What is Botox® Made Of?
Botox® is made of botulinum toxin type A, produced by Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin type A is a form of protein. To make Botox®, the bacteria Clostridium botulinum is grown on a special medium, such as egg yolk or serum. This will produce the benign strains of botulinum toxin type A. The bacteria are then killed through heating and centrifuging. The botulinum toxin is inactivated by heating it to a temperature of 56 degrees Celsius (132 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes.
The next stage involves purifying the botulinum toxin through several processes, including alcohol precipitation and chromatographic separation techniques. Next, it has to be transformed into its sodium salt form. Botulinum toxin type A cannot be used in its natural form because it is dangerous to use on the skin. Once purified, botulinum toxin type is perfectly safe.
Botox® has been approved by the FDA for cosmetic use in the United States since 2002. This is a widely popular treatment that has been administered for decades.
How Botox® Works
Botox® is one of the most popular anti-aging products, and it’s easy to see why. Botox® works so well because it is injected into specific dynamic facial muscles and temporarily weakens them so that they don’t contract as much. Fine needles are used to inject very small amounts of Botox® into the skin. The dosage varies depending on how many wrinkles you want to eliminate.