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My Trips to the Hospital


About Me

My Trips to the Hospital

Hi, I'm Cari. When I was a teenager, my best friend Claire's mom got cancer. I started offering to take Deb (the mom) to the hospital for her treatments to help give the family a break. They had all been in and out of the hospital so much, and since I'm basically family to them, it was nice to support Deb and Claire. Not to mention, I was able to learn a lot about different medical topics just be listening and watching while waiting in the hospital. It was fascinating. To everyone's joy, after a long and hard two years, Deb finally beat cancer! I decided to start this blog as a memorial to all those who have struggled with health problems and as a resource to for anyone who needs to know more about hospitals and treatments.

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The Advantages Of Botox

Chances are that you have heard of Botox in the past, and you have probably heard very positive or very negative things about it, but do you know what Botox really is?  Botox is a drug retrieved from the botulin, and it is used to either treat various muscular conditions, or to cosmetically remove wrinkles or enhance other facial features, such as the lips, by temporarily paralyzing the facial muscles.  This may sound scary, however, when performed by a licensed and experienced doctor (like those at Medical Skin Care Center), Botox can have incredible advantages, and you may be interested in learning more about it so that you can consider it for yourself.  You will be joining the 11 million other people who have chosen Botox, according to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.

Safety

First and foremost, you may wonder about the safety of Botox treatments.  According to a study performed by Dr. Murad Alam of Northwestern Illinois University, negative side effects from Botox are reported in less than 1% of patients, when the treatment is performed by a skilled doctor.  For those that did experience negative side effects, they were minor and included bruising, lumping, and skin discoloration.  Overall, Botox is considered a safe procedure for those under the age of 65, and those who are not pregnant.

Treatable Conditions

It is most common to hear about people using Botox for cosmetic reasons, but did you know that it can treat a wide variety of medical conditions?  According to Dr. Anthony Komaroff of Harvard Medical School, Botox can play a role in treating the following conditions:

  • Overactive bladder
  • Chronic migraine headaches
  • Upper limb spasticitiy
  • Cervical dystonia
  • Excessive underarm perspiration
  • Blepharospasm
  • Spasmodic dysphoria

Cosmetic Benefits

You have most likely heard of Botox for its cosmetic benefits.  Botox is known to drastically reduce wrinkles that come to all of us with age, providing the patient the appearance of having had shaved off years of his or her age.  It is important to understand that Botox is not a permanent solution to reducing or removing the appearance of wrinkles, although it can last for several months before your next treatment is necessary.  You can stop and start treatments as you wish.  You will be glad to know that treatment usually only takes five to 10 minutes, and the results usually set in very quickly—sometimes within just a few hours, but typically not longer than a few days.