Some might say Botox® injections are for the elite and exclusive. However, with more than 2.5 million treatments per year in the US, Botox injections are hardly exclusive. Despite recent economic slow down which has affected the sales of all luxury items including designer handbags and fine jewellery Botox® treatments continue to soar. So what is this treatment and how does it work?

Botox® is the trade name for a drug called botulinum toxin, a natural by product of the bacteria clostridia botulinum which is a nerve blocker. It has been used for over twenty years in medicine for muscular twitches and spasms. It is this effect which boasts its' cosmetic value as long term muscle contractions is primarily the cause of the lines and wrinkles on the upper face.

To create facial expressions we contract the muscles in our face. When you smile the muscles around your eyes contract to create wrinkles on their sides resembling the feet of a crow. Hence, permanent lines around your eyes are commonly known as 'crow's feet'. Looking up forms the horizontal lines on the forehead and frowning / getting angry creates the deep vertical lines in between the eyebrows (also known as anger / frown lines). With age the skin looses its structural qualities and with repetitive muscle contractions over years the lines and wrinkles slowly engrave in the skin. The lines get deeper and alter their pigmentation making the lines and wrinkles more prominent and permanent. Paralysing the respected muscles by local injection of Botox® stops the lines and wrinkle forming thereby relaxing the skin overlying. The relaxed skin not only looks more youthful but any damage done over the previous years will reverse with time. Permanent lines will start to disappear and the treatment will knock off years of your age.

Effects can last up to 6 months by when new nerves start regenerating into the muscles to produce contractions again gradually restoring your original appearance. Then its time for another shot of injections and the cycle continues. Despite the cost per average treatment - of up to 40,000 rupees the results achieved are second to none. Sometimes knocking a good 10/15 years of your age these injections have become known as simple, quick, and safe amongst the medical community. Common minor side effects include bruises (lasting up to a week), irritation and headaches, droopy eyebrow, a weeping eye or problems with facial expressions most of which can be avoided by well trained and experienced cosmetic doctors. Serious side effect such as an anaphylactic shock is extremely rare.

With so much money at stake, will doctors really put the best interests of their patients first? If patients look better and if by implication have improved self-esteem, with minimal chances of complications and they there should be no ethical problem in treating those patients.

Botox® can also be used to improve chronic headaches, migraines, backaches and many more conditions associated with muscle contraction by relaxing the muscles that tense up in the respective regions. It is widely used in the oriental countries for patients with prominent jaw angles. Also, the same types of nerves that Botox® blocks also innervate the sweat glands. Hence, local Botox® injections are used to reduce sweating in patients with excessive sweating disorders most commonly on the face, palms, underarms and feet.