Nowadays, Botox is a popular, accessible and effective cosmetic treatment – it is possible to pop to somewhere like Gloucester fillers specialist Doctor Kate in your lunch break and take years off your face with ease! But Botox has a long history and when it was first discovered, anti-ageing treatments was the last thing on anyone’s mind…
Botox is made from something called Clostridium botulinum and it was discovered by a Belgian scientist called Emile Pierre van Ermengem who was investigating a deadly outbreak of botulism in Belgium. Botulism is a nasty and sometimes fatal disease which causes a paralytic illness, eventually paralyzing muscles used for essential organs and killing the person.
However, when it was found that the paralysing bacterium could be used to help people, many new treatments started to appear. It was originally used to treat crossed eyes, but it soon became apparent that at the site of the injection the skin became smoother and younger in appearance which then opened the door to the use of Botox for cosmetic reasons.
In 2002, it was the new revolutionary treatment for line and wrinkles – and much less invasive than a facelift. Celebrities flocked to the Botox clinics in their droves, eager to diminish their frown lines and crow’s feet.
However, the popularity of Botox has meant that now it isn’t just one of those things that the rich and famous can afford. It is something that has become a normal part of many people beauty regimes and is as simple of popping into the hairdressers or nail salon!