200b

Botox is said to be a hot favorite with many Oscar nominees who don’t want to work up a sweat when they take that coveted stroll on the red carpet. Some stars are known to take Botox injections in their armpits to paralyze the sweat glands there and prevent the risk of perspiration. Botox to cure perspiration is a way that celebrities can attend the awards ceremony filled with confidence that they won’t have sweaty patches under their arms, and their impeccable couture outfits will remain unstained.

But that is about the shenanigans of the pernickety Hollywood! Leaving Hollywood stars aside, hyperhidrosis can pose a real inconvenience as it makes a person perspire excessively and unpredictably. People with hyperhidrosis can sweat even when the temperature is cool and they are resting. Botox offers an easy way out for patients looking for a way to curb their excessive perspiration. Patients who go in for Botox treatments report a high success rate.

How does Botox cure excessive perspiration? Botox is derived from a neurotoxin produced by the anaerobic bacterium clostridium botulinum, which commonly causes food poisoning. Botox injections curb perspiration by preventing calcium-dependent release of acetylcholine and producing a state of denervation at the neuromuscular junction and postganglionic sympathetic cholinergic nerves in the sweat glands. The patients receive an injection of 50-200 units of Botox in both their underarms in order to cure their perspiration.

The effects of the Botox injections in the underarms are usually felt in 2-4 days. A great advantage of Botox treatments to cure perspiration is that the minimizing of perspiration also rids a patient of underarm odor. But the drawback in using Botox is that the treatment is not permanent and needs to be repeated every 3 to 12 months in order to sustain the results. Also, pregnancy, lactation, and motor neuron disease disqualify a patient from receiving Botox injections. Any random increase in recommended dosages and frequencies of administration must be avoided.

Bookmark to:

The one-sided headaches that many migraines patients suffer from is an extremely painful condition. Medical researchers have found that patients with migraine condition taking Botox treatment have felt a phenomenal relief in their pain. These days increasing numbers of doctors use Botox for migraine patients. As Botox has chemical properties that can control neurological activities, it prevents the release of acetycholine, a signal that the nerves need to cause muscle contraction.

The upside of treating migraines with Botox is that there are very few side effects if the medicine is properly administered. When the Botox injection is administered for the forehead migraine it causes a release in the muscular tension and that is one main cause behind reduction of migraine related pains. In general Botox for migraines works by causing a relaxing effect on the nerve cell signaling systems that have to do with the perception of pain. It eliminates an irritant to the nervous system, which would then reduce the chances of a migraine developing in future.

A botox treatment for migraines is easy to administer and it turns out to be cheaper for patients. Discomfort is usually minimal and brief. The entire procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. Many people return directly to work or normal activity following Botox treatment. Doctors suggest Botox for migraines as an alternative to the treatment by other medicines, which are taken through the blood stream and have unfavorable side effects. Hence botox is the best and ultimate treatment for patients suffering from migraines.

Most common side effect, if any, from Botox treatment of migraines is the needle may puncture a small blood vessel during the injection and a black and blue area may develop. Such an area can last 5-10 days and may require make-up to cover. More severe forms of complications from botox for migraines are too rare to be considered a serious health risk and are easily avoided when a qualified medical professional is rendering the treatment.

Bookmark to:

The cosmetic form of botulinum toxin, often referred to by its product name Botox, is a popular non-surgical injection that temporarily reduces or eliminates frown lines, forehead creases, crows feet near the eyes and thick bands in the neck. The toxin blocks the nerve impulses, temporarily paralyzing the muscles that cause wrinkles while giving the skin a smoother, more refreshed appearance. Studies have also suggested that Botox is effective in relieving migraine headaches, excessive sweating and muscle spasms in the neck and eyes. Botulinum neurotoxin is produced by the gram-negative anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
Eight serologically distinct botulinum neurotoxins exist, designated as A, B, C1, C2, D, E, F, and G. Seven are associated with paralysis. Types A, B, E and, rarely, F and G are associated with human botulism.

