Botox has long since been the industry leader in cosmetic botulinum toxic injectables, but with new products continuing to be FDA approved, will Botox continue to dominate the market in the fight against wrinkles? Botox was the first botulinum toxin to receive its FDA approval for cosmetic purposes in 2002, but since then others, such as Dysport, have received the same approval and have now provided Botox with some much needed competition. So what are the differences between Botox and its competitors?

While both Botox and Dysport injectables use the botulinum toxin type A to relax facials muscles to help improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles, the major differences between the two can be found in the cost, recommended dosage, dosage forms, formula, and usage. Botox Cosmetic, which has also been licensed under the name Vistabel, is primarily used to prevent and reduce the appearance of expression related wrinkles (Glabellar Lines).  Botox is equally distributed between five separate injection sites, blocking nerve impulses which paralyzes the muscles that cause wrinkles and allows the skins surface to smooth out as a result. The effects of Botox have been shown to last up to 4 months and should not be received more often than every 12 weeks.  Botox is available in single use vials of 50 units or 100 units, while Vistabel is only available in vials 50 units.

Just like Botox, Dysport, and its cosmetic counterpart Azzalure, are also injected into the facial muscles surrounding expression lines causing these muscles to smooth out and relax the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles. While the recommended dose of Botox is 20 units equally distributed between 5 injection sites, both Dysport and Azzalure have a recommended dose of 50 units. The results of both Dysport and Azzalure have been shown to last up to 4 months and just like Botox, should not be received more often than every 12 weeks. It has been said that both Dysport and Azzalure are lower in concentration then Botox, and has fewer proteins surrounding the toxin, which should not only stimulate a weaker immune response but some also claim that it works faster and lasts longer than Botox. Dysport is available in single use vials of 300 units or 500 units and Azzalure comes in a customized single use vial of 125 units and is available in packs of 1 or 2.

While Botox and Dysport have gained popularity for cosmetic purposes, both products have been used for medical conditions as well.  Both Botox and Dysport have not only been FDA approved for the treatment of Glabellar lines, also known as brow furrow lines, but as well for the treatment of Cervical Dystonia, a condition that causes neck muscles to tighten or spasm without control. In addition to Botox and Dysport, Xeomin and Neurobloc have also been approved by the FDA to treat Cervical Dystonia. Though there has been no clear indication of the difference between Botulinum Toxin Type A or B, each of the above mentioned products fall under these two categories. Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are all forms of Botulinum Toxin Type A, while Neurobloc is a form of Botulinum Toxin Type B. Both Toxins work to inhibit the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for the activation of muscle contractions. Administering either Toxin results in the weakness of the injected muscle allowing for improved posture and function of the dystonic muscle(s).

Each of these above mentioned products differ in their recommended dose, for example Neurobloc’s recommended starting dose is 10,000 units (2.0ml), Xeomin’s is only 120 units, Botox is 200 units and Dysport is 500 units. The other significant difference between these products is the way in which they are stored. Botox, Dysport and Neurobloc all need to be kept refrigerated and only have a 2 year shelf life, while Xeomin does not need to be refrigerated allowing for less risk of developing antibodies and has a shelf life of 3 years. Each of the products come in a variety of single use vials, Dysport is available in 300 unit or 500 unit vials, Botox and Xeomin are available in 50 unit or 100 unit vials, and Neurobloc is available in 3 sizes starting at 2500 unit vials. All products are effective in treating Cervical Dystonia and though some have shown faster and longer results, all effects will gradually diminish and the treatment will need to be repeated in intervals of a duration no less than 12 weeks.

When it comes down to the decision of choosing which product is the right choice please keep in mind that all products mentioned above are minimally invasive and affordable ways to achieve effective treatment whether being used for cosmetic or medical purposes. Whether a product has been shown to take effect quicker, or have results that may last longer should not be the number one factor in making a decision as to which product is right for you. The most important thing to consider when making a decision on which product to use is the practitioner that will be administering the injection.   Choosing a practitioner who is knowledgeable and experienced will ensure you have chosen the product that is best suited for you and your individual needs.

