Botox improves pliability and elasticity of skin, study shows
The report is published online in the JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery journal and highlights how the research observed the skin’s three biomechanical features to determine the effect of onabotulinium toxin, which goes by the brand name of Botox.
Those three biomechanical elements include strength, pliability – which measures the skin’s ability to stretch, and elasticity – which measure its ability to recoil or go back to its original shape.
Research conducted on 43 women
As the skin deteriorates with age, it is these three measures that show visible declines and Botox injections target the reversal of this deterioration.
The research was headed up byJames P. Bonaparte, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.C., of the University of Ottawa, and David Ellis, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., of the University of Toronto, who conducted research that investigated the effects of Botox injections on a study of 48 women, with 43 women completing the study.
The authors noted that there was a distinct improvement in both the pliabilty and elasticity, with the biomechanical changes mimicing those of a more youthful skin.
How the mechanism works is still to be determined
The article noted that the mechanism for these changes is still unclear and that the improvements were no longer noticeable after four months, with the skin going back to its original, pre-treatment state.
"The changes occurring in patients' skin appear to be the opposite of those associated with the aging process and UV radiation exposure and inflammation,” the study concludes.
“This study also suggests that the duration of effect of these changes mimics the duration of effect of the medication. Future studies are required to determine and quantify the histologic changes that are occurring."
