Bro Tox

Dr. Alan Scott may be the model of the a doctor searching to cure a problem that has plagued the world since creation. He wanted to find a way to treat strabismus which most of us call "crossed eyes". The effect of this more than cancels out the benefits of stereoscopic vision. Society has also tended to mock and demean people with this malady.

In 1980 he found the cure and it was licensed for medicinal use. Produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, botulinum toxin acts a neurotoxin causing a temporary paralysis of the muscles the affected nerves control. This turned out to have a hidden dividend: Botox was also effective at treating certain kinds of tension migraines, giving sufferers back their lives.


All medications come with side effects. Without the stimulation of the nerves treated with Botox, the muscles could no longer contract. The result is that those wrinkles we all acquire as time goes on disappear for a few months until the effects of the Botox wear off. If you Google Botox you will probably see the name of Dr. Jean Caruthers, not the name of Dr. Scott. Dr. Caruthers is credited as being the first person to use Botox for cosmetic purposes.


We live in a world where we constantly declare that "it's what is inside you, not your outsides that is important." We don't really believe this, because if we did we would not spend the money to poison (toxin means poison) ourselves just to lose a few wrinkles. We would also spend our money to enjoy the work of actresses like Meryl Streep. She refuses to Botox so we writer her off as "past her prime" and only suited for "older roles". Her acting is still magnificent. But you will note the number of celebrities and even our everyday friends that invest in Botox to appear younger than we are.


As an aside, I don't understand how a true actor, who uses their face as a tool with enormous impact, can justify paralyzing it. Gone are the little nuances of tension in an eye wink, a raised eyebrow or a concerned forehead. The term for this is "frozen face" and due to the lack of skill of many cosmetic doctors, you can see it everywhere.


It is not just women using Botox, as we still tend to give inordinate priority to their beauty missing much of their other contributions. Men, too, are into the Botox party. It even has its own moniker, "Bro Tox".


Dr. Scott sold the patent on Botox to Allergan for $8 million. Most people laugh at his business ineptitude. His response that I read was, "I already have everything I want with $8 million, what would I do with more?" Allergan has the answer: Make people aware of the terrible effects wrinkles can have on who you are, then sell you something you can buy again, and again, and again....