Should we be worried that Botox is a Toxin?
- By Peter Forrester
- •
- 01 May, 2017
What about the "tox" in Botox ?
As many of you will know Botox® is the brand name of a form of Botulinum Toxin. The dictionary defines a toxin as “a poison of organic origin” and as Botox is produced by bacteria it certainly qualifies as being of organic origin. But what about these words toxin and poison?
Medically speaking Botox is a drug and almost all drugs are toxic if you take a big enough dose. To come to a sensible opinion about the toxicity of Botox we need to understand the concept of Therapeutic Ratio. This is the amount of a drug needed to cause harm compared to the amount taken to achieve a beneficial effect.
For example, the usual dose of the pain killer Paracetamol (USA: Acetaminophen, Tylenol®) is 1gram and the dose required to cause serious liver toxicity and possible death is around 10 grams hence the Therapeutic Ratio for paracetamol is 10. The Therapeutic Ratio for the heart drug digoxin is as low as 3. Thus, the Index differs from drug to drug and gives an indication of how safe a drug is; the higher the Ratio the safer the drug.
The usual dose of Botox used for cosmetic treatments is around 50units whereas the dose required to cause serious harm is probably between 2500-3500units. This gives a Therapeutic Ratio for Botox of 50-70. Hence Botox could be regarded as being 5-7 times safer than Paracetamol (Acetaminophen).
Tens of millions of doses of Botox have been given over the last fifteen years. During this time reports of serious complications have been very rare.
Medically speaking Botox is a drug and almost all drugs are toxic if you take a big enough dose. To come to a sensible opinion about the toxicity of Botox we need to understand the concept of Therapeutic Ratio. This is the amount of a drug needed to cause harm compared to the amount taken to achieve a beneficial effect.
For example, the usual dose of the pain killer Paracetamol (USA: Acetaminophen, Tylenol®) is 1gram and the dose required to cause serious liver toxicity and possible death is around 10 grams hence the Therapeutic Ratio for paracetamol is 10. The Therapeutic Ratio for the heart drug digoxin is as low as 3. Thus, the Index differs from drug to drug and gives an indication of how safe a drug is; the higher the Ratio the safer the drug.
The usual dose of Botox used for cosmetic treatments is around 50units whereas the dose required to cause serious harm is probably between 2500-3500units. This gives a Therapeutic Ratio for Botox of 50-70. Hence Botox could be regarded as being 5-7 times safer than Paracetamol (Acetaminophen).
Tens of millions of doses of Botox have been given over the last fifteen years. During this time reports of serious complications have been very rare.
Profhilo is an exciting and unique rejuvenation product for the face, neck and décolletage, being unlike any other skin treatment on the market.
Dr Peter Forrester always looks critically at new treatments and never jumps on the bandwagon of new treatments until he has had time to evaluate the exaggerated claims made by some manufacturers and occasionally other practitioners. He has regularly used Profhilo since Summer 2017 and hence has had a good opportunity to evaluate its effects. He is now convinced Profhilo is a safe, effective and innovative product.
Profhilo is designed to improve skin laxity, texture and lines by stimulating collagen and elastin production. This effect combined with increased hydration will produce a subtle lifting and tightening effect.
Although Profhilo is composed of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) it is not a filler and is aimed at achieving a very different effect from all the currently available HA fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm or Belotero. It will not add excessive volume and hence there is no risk that a Profhilo treatment will result in an obviously filled or ‘pillow face’ look.
It is manufactured by IBSA, a long-established and highly reputable Swiss company and was first launched in Italy in 2015 and subsequently in the UK in January 2016. Since launch there have been an increasing number of positive reviews and opinions in the media.
A Profhilo treatment is quick and easy. Just 5 small injections of Profhilo are administered to each side of the face. Discomfort is minimal and other than the possibility for a small bruise there is no downtime. There will be an initial increase in hydration, but the main effects will build over the next weeks. A second treatment must be given 4 weeks later to maximise the beneficial effects.
Also Dr Forrester now offers the option of combining Profhilo with INTRAcel, our proven and long-established radio-frequency micro-needling treatment. Together they are an unbeatable combination.
Dr Peter Forrester always looks critically at new treatments and never jumps on the bandwagon of new treatments until he has had time to evaluate the exaggerated claims made by some manufacturers and occasionally other practitioners. He has regularly used Profhilo since Summer 2017 and hence has had a good opportunity to evaluate its effects. He is now convinced Profhilo is a safe, effective and innovative product.
Profhilo is designed to improve skin laxity, texture and lines by stimulating collagen and elastin production. This effect combined with increased hydration will produce a subtle lifting and tightening effect.
Although Profhilo is composed of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) it is not a filler and is aimed at achieving a very different effect from all the currently available HA fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm or Belotero. It will not add excessive volume and hence there is no risk that a Profhilo treatment will result in an obviously filled or ‘pillow face’ look.
It is manufactured by IBSA, a long-established and highly reputable Swiss company and was first launched in Italy in 2015 and subsequently in the UK in January 2016. Since launch there have been an increasing number of positive reviews and opinions in the media.
A Profhilo treatment is quick and easy. Just 5 small injections of Profhilo are administered to each side of the face. Discomfort is minimal and other than the possibility for a small bruise there is no downtime. There will be an initial increase in hydration, but the main effects will build over the next weeks. A second treatment must be given 4 weeks later to maximise the beneficial effects.
Also Dr Forrester now offers the option of combining Profhilo with INTRAcel, our proven and long-established radio-frequency micro-needling treatment. Together they are an unbeatable combination.
We hope to use this new blog to both inform you and help you to make sensible, informed choices.