Botox Courses Required for Doctors Wishing to Conduct this Procedure

 

In most countries, including South Africa, Botox treatments may only be conducted by a medical doctor who, in turn, is required to have completed one of the available courses designed to teach its principles and its practice, and those applications in which its use is deemed to be appropriate. Often thought of as the active agent itself, Botox is simply one of several brand names given by their manufacturers to a variety of preparations in which the active ingredient is a powerful toxin produced by a bacterium named Clostridium botulinum. This is the organism responsible for botulism or, as this condition is sometimes known, ptomaine poisoning.

 

Over time, popular usage has led to this same brand name, the first of its kind to receive FDA approval, also becoming synonymous with the actual procedure for which it is used. If asked to cite this use, most people would respond without hesitation that it is a treatment to tighten up the skin and to get rid of frown lines, crow’s feet, wrinkles and other fine lines that are the tell-tale signs that, inevitably, time tends to take its toll on us all. While this is certainly the most common purpose for which Botox treatments are conducted, it is not the only one, and training courses may well cover these other applications.

 

The toxin itself was first discovered in the 1820s when a German doctor was investigating why sausages made in the town were making people ill. It was, however, only in the 1950s that the effect of injecting this toxin was discovered to relax muscle tissue. The discovery sparked all manner of experiments in which therapeutic, rather than cosmetic, uses were the main focus. Treatments were attempted for use on patients affected by dystonia in one form or another, spasticity, brain injuries and may other conditions in which muscular activity was in some way compromised, and met with varying degrees of success. Some of the less well-known applications among those that have proved successful are the treatment of strabismus (cross eyes), bruxism (unconscious grinding of the teeth) and hyperhidrosis (excessive and unmanageable sweating), as well as the treatment of nasal allergies, such as allergic rhinitis.

 

The extent to which these are covered by Botox courses may vary and may even be dealt with separately from the cosmetic applications that have become the most common use for this and for similar preparations since the onset of the 21st century. Such training is often combined with instruction in the use of dermal fillers, and is best dealt with in two parts, beginning with the basics and sufficient practice to enable a practitioner to begin conducting treatments, and progressing to more advanced instruction designed to extend and perfect these skills.

 

At the Medskills Training Academy, we aspire to be the very best at what we do. Offering intensive short courses in a wide range of medical aesthetic procedures, we provide instruction by industry experts at the cutting edge of their respective, specialised fields. In the belief that hands-on experience conducted under the close personal supervision of experts is the key to success, throughout all of our training, including the Botox courses, our classes are limited to just five attendees.