Kassi – RxPad Employee

The wait is finally over as drug manufacturer Mertz Pharmaceuticals announced the FDA approval of Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA), for the treatment of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm.  Xeomin® has also been used for a number of years in different countries as a non-surgical injection that temporarily reduces or eliminates frown lines, forehead creases, crow’s feet near the eyes, as well as creases in the neck.

The Xeomin® Difference

The buzz around this innovative botulinum type A formulation is the absence of complexing proteins that have been removed by an extensive purification process from the botulinum toxin complex. Unlike other commercially available drugs used, Xeomin® contains pure 150 kD.  In addition, Xeomin® lacks the bacterial protein that is present in other similar products. Without the complexing proteins, Xeomin® has the lowest content of protein of all available botulinum toxins. Even in high does, repeated application of Xeomin® does not induce the formation of neutralizing anti-bodies and provides continual long lasting effects. Xeomin® is the only botulinum toxin that does not require refrigeration prior to reconstitution.

Ordering Xeomin® from RxPad

RxPad sells only authentic Xeomin® produced directly from Merz Pharmaceuticuals.  As the #1 trusted and established online medical pharmaceutical supply company,  RxPad offers health care professionals substantial savings off of market price.  A prescription is kindly required with each order. Buy Xeomin® online today to experience the latest in non-surgical cosmetic solutions.

Xeomin® is a registered trademark of Merz GmbH.

What are the Differences Between Juvederm^® XC (Ultra 2, 3, 4) and Juvederm^®?
The new Juvederm^® XC formulation has lidocaine integrated and provides U.S patients with the same comfort that has been enjoyed by Canadians and Europeans for years. RxPad has been successfully distributing this improved product over the last two years, anxiously awaiting the official FDA-Approval.  The new Juvederm^® XC will provide U.S patients with their desired results and an improved level of comfort during the application process^‡. The days of U.S patients having to painfully endure and dread their next Juvederm^® application are finally over!

Juvederm^® XC is hyaluronic acid gel which is eased into a patient’s skin by a healthcare professional. It helps restore the volume of a patient’s skin and will help alleviate facial wrinkles. Specifically, Juvederm^® XC helps provide a smoother, more youthful look to a patient’s nasolabial folds and smile-lines*. Plus, according to Allergan, Juvederm^® XC is the only hyaluronic acid to last up to 1 year^†. A typical Juvederm^® XC application takes less than 20 minutes. The changes are evident immediately and the experience of a Juvederm^® injection is finally enjoyable with the official Juvederm^® XC U.S introduction!

What is the Difference Between Juvederm^® XC and Juvederm^® Ultra 2, 3, and 4?
The only difference is the cosmetic appearance of the packaging. Allergan Inc. is a multinational manufacturer and packages their products according to the country of distribution. Juvederm^® Ultra 2, 3, 4, are the marketing names for UK distribution, just as Juvederm^® Ultra XC and Juvederm^® Ultra Plus XC are the marketing names in the United States. Rest assured, the product you order from RxPad will always be the same product that you buy in the United States. The active ingredient found in the Juvederm^® is FDA-approved and RxPad guarantees Allergan product authenticity and client satisfaction.

What are the Savings Offered by RxPad?
RxPad offers clients a 35% saving per syringe kit compared to the U.S manufacturer. Juvederm Ultra XC (Ultra 2) is priced as low as $239.00 per syringe kit (2 x 0.55mL) and Juvederm Ultra Plus XC (Ultra 3) is priced as low as $249.00 per syringe kit (2 x 0.55mL). The 35% saving includes the differential between the syringe kit sizes (0.55mL versus 0.8mL)!

Clinical Study: Juvederm Ultra versus Juvederm Ultra XC (Ultra 2)
**In a clinical study comparing JUVÉDERM® Ultra with and without lidocaine, 36 subjects received the product with lidocaine in 1 nasolabial fold and the product without lidocaine in the other. Subjects rated the level of pain during each injection. Pain was significantly less on the side that received JUVÉDERM® Ultra XC, and in comparing the 2 injections, 34 subjects (94%) found the lidocaine formulation to be less painful.**

“Your Trusted Allergan Botox^® and Juvederm^® Source With An International Reach”

Botox® was the first botulinum toxin to gain a cosmetic license endorsing its use for glabellar lines and wrinkles. It is approved for this indication in the U.S. and in twelve other countries around the world.

