Botox is one of the most popular, non-surgical methods available for eliminating facial wrinkles.

Wrinkles on the face are caused by using certain muscles in a consistent pattern over a long period of time, such as by squinting and frowning. By the time we are 30 or 40, these wrinkles are well-established.

Botox does its job of eliminating wrinkles by making the underlying facial muscles unable to contract. With muscle contraction, no wrinkle can form. It's that simple.

Xeomin

In July 2011, the FDA approved Xeomin (pronounced ZEE-o-min) for the same use as Botox. It is quite comparable to Botox and as its chief competitor will have the effect of driving down the cost of getting rid of those glabellar and forehead lines and crow's feet. It is produced by Merz Pharmaceuticals.

Xeomin Update (March, 2012): At the current time, Xeomin is unavailable due to ongoing litigation with Allergan, makers of Botox regarding misappropriation of trade secrets. In a resounding victory, Allergan, Inc. has secured a permanent injunction from a California federal court forbidding competitors Merz Pharmaceuticals and Merz Aesthetic from rolling out the sale of Xeomin for cosmetic purposes for the next ten months. Merz had planned its launch of Xeomin for cosmetic purposes on March 15. Remarkably, the misappropriation at issue primarily arises from customer lists and contact information -- information that has been increasingly difficult to protect in recent trade secret cases.

We will keep you abreast of developments in the Xeomin vs. Botox battle but for the time being, LivingYoung is no longer able to provide this product.