A little botox here, a little botox there and you just got rid off some wrinkles!
Botox or botulinum toxin is best known to the general public for its use in plastic surgery. But you should know that today botulinum toxin is also being used in other areas such as neurology, psychiatry, etc.
Botulinum toxin is a very potent neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. It inhibits the release of acethylcholine (a substance necessary for muscle contraction).
Have you ever heard that it is "forbidden" to give honey to children under 1 year ? And do you know why?
Spores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum can (sometimes) be found as dust on certain soils. Bees carry these susbtances and these can then be found in honey! A baby who eats this honey may then be hit by infant botulism, which is a rare and serious disease!
But today I'm going to talk about one of the many uses of botox in medicine and especially to patients with depression.
It seems that botox may have beneficial effects on the treatment of severe depressions, but this is still under investigation. And today I'm sharing them with you!
Botulinum toxin is used in cosmetic surgery in low-dose local injections to cause muscular paralysis to reduce wrinkles.
To treat some depressions it would be advantageous to inject botox between the eyes (see photo) where the muscle allowing us to frown is located. Botox causes a small paralysis and therefore would prevent depressed patients from frowning.
The less we frown, the less we have a negative facial expression making us sad.
In conclusion, the more we smile, the happier we are!
On the other hand, long-term botox causes a real paralysis of the muscles of the face and thus alters our facial expressions! Which can have adverse effects in the communication process!
I hope you enjoy it
Kiss
D.