old problem of blepharospasm. How do tiny injections do that voodoo that they do so well? It’s not magic, it’s science. Botox is short for botulinum toxin, a substance with the proven ability to block signals between nerves and muscles. According to manufacturers:
- In one study, approximately 90% of patients showed an improvement within 2 days.
- In another study, doctors noted less force was needed to hold the patients’ eyelids open during examination.
The same temporary paralysing action that keeps wrinkles from forming after Botox injections helps eliminate the symptoms associated with blepharospasm. With Botox therapy, patients experience maximum results about 1 to 2 weeks after your injections. (Talk about seeing is believing!) Thousands of individuals, most between the ages of 50 and 70, were able to improve their vision, appearance, and quality of life, all at the same time. Then came Botox for anti-ageing.
Injections vs. Wrinkles: TKO
Botox has been helping eyes stay open since it was cleared for use back in 1989. Then in 2002, it received approval and became a go-to treatment for anti-ageing. Australians spend $350 million each year on injections paralysing our faces says news.com.au.
Botox injections are the most popular cosmetic treatment in the country and can correct:
- Glabella lines – vertical lines that form between the eyebrows and above the nose
- Crow’s feet – wrinkles branching out from the outer corners of the eye
- Forehead wrinkles
- Bunny lines – horizontal lines on the bridge of the nose
- Lipstick/smokers’ lines – vertical lines above the upper lip
- Nasolabial folds – vertical wrinkles that start at the corners of the mouth and arc down towards the chin (marionette lines)
- Chin dimpling – chin on the lower part of the face that has the appearance of orange peel
These Side Effects Will Surprise You
Unexpectedly, side effects that mimic the problems of blepharospasm may occur when someone has a Botox treatment:
- Drooping (ptosis) of the eyelids
- Eye Irritation
- Dry eyes
- Tearing
- Light sensitivity
- Blurred vision
- Double vision
The side effects resolve quickly, and an adjustment in the dosage can help reduce the risk. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are having any of these problems.
Is There Nothing Botox Can’t Do?
What really raised eyebrows at Costhetics (and created some Botox-treatable forehead wrinkles) is the wonderful way the world’s favourite anti-ageing treatment is being put to use to help other problems:
- Quiets overactive bladder
- Lessens crippling migraines
- Stops over-active sweat glands (hyperhidrosis)
With all that, research into Botox continues. In the US, for example, approval is pending for Botox in the treatment of
- Neck spasms (Cervical dystonia)
- Painful sex
- Abnormal heartbeat
100 Million Vials Can’t Be Wrong!
Over 100 million vials of neurotoxins have found their way to people who need it, and for that, Costhetics says, bravo, Botox. You’re ready to “stick it” to vision problems and ageing wrinkles, and whatever else comes your way. That’s beautiful.
So are you.