Buying authentic Allergan Botox online makes a lot of sense due to the convenience and cost savings. Whether you are a medical professional or a consumer with a legitimate prescription, you can expect to save over 25% per 100IU vial when you buy authentic Allergan Botox online.

Counterfeit Botox Concerns: Buying Authentic Botox on the Internet

Unfortunately, recent stories of counterfeit Botox, and false claims by Allergan U.S. sales representatives that Botox is manufactured in the US, are deterring individuals from buying Botox on the Internet.

It’s important to realize that not all companies offering Botox online are selling counterfeit Botox! Reputable companies such as RxPad are proud to only offer the real thing – authentic Allergan BOTOX®, manufactured in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland.

Yes, all authentic Allergan Botox is currently manufactured in this small Irish county. In turn, whether you buy from Allergan US or from Allergan UK, it does not matter – you always receive the same product, manufactured in Ireland.

How to Make Sure the Botox you Purchased is Authentic

Allergan UK has a number of measures in place to ensure the integrity and authenticity of BOTOX®.

1. Vials of BOTOX® have a holographic film on the vial label that contains the name “Allergan” within horizontal lines of rainbow color. In order to see the hologram, rotate the vial back and forth between your fingers under a desk lamp or a fluorescent light source. All BOTOX® sold by RxPad contains this hologram, proving its authenticity.

2. In addition, BOTOX® purchased from RxPad includes lot numbers which can be confirmed as authentic with Allergan by contacting the company directly:

ALLERGAN UK
Allergan Limited
Marlow International
The Parkway
MARLOW Buckinghamshire
SL7 1YL
UK
Phone: +44(0)1628 494444
Fax: +44(0)1628 494449

Buying Botox Online as a Consumer: Prescriptions Required

Of course, if you’re a consumer and you buy Botox online, a reputable company will always ask you to provide a prescription. If a company is willing to sell Botox directly to a consumer without asking them to fax over a prescription, you should stay away from that company.

It’s also important to remember that Botox should only be administered by a trained and licensed physician in a medical setting. Forget about “Botox parties” – get references from people you trust and go to an experienced physician who knows what they’re doing. Optimal results are only achieved when BOTOX is administered by a well-trained physician with extensive knowledge of the product and the area of injection, and who has the qualifications necessary to evaluate and determine the best treatment for each individual.

For Additional Information Contact:
Telephone: 1-866-544-8208
Or visit us online at www.rxpad.biz and www.rxpadpharmacy.com

In November 2004, four people became paralyzed after purportedly receiving Botox Cosmetic injections at a medical clinic. They were hospitalized with severe botulism poisoning. The paralysis was temporary—a result of being injected with potent, unapproved botulinum toxin.

The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated. As it turns out, about 30 doctors had injected an unapproved, cheaper substitute toxin for FDA-approved Botox Cosmetic into nearly 1,000 unknowing patients.

These doctors ended up with their licenses revoked, paying restitution and fines, and serving jail time.

Think it can’t happen to you? Of course it can. Companies and websites are still out there, offering doctors cheap alternatives to FDA-approved Botox and dermal fillers such as Restylane and Perlane.

When you buy Botox, always make sure you are buying the real thing. You know how the saying goes – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If you buy Botox at prices that are significantly lower than the market price for the FDA-approved drug, you risk buying fake Botox that could injure your patients and land you in jail.

According to the FDA, Under federal law, no form of botulinum toxin may be commercially distributed for use on humans unless it has been approved by the FDA. At this time, Botox Cosmetic, made by Allergan is the only type of botulinum toxin approved by the FDA to temporarily soften the frown lines between the eyebrows.

