Ep 120 The Story of Botulinum Toxin | Dr Jean Carruthers

Episode 120 hosts Dr Jean Carruthers (Opthalmologist from Vancouver, Canada) In the late 1980's working as an opthalmologist, Dr Carruthers and her husband Dr Alistair Carruthers (a dermatologist) pioneered how botulinum toxin can be used specifically for cosmetic purposes - now the most common cosmetic procedure in the world. Jean is globally-recognised for her expertise in research and has authored more than 300 peer reviewed scientific publications, 70 book chapters and 9 textbooks. She's given thousands of presentations on cosmetic treatments and continues to lecture on the world stage as a keynote speaker. We first discuss how she learnt to use botulinum toxin and the day she deliberately treated the first patient in the world for frown line treatment - her receptionist Cathy Swann. We learn how her peers initially dismissed the idea of injectable cosmetic treatments and yet over time, how Jean and Alistair designed the first trials and worked with Allergan to brand the treatment as 'Botox'. We explore how the current protocols (known as prescribing information) were designed and learn how Dr Carruthers still does things to this day. We also look into the future of toxins to discuss longer and shorter acting products, the issue of toxin resistance, which brands she favours and much, much more! 00:00 Introduction 01:04 Meet Dr Jean Carruthers 05:59 Discovering Botulinum Toxin for Medical Use   10:56 First Cosmetic Treatments and Early Patient Reactions   18:27 Publishing the First Study and Industry Skepticism   26:25 Early Dosing, Dilution and Injection Techniques   33:29 Building Evidence and Gaining Clinical Acceptance   41:37 Safety, Regulation and Importance of Trusted Products   48:53 Growth of the Aesthetic Industry and Changing Stigma   52:09 Emotional Impact of Treatments and Patient Confidence   59:04 Development of Cosmetic Botox and Commercial Adoption   01:07:16 Expanding Treatment Areas Beyond the Glabella   01:14:29 Lessons From Complications and Technique Refinement   01:21:52 New Toxin Innovations and Longer Lasting Products   01:28:35 Training Standards and Who Should Be Injecting   01:37:03 Future of Neuromodulators and Final Thoughts ALL IA LINKS & CONTACT INFORMATION