Botox has become one of the most popular forms of cosmetic treatment – with millions of people having received Botox injections to deal with wrinkles, crow’s feet, smokers’ lines, and other facial lines. Botox has become famous for its ability to smooth out wrinkles
But Botox was never intended to be used for wrinkles or other facial lines.
Ophthalmologist Alan Scott is credited with making the major developments in the use of Botox – first using it to treat eye disorders. Botox was intended to act as an alternative to the extensive surgeries required to treat strabismus – cross-eyes – and blepharospasm – uncontrollable closing of the eyes. Botox has since then come to be used for a wide variety of different conditions.
In this article we’ll examine the fascinating history of Botox and how it became one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the world.
What is Botox?
Botox as we know it was initially developed from strains or serotypes of botulinum toxin – which is where the name ‘Botox’ comes from.
Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Clostridium botulinum is known for causing botulism – a paralysing illness which causes the facial muscles to become paralyzed before spreading through the rest of the body. Botulism is a rare but serious illness.
Botulinum is produced by the spores of Clostridium botulinum, and it is found naturally in the intestines of many animals and fish. It paralyses by binding itself to specific receptors in nerve endings and the skeletal muscle – as well as the brain. The toxin stops the body releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – temporarily paralysing the muscles.
Early Experiments with Botox
Botulinum toxin has been subject to experiments for a very long time as early as 1820 the medical writer Justinus Kerner discussed using botulism for therapeutic purposes. The actual connection between botulism and Clostridium botulinum wasn’t made until the 1890s – where Dr Emile Pierre van Ermengem discovered it after examining a serious outbreak of botulism.
Botulinum toxin wouldn’t be properly isolated until the 1940s when it was isolated in a crystalline form by Dr Edward J. Schantz.
Botulinum toxin in its wild form is widely known as one of the most dangerous toxins – it is considered to possess 100 times the toxicity of cyanide. However, attempts to weaponize Botulinum toxin proved ineffective. Botulinum toxin reached Alan Scott through Ed Schantz, a scientist working in biological weapons programmes. Ultimately all of these proved unsuccessful.
During the 1950s and 1960s there was an increased look into the potential benefits of botulinum toxin. In 1953 the physiologist Dr Vernon Brooks found that the injection of small doses could temporarily relax hyperactive muscles. It was during the 1960s that Alan B. Scott began experimenting with botulinum toxin and monkeys.
Dr Alan B. Scott and the birth of Botox
Dr Alan. B Scott was an ophthalmologist looking to find ways to provide effective, cheap treatments for people suffering from strabismus (crossed eyes) and eye twitching (blepharospasm). These conditions required complex and extensive surgeries to fix, and so a simple alternative was sought out. Scott initially experimented with monkeys using botulinum toxin and found they responded well to small injections into eye muscles – and that the toxin has no side effects. The first human injection occurred in 1977.
FDA approval was received in 1978 and more tests followed – and in the 1980s papers and studies were published confirming that botulinum toxin appeared an effective approach for strabismus. Further research found that botulinum toxin had use outside of ophthalmology – and could help patients with issues such as spasms in the face, shoulders, and neck.
In 1988 Allergan acquired the rights to make use of Scott’s strain of botulinum toxin (type A). Allergen then renamed it to ‘Botox’.
Botox has been approved for a wide variety of uses since then. From glabellar lines to crow’s feet, Glasgow Botox Prices have become a highly popular and effective way to treat muscular spasms
The 1990s and the Emergence and Rise of Cosmetic Botox
Cosmetic Botox use was discovered largely by accident. By the 1990s Botox had become a popular method for handling a wide array of conditions, but in 1992 a Canadian ophthalmologist named Dr Jean Carruthers published a study offering that Botox had a strong value in the treatment of brow wrinkles.
Dr Jean Carruthers made the discovery after finding that her blepharospasm patients were beginning to lose frown lines after receiving Botox treatment.
It quickly became an incredibly popular treatment; Botox was so popular in the United States that in 1997 the supply completely ran out. In the UK, it is now estimated that there are 900,000 Botox facial injections every year. Its popularity continues to grow as well – in part due to the influence of social media.
Botox has become one of the most important elements in the cosmetic field and continues to find new applications. Botox can help to deal with forehead lines, frown lines, crow’s feet, and even sun damage.