The dose of botulinum toxin is expressed in mouse units. One unit is equal to the amount that will kill 50% of a group of 18- to 22-g Swiss Webster mice when injected intraperitoneally. The human lethal dose (LD) for BOTOX (botulinum type A purified neurotoxin complex) is estimated at approximately 3000 units. BOTOX injections of less than 100 units usually are used for cosmetic purposes and of less than 300-600 units for other purposes, thereby allowing a wide safety margin. Recognizing that doses are not interchangeable among different formulations of botulinum toxin (BOTOX, Dysport, Myobloc) is important; to achieve similar clinical effects, different doses are used.

BOTOX is a sterile lyophilized form of botulinum toxin type A. It is produced from a culture of the Hall strain of C botulinum and purified by a series of acid precipitations to a crystalline complex containing the toxin and other proteins. The FDA approved BOTOX in December 1989 as an orphan drug for the treatment of strabismus, hemifacial spasms, and blepharospasm. BOTOX is distributed in 100-unit vials.

The original batch of neurotoxin prepared by Shantz in November 1979 (designated batch 79-11) constituted the original BOTOX formulation and was used until December 1997. It was replaced by a new neurotoxin complex batch designated BCB 2024. The new bulk batch is 5-6 times more potent on a weight basis. In a 100-unit vial, only 4.8 ng of neurotoxin is needed compared to 25 ng of 79-11. The new BOTOX is comparable in clinical efficacy and safety to the old, and a unit dose of new BOTOX provides an equivalent response to the same unit dose of old BOTOX. Hopefully, the reduced protein load of the new BOTOX leads to reduced immunogenicity and a lower incidence of neutralizing antibody formation.

Dysport is another formulation of botulinum toxin type A available in Europe and a few other countries. It is prepared using column-based purification techniques and distributed in 500-unit vials that can be stored at room temperature. BOTOX and Dysport are both botulinum toxin type A preparations but are quite distinct from one another. BOTOX is approximately 4 times more potent on a per unit basis, and Dysport doses often are approximately 4 times the BOTOX doses used to generate a similar clinical effect. Differences in these toxins may relate to differences in the strain of bacterium, preparation, diffusion, and potency testing.

Myobloc is a botulinum toxin type B preparation currently in clinical trials. It is anticipated that it will be distributed as a solution. Little information is available concerning the cosmetic use of Dysport and Myobloc. The remainder of this article therefore focuses on BOTOX, and all unit doses refer to BOTOX unless otherwise specified.
Reconstitution and storage

Store BOTOX in a freezer at or below -5°C. The package insert recommends reconstitution of BOTOX using sterile saline without preservative; 0.9% sodium chloride is the preferred diluent. Some investigators suggest that reconstitution with sterile saline solution with preservative (0.9% benzyl alcohol) reduces microbial contamination and provides a weak local anesthetic effect. However, contamination is rarely a problem, and the anesthetic effect is modest.

BOTOX is denatured easily by bubbling or agitation; gently inject the diluent onto the inside wall of the vial. Discard the vial if a vacuum does not pull the diluent in. The final dilution of BOTOX is mostly a matter of personal preference; 100 units commonly are reconstituted in 1-10 mL of diluent. Theoretically, more concentrated solutions reduce reliability in delivering a specific unit dose, and more dilute solutions lead to greater diffusion of the toxin. The authors prefer to use 2 mL of diluent to prepare a solution of 5 U/0.1 mL (50 U in a 1-mL tuberculin syringe if that much is to be used). Use a 30-gauge 1-inch needle to perform the injections.

Once reconstituted, keep BOTOX refrigerated at 2-8°C. The package insert indicates that reconstituted BOTOX should be used within 4 hours. One study found no loss of activity at 6 hours but a 44% loss after 12 hours and a 70% loss with refreezing at 1-2 weeks. Other authors report no substantial loss of potency in a 10 U/1 mL reconstituted solution kept refrigerated for 1 month. Most practitioners discard unused reconstituted BOTOX after 1-7 days.

Bookmark to: