Botulinum toxin was first researched back in the 1960's; researchers were looking into methods to treat neurological problems in people.

A treatment finally came in 1989 when the FDA granted approval for it to be used on these patients with visual conditions; conditions that caused uncontrollable blinking and crossed eyes were the first people to benefit.

Later in the first year of the millennium after many more years of research, it was granted permission to be used on patients with cervical dystonia; this helps people with contractions in the upper back and shoulder and neck area, plus other eye disorders. The strange discovery they made quite by accident was that botox helps to reduce the visible lines between the eyebrows; this discovery won over the FDA who agreed that it could be used in cosmetic procedures from 2002.

Botox has a paralyzing affect when it is injected into areas of the forehead which control the muscles that cause frowning; after a number of treatments the lines start to lessen.

Continued treatments mean in many cases the lines disappear and now the same treatment is used on other areas of the face like the crows' feet, laughter lines and other facial wrinkles. The injections are a purified and watered down version of the sometimes fatal Botulinum poison; Botulinum toxin can be deadly and at the very least make us unwell but when it is used in cosmetic procedures it is safe.

Unfortunately, lines and creases form whenever we laugh (especially as we get older) or make any other facial gesture; they are caused by muscles contracting. These lines are formed on our faces after years of wear and tear; many cosmetic manufacturers have tried to create creams to eliminate the creases but this is the only treatment to date that can actually rid them from us.

After being injected into the effected area, botox temporarily paralyzes these muscles so that you can't make these expressions; people who have regular treatment often look as though they are dummies because they cannot smile properly or make other facial gestures that we tend to rely on.

A person who has undergone this treatment still has enough movement to provide some expressions but they are limited; because most of the wrinkles and creases have all but disappeared, it appears that the person is younger than their true years.

Some will be happy that the people who can afford the treatment are still the wealthy with individual treatments still costing a great deal of money; this is why it has been coined as something only celebrities have performed because the least expensive injection can still cost upwards of 300 dollars to in excess of 1,000 dollars. The side-effects of regular botox use may take some time to appear as it is only a recent addition to the cosmetic surgeon's armory but for now, its use does not seem to be diminishing.