Increased use of Botox against wrinkles

Associations report increased use of Botox against wrinkles

29/09/2011

More and more women seem to have problems with their natural aging process. While anti-wrinkle creams and lotions have been enjoying great popularity for some time now, in recent years there has been an increase in the use of Botox in skin aging and wrinkling, reports the German Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (DGÄPC) and the Society for Aesthetic Surgery (GÄCD).

Significant increase of Botox treatments
According to the experts, the number of Botox injections has increased significantly in recent years. According to the DGÄPC, the proportion of corresponding Botox treatments in the cosmetic surgery surgeries has risen from 7.3 percent in 2010 to 11.7 percent in the year to date 2011. The Society for Aesthetic Surgery also confirmed this development. Many women seem to be too lighthearted with the health risks of having a Botox injection for cosmetic reasons. The desire for a smooth, flawless skin makes the threatening side effects seem to take a back seat.

Botox blocks nerve cell signaling
Like Dirk Meyer-Rogge of the professional association of German dermatologists in Berlin opposite the news agency „dpa“ explained, the appearance of wrinkles and crow's feet on the face is due to our everyday facial expressions. Grinning, laughing and frowning leaves permanent marks on the face, which would like to avoid many women in view of the common beauty ideal of a wrinkle-free skin. Ointments and creams have been used here for decades, but the injection of the nerve agent botulinum toxin also helps in the short term to remove the traces of skin aging. The toxin is injected directly into the face and blocks the transmission of signals from nerve cells to muscle cells. As a result, the facial muscle is paralyzed and since the skin can no longer contract, the wrinkles disappear. After a Botox injection, those affected appear for four to six months with a relatively wrinkle-free skin. However, the procedure must then be repeated to maintain the effect, explained Meyer-Rogge.

Nerve poison with possible side effects
The expert of the professional association of German dermatologists explained that botulinum toxin has existed for 50 years as a drug, whereby the neurotoxin in medicine was used primarily for the treatment of cramping such as after a stroke. „The aesthetic application “ According to Meyer-Rogge „only gradually emerged from medicine.“ Since the first cosmetic treatments based on Botox, these beauty-surgical treatments are enjoying relatively high popularity, especially in the USA. But also in this country takes „the number of injections significantly increased“, stressed Meyer-Rogge. According to the experts, the side effects are relatively often neglected criminally. Corresponding interventions should also be carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist, according to the current warning from the German Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Because Botox is to be used only with limited medical indication, and therefore special care should be taken with purely cosmetic procedures. Thus, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) describes botulinum toxin as a highly effective substance, whose medical use should be made mandatory by physicians with special experience.

Five deaths from Botox?
On the possible side effects of a Botox injection, the experts of the DGÄPC explain that since the first approval of botulinum toxin about 210 reports of suspected cases of adverse effects of different kinds and degrees of severity have been received, which also recorded five deaths. A causal relationship between the death of the patients and the Botoxinjektion could be produced in any case, said the Federal Institute for Drugs. There are also no reports of lethal side effects of Botox injection for cosmetic purposes, according to the Institute, the five recent deaths were all recorded in a use of the neurotoxin for medical indication. However, the BfArM does not have any reports about the use of Botox outside the previously approved areas of application, so that serious or even fatal side effects were not recorded here. However, the potential risks of such an injection of the nerve agent are, according to the experts, obvious. For example, injecting Botox in the wrong place or in too high a dose can cause serious side effects such as facial swelling or significant respiratory problems. DGÄPC expert Regina Wagner explained: „If you use the right dosage, use the right injection technique and know the correct injection site, then the risk is close to zero.“ The dermatologist Dirk Meyer-Rogge added that the use of Botox for cosmetic reasons requires excellent anatomical knowledge, so as not to paralyze the false face muscle and thus to produce undesired side effects.

Botox at high cost despite natural alternatives
According to the DGÄPC experts, the best way to ensure a qualified use of Botox is to seek out a dermatologist or aesthetic or plastic surgery specialist „Member of a professional association for botulinum toxin.“ Regina Wagner emphasized: „If you find that, you are in good hands with this doctor“, because such professional societies ensure an appropriate education and qualification of physicians through special courses and certifications. According to the experts, the price for a cosmetic Botox treatment is between 250 and 500 euros per procedure, which represents a not inconsiderable financial expense for a six-month renewal requirement. For the same price, the interested could also covered with masses of anti-wrinkle creams, natural peels and tinctures from natural medicine, which unfold in the long run quite a similar effect against the skin aging processes. The cost of injecting Botox should also be one of the reasons why treatment with the neurotoxin is out of the question for a majority of German women to treat their problem areas. Because as the market research firm GfK commissioned the order „pharmacy magazine“ At the beginning of September, only a little more than one percent of German women were treated with Botox to smooth out their wrinkles. (Fp)

Picture: berwis