Difference between revisions of "Botox - from Medical Procedure to Household Word"

Revision as of 00:43, 18 August 2009

Objective

• Determining the factors driving the adoption of invasive medical procedure for consumer application

Methodology

• We used secondary research for data collection
• Botox procedure data has been taken from ASAPS (American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons)
• Databases used to search articles are Factiva and Google scholar
• Search query used is:

• botox, botulinum toxin: to find the total number of articles published on botox
• botox and wrinkles, botox and frown, botox and lines: to find skin care articles using botox

• Determined the correlation between the number of articles published and number of botox procedures
• Analyzed the articles published to determine the market drivers

Technical overview

Botox injection is a diluted form of botulinum toxin type A which is injected into facial muscles to paralyze or weaken the muscles that form wrinkles. Botulinum toxin is a medication and a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is the most toxic protein known with an LD50 of roughly 0.005-0.05 µg/kg.

It is sold commercially under the brand names:

• Botox, BTXA, Dysport, Myobloc, Neurobloc and Xeomin which are used in the treatment of muscle spasms.
• Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel are available for cosmetic treatment.

How botox procedure is performed

• Botox procedure usually takes 5-15 minutes and there is no need for any anesthesia.
• The procedure is not entirely painless and the small needle does sting. Some physicians may numb the area with a topical anesthetic prior to the injection.
• Before the injections, all the sites are premarked and cleaned with an antiseptic solution.
• The Botox is then injected.
• It generally takes three to seven days to take full effect and it is best to avoid alcohol at least one week prior to treatment.
• Aspirin and anti-inflammatory medications should be stopped two weeks before treatment as well in order to reduce bruising.
• Once the procedure is performed results last anywhere from 2 to 5 months.

Botox Is commonly used to treat

• Forehead lines
• Crow's feet (lines around the eye)
• Frown lines

Side effects of botox

Botox is not without side effects. However, the side effects are minor and resolve rapidly. The most common side effects include:

• Mild nausea

• Flu like symptoms

• Headache

• Redness

• Pain at injection site

No severe side effects have been reported, but the dermatologist or medical practitioner administering botox injection should be experienced.

Source: wikipedia

Market overview

Initially botox was marketed for its medical applications in treating various muscle-related conditions but later its marketing was broadened to include its cosmetic application—smoothing out frown lines between the eyebrows.

Y-o-Y sale of botox procedures

Source: ASAPS

Botox procedures as a percentage of total cosmetic procedures

Source: ASAPS