[Lecture of the Month] Expanding botulinum toxin’s indications I

The ‘Lecture of the Month’ series introduces famous talks in the field of dermatology and plastic surgery in Korea. It provides a detailed look at the lecture our readers may have wanted to attend but could not due to a busy schedule. With this series, D&PS provides our readers a chance to enjoy important lectures at their convenience. If you have lectures that you would like to learn about, please let us know. We will deliver the details of the lecture through our magazine. The May issue features the presentation by Dr. Nam Sunghan of Viz Plastic Surgery. He gave a talk at the academic conference of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons held last April. Below is the summary of this talk.

Nam Sunghan

Director, Viz Plastic Surgery, Seoul Korea

e-mail: claraclinic@hanmail.net

Upper arm slimming

We have seen various new indications added to botulinum toxin. I would like to share my thoughts on using Nabota, a new botulinum toxin product thought to be closest to the natural form of botulinum toxin and with pending FDA approval in upper arm slimming procedures.

More women are becoming concerned with the outline of their upper arm. A smooth and straight line from the shoulder to the arm is important to one’s overall appearance.

What we are trying to do is create a smooth outline of the upper arm without disturbing the basic functionality. Let’s take a look at correcting the upper arm by addressing the triceps.

Many types of botulinum toxin can be used in this procedure. Botulinum toxin is also used in a wide variety of areas including glabella lines, crow’s feet, forehead lines, nose wrinkles, neck wrinkles, nasolabial lines, mentum correction, lower lip, perioral correction, square jaws, calf reduction, neckline, upper arm, facial spasms, and facial nerve paralysis, etc. The immunological importance of botulinum toxin in the fact that it was recently approved in masseteric hypertrophy and body toxin. Repeated treatments and high doses are used in wrinkle removal. A wide range of patients seek botulinum toxin treatment from those in their 20s to 60s.

It is important to reduce immune response caused by chronic conditions. Examining the molecular composition of another botulinum toxin product after diluting it for clinical use showed that conjugated proteins degrade immediately after dilution before it could be injected into the patient. Most of the non-toxin proteins in botulinum toxin is degraded within 1 minute. Studies have reported that there is not difference in terms of diffusion among Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin.