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FDA approves Botox for the treatment of crow’s feet

September 11 witnessed new legislation for the use of Botox in the US – it is now legal to administer it to the fine lines around the eyes.

Up to now the Food and Drug Administration had only approved the cosmetic use of Botox for lines across the forehead and between the brows, however doctors have been using Botox in the treatment of lines around the eyes for a number of years.

The approval came after a study led by Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox, into its efficacy as an anti-ageing injectable. In a controlled group of 833 adults one half received Botox injections to the eye area and the other half received placebo injections to the same area. The group that received Botox displayed the most sign of a reduction of wrinkles.

Although Botox was being used by doctors ‘off-record’ in this way, the approval will mean better safeguards and guidelines. Dr Marco Harmaty, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, told CBSnews.com that Botox has been used not only for crow’s feet for a number of years but also other unapproved parts of the face including creases by the side of the nose. However he also added:

“(It) does give you an added benefit and safety of saying that I’m not doing anything illegal or potentially harmful.”

The FDA approved Botox use for lines on the forehead in 2002.

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Botox as treatment for a chronic eye condition needs more specialist training

It is little known that one of Botox’s original medical uses was for an eye condition called blepharospasm, which causes continuous eye twitches or excessive blinking.

It was discovered that the injection could help control the muscles in the eyelids that were responsible for producing so much movement, the results of which led those administering it to realise its potential to eradicate fine lines.

Botox has become far better known as a beauty measure in the fight against wrinkles and ageing, and as a result this can mean far more practitioners who train to administer Botox as a cosmetic procedure than for other medical purposes. Opthalmologists at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London have described the lack of specific training in this area, even though its use as a treatment for blepharospasm pre-dates its cosmetic use.

Doctors at the specialist hospital successfully treat 95% of their patients with the condition but are aware that those who seek treatment for the condition elsewhere either don’t receive Botox as a treatment or they do but with far less success. They attribute this to the lack of numbers who train in this specific area of opthalmology.

The condition can cause a great deal of distress to the sufferer, as constant twitching or blinking dries out the eye and causes irritation and discomfort. In some cases the eye can shut together for some time, leading some sufferers of the condition to be registered as visually impaired. When Botox is injected in to the area it needs to target very specific muscles in the eyelids, which is why it can be difficult to get it right without the right training.

Though the condition is made manageable through regular Botox treatments there is nonetheless no outright cure, as well as no full understanding of the cause of the condition. It’s believed that genetic factors may be at play, as well as already-existing susceptibility to dry eyes.

Cosmetic Courses offer training in Botox and other aesthetic treatments to medical professionals throughout the UK. For information on any of our training courses, please contact the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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Pharmaceutical giant in hot water for alleged improper marketing of Botox

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has come under fire in China for allegedly marketing Botox through improper practices, as well as being investigated for possible tax and invoice fraud.

The Wall Street Journal earlier this week reported that investigations are being carried out on the corporate behemoth for possible bribery and corruption, in a planned marketing strategy to boost sales in the emerging market. They claim to have seen evidence of emails targeted at 48 doctors which include cash and other incentives as a reward for prescribing Botox for therapeutic reasons.

The marketing strategy even took the name of a Russian World War II sniper, ‘Vasily’, after Vasily Zaytsev, with communication regarding the incentives supposedly sent to and from the private email addresses of GSK’s sales personnel.

GlaxoSmithKline have responded by announcing their own internal investigation and say initial findings show there has been no improper sales and marketing conduct carried out by sales staff at their organisation. A spokesperson for GSK in London announced:

“…we are investigating these new claims. However, our inquiries to date have found no evidence of bribery or corruption in relation to our sales and marketing of therapeutic Botox in China”

“GSK has some of the toughest compliance procedures in the sector. We are proud of our high standards and operate in accordance with them.”

GSK’s distribution of Botox in China is for therapeutic use (such as facial spasms) rather than cosmetic use ie. for the treatment of wrinkles.

Cosmetic Courses offer a wide range of aesthetic training courses to medical professionals. For information on any of our courses, contact the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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American woman arrested for administering Botox illegally

Woman arrested practicing botox illegallyAn American beautician based in Florida has been arrested for administering Botox illegally, and for claiming to be a qualified nurse. In the US it’s a legal requirement for those offering non-invasive cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers to be medically qualified and to hold specific registration to practice.

The beautician, Sheri Goldman, had listed her profession at her beauty salon as nurse, when in fact she has no medical qualifications whatsoever. She advertised her salon and its services on Groupon, which her listed credentials including ‘surgical nurse’. She was arrested for unlicensed practice of a healthcare profession, which is a third degree crime in the US, punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

There are also other charges against her, for the same crime but in another area of Florida.

