Main Navigation

The Complete Guide to Botox

Botox is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the world and one of the most misunderstood. It’s most famous for softening the lines that movement carves into the face but it has a long list of medical uses too. What it is not is a substitute for good skincare and skincare is not a substitute for it. The two do entirely different jobs. Botox relaxes the muscles that pull the skin into dynamic lines, whilst the right topical treatments improve the quality, texture and ageing of the skin itself. This guide explains what Botox is, how it works and what it treats (including masseter Botox for the jaw). It also covers UK licensing and regulations, whether it is safe and what alternatives exist.

Please note, we are an entirely online skin and Fagron Test – Hair Loss clinic, so we do not offer Botox. We used to provide it at our former physical clinic, but we now exclusively offer the topical skincare treatments that work alongside it.

What is Botox?

First of all, Botox^® is the most famous and original brand of botulinum toxin type A. This is a purified protein that the bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces in nature. In large amounts the toxin is dangerous but in the tiny, controlled doses used in medicine, it is a safe and precise muscle relaxant. Botox is a trade name but because it was the original form and due to extensive brand awareness, it has also become synonymous with all botulinum toxin type A treatments. However, there are several other brands that contain the same class of toxin, including Dysport, Azzalure, Bocouture and Xeomin. In the UK they are prescription-only medicines, so only a qualified medical professional can prescribe and inject them.

Botox was originally a medical treatment and discovery of its cosmetic use was quite by accident. In the late 1980s, an ophthalmologist treating an eye-muscle condition noticed that her patients’ frown lines softened. The aesthetic use grew from there and regulators approved Botox for frown lines in 2002. It has since become the most widely used cosmetic treatment of its kind.

How Does Botox Work?

The main way Botox works is by blocking the chemical signal between nerves and muscles. On injection into a muscle, it prevents the release of acetylcholine which is the neurotransmitter that tells the muscle to contract. As a result, the muscle relaxes and the skin over it stops creasing. The effect is neither permanent nor immediate. It begins within a couple of days, peaks at around one to four weeks and then wears off over three to four months as the nerve endings recover. That’s why the treatment needs repeating.

This mechanism explains both what Botox can and cannot do. Despite its popularity and effectiveness, it’s worth being realistic about the cosmetic results. It’s excellent at softening dynamic lines which are the creases caused by repeated muscle movement like frowning and squinting. Lines already etched into still skin respond far less well, because the problem there is the skin, not the muscle. Because it doesn’t address the quality of the skin itself, it can’t improve texture, thinning, tone or sun damage. Those concerns are the job of skincare and other treatments rather than Botox, which is why the best results often combine the two.

What Does Botox Treat?

Botox has a wide range of uses and they broadly fall into two groups. Cosmetic and of course medical. The cosmetic uses soften the lines of facial expression and refine the lower face and neck. The main cosmetic uses of Botox injections are:

Beyond the cosmetic uses, Botox is also a well-established medical treatment for a number of medical conditions. The main uses of Botox injections for medical purposes include:

What is Masseter Botox?

Masseter Botox treats the large chewing muscle at the angle of the jaw.