There is no doubt that the desire to remain youthful is a continuing trend amongst men and women with various measures undertaken such as meticulous, selective diets, vigorous workout regimes and anti-aging cosmetic and surgical procedures. Speaking of latter, Botox has remained the dominant and reigning champ for quite some time. For many, the muscle relaxant injections have become a normal part of their regular beauty regimes. However, the recent emergence of a new procedure called ‘Frotox’ may jeopardise the future of toxin injections. Frotox also known as Coldtox, Cryoneuromodulation or Iovera has generated quite a stir in the field of cosmetic surgery with some already terming it the next Botox.
Frotox works by utilising the numbing effect that intense cold conditions exert on nerves. When nerves are exposed to extremely cold conditions they become paralysed rendering them unable to perform their associated functions, Frotox uses this in a highly targeted way. Pressurised liquid nitrous oxide is injected via extremely thin closed end needles into the specific nerve that controls muscles responsible for wrinkles on the forehead and between the brows. The focused cold therapy interrupts nerve signals by causing second degree Wallarian degeneration – the process that occurs when a nerve is cut or crushed. The axon gradually regenerates restoring conduction usually after a period of approximately three months. The entire procedure takes around 20 minutes and requires administration of local anesthetics on the forehead. The sensation of being injected is painless and causes the patient to experience pressure rather than cold or stinging.
Advocates have been quick to hop aboard the Frotox bandwagon citing its superiority to Botox as it is non-toxic and results are immediate. The developers of Frotox, Myoscience, a privately-held California-based medical device company wish to make it standard care for alleviating chronic pain in patients. Nevertheless, some very potent queries about Frotox still need to be addressed such as:
Based on the above points, it may be premature to claim that Frotox is more effective than Botox right now.
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