Non 2024, Botox turns twenty. It was the 2004 when theAifa, the Italian Famarco Agency, authorized the use of botulinum toxin in the aesthetic field also in Italy. Since then, Botox has come a long way and not only in our country. Today it is among the most requested aesthetic medicine interventions, even at a young age, both by women and by a growing number of men. A success that also inspired the cosmetics, giving life to the line of “botox like” products that is, they “mimic” the effects of botulinum.
Botox, twenty years of botulinum toxin in aesthetic medicine
Let’s start from a fundamental fact to understand the importance of Botox in aesthetic medicine: to date, the global market is estimated at around $7.23 billion and forecasts say that by 2030 it will exceed 10 billion. But why was it so successful?
The botox, or botulinum or botulinum toxin “it’s a protein produced by a bacterium called Clostridium. There are seven different variations, but the one used in aesthetic medicine is variant A» explains the Dr. Silvia Giannasispecialist in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
He continues: «This toxin has been used for over 30 years for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders such as tension headaches and muscle spasms of various kinds. Since 2004, the Italian Medicines Agency has also allowed its use in aesthetic medicine both for treatment of glabellar wrinkles, i.e. those between the eyebrows, and for those in the lateral area of the eyethe so-called crow’s feet”.
How botox works
Administered via injection, the toxin acts at the level of the nerve endings that innervate the muscles, blocking them momentarily. «In practice, it prevents the contraction of the muscle being treated. Muscle yes It relaxes completely and consequently also the overlying skin, causing a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles».
Botulinum toxin is therefore used for “smooth out” wrinkles in the forehead-eyebrow-area around the eyes and the so-called expression ones, like the “lionine” between the eyebrows, crow’s feet around the eyes.
Furthermore, the toxin is also used for lift the tail of the eyebrows, or to raise the final part of the arch so as to open the gaze without resorting to more complex operations such as blepharoplasty. The use of the toxin in this field was in fact introduced with the purpose of safeguarding the naturalness of facial movementswithout creating overly accentuated glances or excessive immobilization, preserving mimesis.
Is Botox also used for other problems? “Yes is also used to treat hyperhidrosisthat is, excessive sweating in the armpits, palms and soles.”
The result is starting to show after approximately 24/72 hours and is completed in about a week, while the duration of the treatment varies approximately from 4 to 6 months.
Botox increasingly requested by men. And not only
A success, that of Botox which is not only thanks to women, far from it. On TikTok the hashtag #brotox, born from the union between “botox” and “brother”, has over 19 million views highlighting a rather new but rapidly growing trend, that is, the request for treatment bythe men.
In particular, if the botox is a favorite among fifty year olds as an aid to “refresh” the face, for those in their thirties instead the needs change and the greatest desire is the jawline contouring, that is, a greater definition of the maxillary area.
In this case we proceed with injections that redefine the jaw area. The models? Brad Pitt, Timothée Chalamet and Zak Elfron. An interest also demonstrated by social media: posts on Instagram with the hashtag #jawline exceed one million, even four and a half billion on TikTok.
Botox like cosmetics, what is it?
And for those who don’t feel like approaching aesthetic medicine? Cosmetics has made giant strides in this field, with products defined as “Botox like”.
It’s mostly about creams and serums that temporarily mimic the effect of botox. Compared to it, these cosmetics they act only superficially thanks to the use of some ingredients introduced a few years ago in the sector, the bio-mimetic oligopeptides, which work as if they relax the facial muscles smoothing out wrinkles for a short time.
Therefore, in the formulations of these cosmetics we do not find actual botulinum toxin but synthetic molecules created in the laboratory that mimic its effects. Among the most famous is the acmella oleraceahit the headlines because it seems to be the secret ingredient of a botox-like cream used by Kate Middleton.
There Botox like cosmetics represents an alternative that Millennials really like. It is no coincidence that, as emerged from In-Cosmetics, the world cosmetics fair held last year in Paris, there’s talk of the “baby botox” trend: a generation that is still young and limited between the ages of 26-40 opt for non-invasive products with a lifting effect that prevent and smooth out the first signs of expression. Totally non-invasive.
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