Botox and the Brain

Everyone's talking about Botox leaking into the brain (see brain freeze). We thought you would be interested in William A. Brennan, MD, the only board certified Neurosurgeon in California who also has specialized training in cosmetic surgery.

Recent alarm surrounds Italian reports that Botox is dangerous because it goes to the brain 3 days after injection (1); expert neurosurgeon and cosmetic surgeon, William A. Brennan MD, states otherwise. “It is understood that Botox will be taken up into the nerve terminal because it resides in the same area as neurotransmitters,” he says. “However there is no need for alarm because even though Botox is transported along the nerve fiber as far as the brainstem, it is biologically metabolized and broken down along the way and simply has no other place it can act other than where it got absorbed, at the nerve terminal.”

“The newsflash from Italy was no surprise to those in neuroscience, because results indicated what we already knew,” states Brennan.

Botox works cosmetically by weakening and reducing activity of select facial muscles by blocking the nerve impulse at the nerve/muscle junction. The transfer of Botox outside of its’ injection site is “caused by its’ attachment to the nerve/muscle junction area, a place busy with activity including uptake and release of neurotransmitters,” explains Brennan.

Additionally Botox “has been used medically for almost two decades in the management of strabismus and movement disorders. In more recent years, it’s been used in the treatments associated with stroke, multiple sclerosis, and brain and spinal cord injury.”

(2) Botox been FDA approved for medical use since 1989, and for cosmetic use since 2002.

(3) The bottom line: Botox is still the same medication it has always been and will continue to be useful for cosmetic and medical purposes in the future.

With this brains on beauty report by Dr. Brennan, does it change your opinion?

Sources
(1) Begley, Sharon. A New Reason to Frown. NEWSWEEK. http://www.newsweek.com/id/131749
(2) Morrissey M.D., Melinda M. Use of BOTOX in Management of the Brain Injured Patient. SOUTH SHORE NEUROLOGIC ASSOCIATES, P.C. http://www.comarecovery.org/botox.shtm
(3) FDA APPROVES BOTOX TO TREAT FROWN LINES http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/answers/2002/ans01147.html