With laws soon to be introduced in the UK to regulate who can offer Botox we may well see similar cases of unqualified practitioners knowingly (or unknowingly) flouting the law, with similar repercussions.

Cosmetic Courses are an established provider of medical aesthetic training. For information on any of our courses, please contact the team on on 01844 390110 or email [email protected].

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The ‘new Botox’ – or Frotox – arrives in the UK

One London clinic is now offering a Californian-produced alternative to Botox which promises the same results minus the toxins, which may come as welcome news to those who are interested in the results of the treatment but uncomfortable with the thought of what is in it.

iovera has been dubbed ‘Frotox’ due to its use of cryotherapy, effectively freezing, to produce the same results as Botox. Its results are said to be instantaneous as opposed to the few days that it can take for Botox to take effect. However its lifespan is slighter shorter lasting a maximum duration of four months.

Developed by medical technology group myoscience, it currently tackles forehead lines (running vertically or horizontally) through administering the treatment to either temple. A device filled with liquid nitrogen is placed next to the nerves which freezes the muscles used to control particular wrinkles. Advocates suggest that the accuracy of the nerve targeting is such that it still allows movement in the muscle.

The treatment lasts for 15 minutes and is so far retailing at £300 at a Harley Street Clinic. Some detractors insist that it poses no viable alternative to Botox, which has been used for several years, until its long-term safety and capability has been demonstrated.

Cosmetic Courses are the UK’s first surgeon led Botox course provider. Contact the team on 01844 390110 or email [email protected] for more information on any of our training courses.

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Doctors to be prevented from prescribing Botulinum Toxin remotely

In a secret recording by the BBC at a Harley Street skin clinic, the clinic’s director was filmed describing how prescriptions for Botulinum Toxin could be obtained in the names of friends and family. The drug would then be stored, ready to be used by nurses to treat walk-in patients without needing to obtain a prescription first.

The nurses would instead telephone the doctor for a remote prescription before injecting patients with the ‘stored’ Botox.

If, for any reason, the doctor could not be reached before treatment, the nurses would administer the Botox injections anyway – with the doctor phoning patients afterwards.

Though remote prescription is not illegal at present, administering Botox without a prescription is against the law. It also raises concerns about patient safety.

In the light of the investigation, the General Medical Council (GMC) has said that new rules will soon be published, making it illegal for doctors to remotely prescribe injectable cosmetic medicines, including Botox.

Nurses who do not hold the V300 prescribing qualification will be required to work directly with a doctor or dentist in order to issue prescriptions.

If you would like any information on our Botox training courses, or any of our other fully accredited courses, contact us on 0845 230 4110 or email [email protected].

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Can Botox’s Smoothing Effect Be Socially Hazardous? Experts Disagree

A study carried out in the US by psychologist David Havas and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arizona State University and the University of Chicago has had UK newspapers crying out that Botox injections will cause friendships to fail. The study’s conclusions suggest that using Botox procedures to effectively “freeze” the muscles that cause lined foreheads and crow’s feet will make users’ faces respond more slowly to bad news, giving the impression that they are indifferent or lacking in sympathy. Yet according to leading UK health website the study may be flawed and its conclusions should not give consumers cause to worry that Botox will destroy their relationships.

The study consisted of recruiting 41 women from cosmetic surgery clinics to participate in a test that involved reading 60 sentences on a computer screen. The women, who received $50 towards the cost of their procedures as compensation, took two tests–one just before their Botox treatment, and the second two weeks afterwards. Both times they read 20 happy, 20 sad and 20 angry sentences, pressing a key on the keyboard to indicate when they had finished reading each sentence.

Analytical techniques such as regression analysis were used to cancel out the effects the position of the questions in the tests, the emotions they were designed to express, and possible anxiety about the Botox procedures. The overall result of the study was the finding that although the time for reading the happy sentences remained unchanged, participants took approximately 0.2 to 0.3 seconds longer to read the sad and angry sentences after their Botox treatments. Drawing on earlier research on both animals and humans, the study’s conclusion was that Botox’s paralysing effect on facial muscles was hindering emotional processing, particularly if the paralysed muscles were the ones usually used to express the emotion in question.

NHS commenters have pointed to several flaws in the study, including the small size of the sample and the fact that previous studies have not shown for certain that reading time is an indicator of the effectiveness of emotional processing. In addition, no research was done to assess the popularity and/or sociability of the study participants, or to independently assess their facial expressions as they read the questions. It seems likely, therefore, that UK newspapers were jumping to unwarranted conclusions when they deduced that Botox use could ruin friendships.

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