More People Are Considering Botox Injections, But It Has Nothing To Do With Wrinkles

“Everybody was raving about it and that it gives you this serene and relaxed expression. I thought, okay, I’ll give it a try. I couldn’t move. My entire expression — my eyebrow didn’t even arch anymore.”

These sentiments, belonging to 61-year-old model and Timeless Beauty author Christie Brinkley, are fairly common when it comes to Botox.

But what if there’s more to Botox than just an expensive and temporary treatment for wrinkles?

According to a recent report from the New York Post, more businessmen are starting to use Botox as a cure for “the stress of office life.”

Botox is the derivative of a toxin, Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism (a severe type of food poisoning that results in muscle weakness and paralysis). Botox doesn’t have the same dramatic effects as the bacteria in its purest form, but it does reduce wrinkles by causing muscle paralysis — on a miniscule scale — wherever the drug is injected.

If the drug is injected into a specific area where sweat glands are located, for example, it can even cause the sweat glands to cease working (temporarily), thus reducing the amount of sweat an individual’s body will produce. As Business Insider described it, “Botox works by confusing the nerve endings… which keeps the sweat glands from feeling the need to produce sweat.”

Celebrity dermatologist Dr. Patricia Wexler explained to the Post, “When men are in business meetings, they normally sweat profusely from their scalps, and it makes them look insecure. “This [Botox] gives them more self-esteem, and their presence is more secure.”

There has been a substantial increase in the population of patients looking for a way to stop excessive body sweating (otherwise known as hyperhidrosis), partly because the stigma of the condition is starting to wear off and partly because people are realizing that excessive sweating can be treated.

Botox has become a popular option for individuals who sweat profusely in concentrated areas, such as around their foreheads — but not all hyperhidrosis experts believe that Botox injections are the best solution available.

“Botox can be a good solution for hyperhidrosis in some areas of the body, particularly the axillary or underarms. However, in other areas of the body, such as hands or feet, which are very common areas for hyperhidrosis, Botox may not be as effective or last very long,” says Christopher Ligi, Director of Sales, Hidrex USA, LLC. “We believe a better treatment method for hyperhidrosis is tap water iontophoresis. This method, which requires only the one-time purchase of a small medical electronics device, uses low electrical current administered through water to treat the affected area, and it is completely natural, drug-free, safe, painless, and without side effects. Our devices are 98% effective, and have been used in Europe for over 35 years as the primary treatment for hyperhidrosis.”

There may not be a permanent cure for excessive sweating, and Botox may not be the best solution — but at least more people are talking about this common medical condition and seeking help if they have it.