BOTOX® Cosmetic is a purified form of botulinum toxin A - a protein derivative of the bacteria that causes botulism. Sounds a bit scary doesn’t it? Let me explain further. It’s true that toxins are naturally occurring substances that at high doses are capable of causing illness. However, botulinum toxin A has been used safely since it was first approved by the FDA in 1989.
More than 13 million BOTOX® Cosmetic aesthetic procedures have been successfully administered since 2002. While it’s wrinkle and frown line reduction use is the most well known, BOTOX® has also been proven effective for everything from the treatment of excessive underarm sweating to migraine headache and TMJ relief.
When low doses of this natural purified protein are injected into specific muscles, the outcome is perfectly safe. Yet, this is still a product that should always be administered from the hands of a trained, skilled physician.