Similarly to Botox, there are companies who offer doctors fake dermal fillers, including Restylane and Perlane. Those companies are marketing their products with slightly different names than the original, FDA-approved fillers. Don’t be one of those who don’t notice the “misspellings” and only see the price difference. These products are fake, and could be extremely dangerous for your patients. Those same companies often offer to sell deep chemical peel kits directly to consumers (!), which should be a HUGE warning flag for anyone browsing those websites.

Protect your patients. Protect yourself. When you buy Botox and dermal fillers, make sure you buy the real, FDA-approved drugs. Never allow yourself to fall for a scam or become tempted by extremely low prices. Remember: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

When you buy Botox for treating your patient’s facial lines, remember that while the FDA has only approved the cosmetic use of Botox for treating eyebrow furrows, doctors have been successfully administering Botox for treating a number of other cosmetic problems, including crow’s feet, forehead lines, crepey necks and even sagging breasts.

Botox is injected into the facial muscles that create dynamic wrinkles – those formed over time by repeatedly frowning, raising the eyebrows, smiling, or squinting. Some doctors also use Botox to treat wrinkle around the mouth. The injections work by temporarily paralyzing these muscles.

Botox is not effective against other types of wrinkles, including wrinkles caused by heredity, smoking, sun exposure, and the effects of gravity. Other methods, including injecting dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane, may work better to treat some of these conditions.

Off-label use of Botox is possible – and legal – because FDA-approved drugs can be used by licensed doctors off-label according to their best judgment. That includes using those drugs for indications other than the ones that led to FDA approval.

However, when yhttp://blog.rxpad.biz/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=27ou buy Botox for cosmetic off-label use, it’s important to use it responsively. When you administer Botox to treat a wrinkled forehead, crow’s-feet, the mouth area, and bands in the neck, your patient is exposed to higher doses of Botox than those in the studies that led to the FDA approval. Make sure you are conservative with your doses, and ask your patient to focus on the areas that bother her the most instead of tackling everything in one session.

Of course, when you buy Botox for any cosmetic use, you should also remind your patients that just like any medical procedure, Botox is not without risk, although complications are almost always mild and temporary.

Many doctors believe that it’s just a matter of time until the FDA approves Botox for some of the most successful off-label uses such as smoothing forehead lines. Until then, when you buy Botox for off-label uses, use your best judgment and remember that with conservative, correct use of Botox, you can make a real, positive difference in your patient’s self confidence and save them the high cost and risks of surgery.

More and more medical professionals buy Botox these days to treat problems that haven’t yet been officially approved by the FDA as one of the medical or cosmetic problems that Botox can treat.

The FDA has approved Botox for treating eye muscle disorders, neck muscle disorders, excessive sweating and eyebrow furrows. But Allergan, the drug’s maker, owns or has applied for patents on more than 90 uses for the drug.

One of these off-label uses is treating migraines. Anyone who suffers from migraines knows how debilitating this condition can be. Patients who suffer from chronic migraines often try everything – and I mean EVERYTHING, including acupuncture, yoga, diet changes and numerous medications – to relieve the pain. For many of them, Botox seems to be the only thing that works.

Anecdotal reports about the headache relief effect of Botox started surfacing in 2000. Patients who’d had Botox injections to smooth facial lines discovered that their headaches disappeared as well.

Scientists are unsure how exactly Botox works to treat headaches, but one theory says it desensitizes nerves that detect pain. Doctors are injecting Botox around migraine sufferers’ temples, the back of their head, their neck and upper shoulders. Many patients report that a set of Botox injections every 3-4 months eases migraine pain enough to enable them to function normally.

Since those first reports in 2000, several clinical studies have suggested that the muscle paralyzing effects of Botox may help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines, although there are other studies suggesting that Botox is not significantly better at preventing migraines than a placebo.

Even so, it’s generally agreed that Botox may indeed provide migraine relief for a small number of patients, even if not for the majority of them. For many migraine sufferers, quality of life is so low, it makes sense to at least give Botox a try, and so for you as a healthcare professional it makes sense to buy Botox and offer it as an option to your patients.