Many people think that Botox is the only drug available to weaken or paralyze muscle movements as a means of enhancing beauty and slowing the signs of aging but there are a number of equally effective and safe other brands on the market that are also FDA approved. Dysport and Xeomin also offer like benefits of Botox.  Botox is used for both cosmetic and medical purposes. This article focused on Botox and other neuromodulator, Dysport for cosmetic purposes.

Read on as excerpts from “Medical News Today.com” explains more:

What is Botox?

Botox is a drug that weakens or paralyzes muscle. In small doses, it can reduce skin wrinkles and help treat some medical conditions. Botox is a protein made from Botulinum toxin, which the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces. This is the same toxin that causes botulism.  Botox is a toxin, but when doctors use it correctly and in small doses, it can have benefits. It has both cosmetic and medical uses. As a cosmetic treatment, Botox injections can reduce the appearance of skin wrinkles. Also, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved it as a treatment for various health issues, including eyelid spasms, excessive sweating, some bladder disorders, and migraine.

    …when Botox is appropriately used in a therapeutic context, it is safe and has few side effects, the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology report.  Manufacturers make Botox injections with very small doses of Botulinum toxin. The drug can temporarily paralyze muscles, which can benefit people with various muscle or nerve disorders.

• Commercial preparations of Botulinum toxin include:
• onabotulinumtoxin A (Botox)
• abobotulinumtoxin A (Dysport)
• incobotulinumtoxin A (Xeomin)
• rimabotulinumtoxin B (Myobloc)
• prabotulinumtoxin A (Jeuveau)

People casually use the term “Botox” to describe all of these products, though Botox is a registered trademark that one company owns.

How does it work?

Botox is a neurotoxin. These substances target the nervous system, disrupting the nerve signaling processes that stimulate muscle contraction. This is how the drug causes temporary muscle paralysis.

In order for any muscle to contract, the nerves release a chemical messenger called acetylcholine at the junction where nerve endings meet muscle cells. Acetylcholine attaches to receptors on the muscle cells and causes the cells to contract, or shorten.  Botox injections prevent the release of acetylcholine, which stops the muscle cells from contracting. In this way, the toxin helps the muscles to become less stiff.

Cosmetic uses :The primary use of Botox is reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles.

According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, Botox injections are the most popular cosmetic procedure nationwide. In 2016, over 7 million people had Botox treatments.

The effects are temporary, lasting 3–12 months, depending on the type of treatment.

People often request the injections in the following areas of the face:

• wrinkles between the eyebrows, called frown lines, glabellar lines, or elevens
• wrinkles around the eyes, known as crow’s feet
• horizontal creases in the forehead
• lines at the corners of the mouth
• “cobblestone” skin on the chin

(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158647)

There are also medical uses for Botox too.