What is Botox and how does it work? - Dr. Shuba Dharmana

Botox is a very popular cosmetic treatment world wide. Botox or botulinum injections are used in cosmetic medicine to smooth out lines and wrinkles. As we age there is decrease in elasticity of the skin and along with the repetitive facial expressions that we form we develop lines over time. Botox blocks the signal that is transmitted from the nerve to the muscle and thus it relaxes the over active muscles. It is FDA cleared for lines over the forehead but it has lot of off license indications as well for other lines of the face for e.g. the lines around the eyes which are called as crow’s feet or bunny lines or the lines that people develop around the nose , it can be used to upturn the angle of the mouth, on the jawline to give a more structured jawline. It can be used to reduce the masseter which is a huge muscle at the angle of the jaw to alter the shape of the jaw line. It can be used for neck lines and chin dimpling. Botox has a very good safety profile. It has been used in cosmetic medicine for very long time for several years and also certain medical conditions for much longer. The affects of botulin toxin injection can last for few months and would require some touch ups.