Posts

, ,

Botox Testing on Animals Has Now More Than Doubled

Botox and other similar treatments are causing thousands upon thousands of animals a great deal of suffering due to painful deaths.

Recent figures are now showing that mice used in laboratories are now being used invery controversial drug toxicity tests and have now doubled in the European culture between the years of 2005 and 2008 in an increase from 33,000 to 87,000.

In accordance to the leading authorities in the world in regard to animal experiments, thisdramatic rise is best explained by the increase in face lifts.

Experiments on animals being tested for cosmetic reasons have been banned in countries such as Europe. Despite this fact, Botox treatments are now being classified as pharmaceutical medicines. Batches upon batches of Botox are injected into many groups of mice and the increased doses cause over half of the mice to perish.

While some doctors use Botox to treat muscle spasms or chronic sweating problems, Botox is better known for the treatment of wrinkles.

In more recent years, celebrities like Katie Price have undergone Botox treatment.

No animals should have to undergo any suffering for the benefit of the beauty industry nor should they have to endure the painful deaths associated with harmful Botox testing.

As fashionable as Botox is becoming in today’s world now means that there will be more and more tests performed on animals in the near future.

Botox was developed in the United States of America. There are other rival facial lift products such as Azzalure manufactured in Aspen. All Botox products are created from a chemical called botulinum which a deadly toxin.

To test for dilution and potency levels of safe doses, manufacturers use the very controversial LD50 test on animals. This test involves injecting sufficient quantities of this drug which, in turn, kills at least 50 percent of the mice being tested. Most mice given Botox end up suffering severe respiratory problems, paralysis and end up dying from suffocation. The International Humane Society has stated that the SNAP-25 test should be used as an alternative oftootox.

Botox is classified as a medical drug which is licensed for conditions such as blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, focal spasticity for cerebral palsy, cervical dystonia, upper limb spasticity within adults whom have suffered stroke or heart attack as well as severe axillary hyperhidrosis. Botox has also been used in recently treated chronic migraines within the United Kingdom.

Botox is a dangerous and inhumane procedure that should be banned. For humanity’s sake, we need to take all necessary steps to stop the use of Botox on animals.

/by
,

Allergan, Inc.’s Botox®/Vistabel® Product Licenced for Glabellar Lines in France

The Agence Francaise de Securite Sanitaire des Produits de Sante (AFSSAPS) first approved Allergan, Inc.’s Botox® product, botulinum toxin type A, for treatment of glabellar lines in 2003. Allergan, Inc. markets its Botox® product in France under the product name Vistabel®, which was licenced for the same use in the U.K. in March 2006. At the time, France became the nineteenth country to licence Allergan, Inc.’s Botox® product.

Glabellar lines are the vertical frown lines between the eyes, generated by emotions of stress and anger. Over time, the lines can become permanent, giving a perpetual appearance of stress or anger. Botox® / Vistabel® relaxes the muscles causing frown lines, smoothing the skin between the eyebrows. It works by temporarily preventing facial nerve endings, which receive a signal from the brain to display a particular emotion, from releasing acetycholine. The temporary failed release lasts several months, preventing the nerve endings from controlling the facial muscles. The procedure is quick and easy, and minimally invasive, requiring only a few small injections into the skin. Results are nearly instantaneous.

The product has been proven safe and effective in clinical trials. More than eighty per cent of patients involved in the clinical studies saw the maximum effect from the drug. The side effects included headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop and nausea. Patients who experience any hypersensitivity to specific ingredients in the product should not receive Botox® / Vistabel® treatments. The product is available by prescription only, and Allergan, Inc. does recommend that Botox® / Vistabel® treatments be administered by a qualified and experienced physician who specializes in cosmetic treatments, and it should be administered in an appropriate medical facility.

Allergan manufactures its Botox® / Vistabel® product, generically called Clostridium botulinum type – A neurotoxin complex, from a naturally occurring protein called purified type – A neurotoxin, which is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The drug is now approved in more than seventy countries for a variety of uses beyond treatment of glabellar lines. The United Kingdom in particular has approved the product for treatment of blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, cervical dystonia, severe hyperhidrosis of the axillae, dynamic equines foot deformity in children with cerebral palsy, and for wrist and hand disability caused by adult stroke.

Allergan, Inc. is headquartered in Irvine, California. The company has successfully marketed its Botox® and Vistabel® products worldwide, advancing its corporate mission of improving patients’ lives.

/by
,

Botox Cosmetic: A Serious Look at Looking Good

The allure of youth is potent, especially to women who feel pressured society to look a certain way. When medical procedures that could improve the appearance of frown lines between brows emerged, women all over the world clamored to be the first line. Shortly, these women became frequent customers fueling a multi-billion pound industry.

Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum Toxin Type A) contains the same toxin that causes food poisoning. Used in a clinical setting in an injectable, sterile form, the Botox blocks the release of acetylcholine, which nerve cells use to signal muscle contraction. A doctor can use the Botox to interfere selectively with the muscles’ ability to contract. The process smoothes the frown lines and, in many cases, makes them invisible within a week. This result has made Botox injections the most prevalent cosmetic procedure in the world including breast enhancement surgery.

In the US, the FDA initially approved Botox in 1989 as a treatment for misaligned eyes (strabismus) and uncontrollable blinking (blepharospasm). In 2000, this approval widened to include severe neck and shoulder contractions (cervical dystonia). It was during the treatment of strabismus and blepharospasm that doctors realized it was softening the glabellar lines between eyebrows. This vertical frown between the eyebrows is what makes people look angry, displeased or tired.

Additional clinical studies commenced and by 2002, the US’s FDA was satisfied with the evidence of Botox’s safety and ability to reduce frown lines for up to 120 days. However, the FDA approves products but does not regulate their use. This flexibility has led to a wide range of procedures in the US of which there have been no clinical evaluations and certainly no explicit demonstration of safety.

Another factor driving the popularity of Botox among women is the social aspect that has become a part of the drug’s marketing. Volume discounts are available for many types of medicines including Botox. Therefore, it has become a prevalent practice for doctors to purchase Botox in bulk and then hold gatherings for their patients. Women gather at these Botox parties for the injection at a discount, food and drink, and camaraderie. This phenomenon began in the US but has since emerged everywhere where Botox injections are legal.

Regulatory agencies around the world, such as the MHRA and FDA, have indicated increased concern over the potential for Botox abuse. The social aspect of the drug has led to unqualified technicians performing the procedure in home-based offices, retail venues, gyms, and salons. In these situations, the patient runs serious risks of inappropriate dosages and unsanitary conditions. However, this does not dissuade millions of women from repeating the process continuously, chasing that ever-elusive fountain of youth.

/by