What Were Botox Anti-Wrinkle Injections Originally Used For?

One of the most commonly used ways to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as prevent them from becoming overly prevalent in the first place, is anti-wrinkle injections.

The most commonly used treatment, Botox, has been approved as a cosmetic treatment for over three decades and over those years its use has been refined and understood with an emphasis on subtle, effective results.

However, before it was used as a cosmetic treatment, it was used for the very different purpose of preserving eyesight and stopping ocular pain.

A strabismus is a squint, where a person’s eyes look in two different directions when focusing on an object. This is quite common in children but can extend to adulthood and cause issues such as double vision if not treated.

The problem is that up until the 1970s, the only effective treatment for strabismus was a surgical procedure on the eye that often needed to be repeated constantly, leading doctors to find a solution that was longer lasting, less invasive, or both.

After trying seemingly every type of anaesthetic, enzyme, enzyme blocker, alcohol and snake neurotoxin for something that could induce a targeted paralysis, a team led by Alan Scott found their answer in botulinum toxin A. 

It was first tested on strabismus patients in 1977, first reported in 1980 and finally received full approval in 1989, the same year that Botox began to be used for cosmetic treatments and developed into the cosmetic treatment that has become widely used today.

The evolution of Botox for cosmetic use mirrors its original use as an eye treatment. At the time, the most common anti-wrinkle treatment was a surgical facelift, but an alternative injectable has always been desirable.

There are a lot of medical uses for Botox, but helping preserve eyesight and reduce migraines is one of its biggest achievements.