Emerging off-label esthetic uses of botulinum toxin in dermatology.

Kevin Phan, Shannon Younessi, Danielle Dubin, Matthew J Lin, Hooman Khorasani

Dermatologic therapy 2022 Jan

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Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism. Botulinum toxin was first used for therapeutic indications in the 1970s for the treatment of strabismus. With greater understanding of its underlying physiology and safety profile, the use of botulinum toxin has now expanded to a range of cosmetic and medical indications. We performed a systematic review of current literature on the applications of botulinum toxin on off-label esthetic uses. Electronic databases were searched for original published studies including randomized trials, observational or cohort studies, as well as relevant case reports. To add to the body of evidence, our review summarizes and synthesizes key study characteristics, results, and level of evidence for each use case. Although the body of evidence remains weak, there is increasing support for the use of botulinum toxin in emerging off-label esthetic uses of botulinum toxin in dermatology. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Citation

Kevin Phan, Shannon Younessi, Danielle Dubin, Matthew J Lin, Hooman Khorasani. Emerging off-label esthetic uses of botulinum toxin in dermatology. Dermatologic therapy. 2022 Jan;35(1):e15205