Botulinum toxin — A modern recipe for preserving youth or deadly poison? Its history began at the end of the 19th century, when a bacterium producing it was first discovered. The first data on botulinum toxin were not the most optimistic, since it is one of the most terrible and fast-acting poisons.
Soon, thanks to numerous studies, from a life-threatening substance, botulinum toxin became the number one drug against muscle spasms, as well as the most effective means of preserving youth.
Read about the path that botulinum toxin has traveled to its glory, as well as about the protection of the technology for the production of the drug, read on estet-portal.com in this article.
Miracle Toxin: A Long Way From Poison to Cure
Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is known to block the nerve signals that cause muscles to contract, resulting in temporary muscle paralysis.
Injections of botulinum toxin lead to a decrease in the perception of muscle stretch receptors and the efferent activity of alpha and gamma motor neurons (clinically, this is manifested by pronounced muscle relaxation at the injection site and a significant decrease in pain).
Currently, three types of botulinum toxin A and one type B are FDA approved for clinical use. Botox®, manufactured by Allergan Company, is a type A toxin (ontabotulinumtoxin A).
Botulinum toxin:
• long history: how Botox® became the number one brand;
• botulinum toxin: why look for an alternative;
• Quality Control: Safety First.
Long history: how Botox® became the number one brand
At the beginning of the 19th century, outbreaks of botulism among the population were first described. In 1897, bacteriology professor Emil Van Ermengem discovered that the poisoning was caused by a specific toxin produced by a bacterium that soon became known as Clostridium botulinum.
In the middle of the 20th century, Carl Lamann and Edward Schantz purified the toxin and made it available for clinical research.
1979 FDA approves human studies of botulinum toxin.
In 1989, FDA approved that Oculinum Allergan (later called Botox®) can be used to treat strabismus, blepharospasm, autonomic disorders, hyperhidrosis, migraine, and spasticity.
In 2002, the FDA approved the use of Botox®. for cosmetic purposes — to eliminate facial wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes, which was a huge breakthrough in the beauty industry.
Botulinum toxin: why look for an alternative
Why does botulinum toxin have no analogues? Wrinkle correction with its help ranks first among the procedures of each cosmetologist, despite the huge number of anti-aging drugs and techniques on the aesthetic medicine market. Botulinum toxin is the substance that most likely improves the quality of any aesthetic procedure, and makes the effect after it longer.
For example, correction of the upper third of the face: if the doctor uses only fillers, wrinkles will soon, due to high mimic activity, make themselves felt. The same procedure in complex with botulinum toxin will smooth out deep wrinkles, as well as prevent the formation of new ones.
The material was written on the recommendations of a dentist, an injection specialist, an employee of LNMU. D. Galitsky - Ilona Potapchuk.
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Quality Control: Safety First
Because Botox® - one of the most popular drugs in the world, there is a high risk of its falsification. In this regard, Allergan, taking care of protecting its customers from counterfeit Botox®, has developed a new bottle label, which is equipped with a holographic coating in the form of the inscription ALLERGAN.
Also, there are two labels on the vial that the doctor can detach and paste into the patient's card. These labels must indicate the trade name of the medicinal product, the number of units of activity, the batch number and the expiration date of the drug. On the bottle itself, after removing these labels, the inscription "used" remains.
All Botox products® verified by in vitro cellular analysis, which eliminates animal testing.
Cellular analysis is a much more accurate and reliable method of quality assessment than the methods used previously. This is a huge scientific breakthrough in the production of botulinum toxin.
Read also: Botulinum toxin injections: step by step video instruction, before and after results
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