What is Botox made of?

There are many questions my clients have asked over time, the one which comes near the top is “what is Botox made of?”.

Boxtox is made from a toxin produced by a bacterium named Clostridium botulinum. Yes, it’s a toxin which can cause life-threatening type of food poisoning called botulism. However, when used in extremely small doses it ensures the benefits of the toxin are helpful and not harmful.

What is Botox?

The name ‘Botox’ is in fact a brand name. The scientific name is onabotulinumtoxinA, and is one of seven different strains that are produced from Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium has been around for ages and was first identified in 1895.

Botox is manufactured by growing the bacteria and purifying it to remove the bacterial matter leaving the purified toxin complex. Small doses are prepared and used in aesthetic treatments and injected into muscles to temporarily reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The bacterium Clostridium botulinum can be found in many natural surrounding such as lakes, forest, and soil. It can also be found in the intestines of mammals and fish.

Naturally occuring Clostridum botulinum bacteria and it’s spores are generally harmless. The problem occurs when the spores transform and aggressive increasing the cell production. During the rapid growth the bacteria start to produce the botulinum toxin which causes botulism and overwhelms our natural defences.

It sounds really scary, however in aesthetics and also in other medical uses, the toxin is used in extremely small doses giving us benefits without harmful effects.

How was Botox found to be helpful for wrinkles?

Botox was originally used to treat an eye condition called Strabismus, a condition where eyes are not aligned properly. It was first used for children with Strabismus. The doctors wanted a treatment which could be used locally and which lasted long enough to have a positive therapeutic effect and then wear off.

It was then used for treatment of muscle spasms. Small doses were used in areas where patients were experiencing muscle spasms. In patients who had muscle spasm around the eyes, doctors found the furrow lines softened due to the use of botox.

In other cases of muscle spasm near the eyes, patients noticed the softening of their ‘crow’s feet’. And so the use of Botox in aesthetics was born!

Originally Botox was called Oculinum which was approved for the conditions Strabismus and blephorospasm in 1989 but the name was changed to Botox in 1992.

However, it wasn’t until 2002 when the first aesthetic’s use was approved by the FDA in the USA.

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