Botox News

The world of Botox is never a dull one, so there are always new developments and headlines concerning the wonder injection. Here are two things in particular that has Botox treatments in the news:

The curative effects of Botox have been known to stretch far beyond just clearing the face of unsightly wrinkles. In many patients, Botox is used to treat hyperhidrosis (abnormally profuse sweating), particularly through a series of injections in the patient's underarm. Recently, the FDA approved the use of Botox in treating overactive bladders: something that roughly 33 million American men and women suffer from.

Attribution: oranje

An overactive bladder can contract too often or without warning, forcing a person to urinate more frequently than usual. This kind of urinary incontinence can be uncomfortable and, frankly, rather embarrassing for many people; the Botox injections aim to correct this activity through relaxation of the bladder. As when injected into a person's brow region, Botox relaxes the tissue that it comes into contact with; when the bladder has been relaxed by an injection it is less likely to tighten unexpectedly and cause the person to urinate.

Oral medications have been prescribed for this condition before, however Botox offers a solution to the problem for people who are otherwise unable to take these drugs. Allergan - the producer of the FDA certified Botox treatment - hopes that Botox's new-found utility will be responsible for more than 10% of its earnings next year.

In other Botox-related news, the FDA has deployed notifications to 350 physicians across the country warning them against an unlicensed Botox treatment that is circulating in the American medical community. These practices were warned that they had potentially received unapproved medications, some of those being unapproved versions of Botox.

Attribution: TschiAe

These alleged impostor treatments are being imported from a pharmacy called Canada Drugs and could possibly endanger patients if it is used in a treatment. The reason that makes these drugs of concern, is that they are not regulated by the FDA, and the amounts of active ingredients in the medication might not be consistent with what the FDA deems appropriate for authentic Botox treatments.

Physicians are understandably concerned about the notifications, but still relieved that the imitation medication was caught this soon. Many doctors want to make sure that they know exactly what kind of medications their practice is dispensing to its patients; the warning about the unlicensed drugs could potentially save them a lot of trouble in the future. 

This should be a warning to anyone who is bargain-hunting for Botox. You want to make sure that your treatment is affordable, indeed, but you shouldn't compromise on the quality of your injections just for the sake of saving some money. Make sure that your medical practitioner only uses FDA-certified Botox by asking him or her during a consultation. You should never cut corners when it comes to your new face!