Clostridium Botulinum is known to produce a lethal toxin, but it may also be a wonder drug for those looking to reduce a few wrinkles – temporarily.

Botox, as the drug is more commonly known, is a purified protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum, and manufactured by Allergan, based in Irvine, Calif.

It is intended to relax overactive muscle contractions, and according to Christine Cassiano, public relations manager for Allergan, Botox has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for injection into the muscles for the treatment of vertical frown lines between the eyebrows.

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“Botox is administered every three to four months,” Cassiano said. “Many people can see results in 24 to 48 hours, but the full effect is likely to be seen in seven days.”

However, Allergan has only been FDA approved for the treatment of vertical frown lines. It is currently in discussion with the FDA for approval of the drug for reducing wrinkles and crow’s feet.

Botox works by shutting down the ability of the nerve cells to cause a contraction. Consequently, the muscles relax and reduce wrinkles.

Jane Maxwell, the outreach and group counseling coordinator for SIU Women Services, said women may use Botox to make themselves more attractive and fight effects of aging such as wrinkles, but she believes one reason the drug is appealing to women is because of its immediate results.

“Anything that’s a quick fix is very popular,” Maxwell said. “Even if [women] don’t know the long-term consequences.”

Because Botox is a dangerous toxin, John Martinko, associate professor and chairperson of the SIUC Department of Microbiology, has concerns about the drug.

“If the toxin is ingested in even very small amounts, it’s often lethal,” Martinko said. “It always causes serious problems to people who ingest it.”

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Used for cosmetic purposes such as reducing wrinkles, Botox is injected into the tissue in very small concentrations, but Martinko is concerned about potential side effects of the drug.

“The problem I’m worrying about down the road is the possibility of developing allergies,” Martinko said. “Because you’re injecting a foreign protein, and you’re going to make some kind of immune response.

Martinko said that people “just don’t understand the physiology of the whole thing.”

“Why would you stick a poison in your body?”

However, Cassiano said Botox is an extremely safe drug.

“The amount used for the Botox cosmetic treatment is very minute,” said Cassiano. “And because the amounts are so small and because it is a purified protein, it actually is something the body can accept very easily into the system or into the muscle and break down very quickly.”

Cassiano said the drug’s appeal is not necessarily about looking younger.

“It’s about looking more how you feel,” she said.

After a treatment with Botox, patients reported that their facial expressions more accurately portrayed how they felt after treatment, according to Cassiano.

Cassiano said the cost for a Botox cosmetic treatment varies with region and actual technique of administration. She emphasized it is very important to go to qualified physicians who are aesthetically oriented.

“Let them know what you’re looking for and the look you’re wanting to achieve,” Cassiano said. “And have that discussion in order to receive the best outcome with a Botox cosmetic treatment.”

Maxwell believes that what needs fixing may not be frown lines or crows feet, but their attitude. She believes people should not use Botox because it perpetuates the stereotype that women are only held in high esteem when they are young and attractive.

“Aging is a natural process, and I wish our society would see it as natural and not as a detriment to someone’s value,” Maxwell said. “To anybody who is considering [Botox], take a real hard look at why you’re doing it and what it is about yourself that will be different.”

Reporter Maureen Johnson can be reached at [email protected]