Botulinum Toxins

Botulinum toxin treatment was originally introduced to treat muscle spasms, including blepharospasm (spasms of the eyelids), strabismus (squint), cervical dystonia (torticollis of the neck), and spasticity due to cerebral palsy or other muscular diseases. In patients treated for facial spasms, it was noted that facial wrinkling decreased over the treated muscle. This experience led to the development of botulinum toxin for the treatment of dynamic facial wrinkles.
People often dislike their central scowl lines (called glabellar lines), which are caused by the corrugator and procerus muscles contracting when concentrating, squinting, or frowning. Botulinum toxin injections into these muscles weaken them and successfully reduce the prominence of the line.
Botulinum toxin is very successful at reducing excessive localized sweating (hyperhidrosis), especially in the armpits. Multiple superficial injections are given in a grid-like pattern over the affected area. It may also prove helpful to reduce flares in those with pompholyx (a form of hand dermatitis) or Hailey-Hailey disease when these are provoked by sweating.

How is botulinum toxin administered?
Tiny quantities of the toxin are injected directly into the affected muscles. It takes three to five small injections between the eyebrows to treat the frown line. The injection is almost painless. The treated muscles weaken over the following week or so. Most people do not notice anything. They simply become aware that they are no longer able to contract the frown muscles. They can still lift their eyebrows normally and blink without problems.

You can frown as often as you like in the first day or so, but the treated areas should not be touched. Don't have a facial massage! To reduce sweating, tiny injections are placed in the affected area at about 1cm intervals; this can be quite sensitive, especially if the hands are injected, so local anesthetic may be required.

The effect of botulinum toxin starts wearing off within a few weeks but retreatment is not usually needed for three to six months. It can be repeated as required. Many people find after three or four treatments to glabellar lines that they don't need another one for a long time; the muscle has markedly weakened or they have broken the bad habit that led to the frowning or squinting originally.