The Inside Scoop on Injectables

Who doesn’t like looking relaxed, refreshed, and, well, five-to-ten years younger? If you even hesitated to answer that question, you must not have a child, or you’re below the age of forty! As a mother who is about to turn forty and is working what equates to a full-time job… yeah, I’d take about ten years off, no questions asked. That’s why I feel no shame in my use of facials, waxing, tinting, lifting, and injectables. My use of injectables is new (I started back in March), but man! I have had such good experiences, I just can’t see myself going back. If you’re interested in hearing about what I’ve had done, message me; I’m an open book.

That said, my face is not the point of this post. I’m focusing today about the remarkable medical services that Botox and other similar medications can offer patients that aren’t just limited to their unwanted crow’s feet. A little background:

  • Botulinum toxins (aka Botox) are one of the most potent toxins known to man. It’s a neurotoxic protein that prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction, which then causes flaccid paralysis.

  • Cosmetic uses:

    • When injected, the botulinum toxin (which is injected in a small, weak dose) blocks certain nerve signals which would otherwise cause the muscle to contract.

    • With those muscles constantly relaxing, the unwanted wrinkles gradually disappear.

    • Botulinum toxin can also be used preventatively.

  • In addition to Botox, other commercial forms of botulinum toxin are Dysport, Azzalure, Letybo, Myobloc, Xeomin, Bocouture, and Jeuveau.

What else can botulinum toxins be used to treat? For starters, migraines. This one is near to my heart, being a migraine sufferer myself. In 2010, the FDA approved intramuscular injections of botulinum toxins to treat chronic migraines. Here, the treatment works the same as it does for wrinkles; the toxin blocks the nerve endings in the muscles and stops their contractions.

Botulinum toxin is also used to treat the muscle spasticity commonly found with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and post cerebral vascular accident or transient ischemic attack (aka stroke). This diagnosis is often known as Upper Motor Neuron Syndrome (it is important to note that this is not always the case; it could be a different diagnosis). The spasticity can be in the fingers, hand, arm, foot, ankle, leg, neck, head… the list goes on and on. The injection of botulinum toxin is given in the muscle belly of the affected muscle and spasticity is noted to decrease.

Some researchers say that the decrease has not been proven to be functional, but I struggle with that mindset, because why wouldn’t the decrease in spasticity lead to an increase in function? Even if, say, the person was a Max to Total Assist, a decrease in spasticity would lead to a decrease in assistance that the care provider would have to give. To say more would be tangential, so I will save that for another post. I’m curious your thoughts!

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