Just a couple of months ago, British drugstore chain Superdrug announced that it might start offering Botox injections to its customers for just £ 99, which's roughly USD 130.

Clients must be over 25 years of age and must book the procedure in advance. The store does not offer walk-in treatments.

Can a similar service here in the United States be far behind? With more than 7 million Botox procedures performed each year, it is clear that the demand is there!

Have you been considering Botox? If you don't know whether or not to try this minimally invasive procedure, read on to learn about some of the amazing benefits of Botox.

First, the truth about what Botox is

Botox is derived from Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can cause a type of illness caused by botulism. However, when formulated for cosmetic or medical use, botulinum toxin has beneficial effects.

In addition to its ability to relax facial muscles that are prone to causing wrinkles, Botox offers a host of medical uses, including treating:

• Migraines
• Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating
• Neuropathic pain
• Chronic pain
• Muscle spasticity
• Overactive bladder
• Allergy symptoms
• Misalignment of the eyes
• Depression and anxiety

Botox is FDA approved for a few of the uses, but not all. The Food and Drug Administration approved Botox for cosmetic applications in 2002.

The surprising benefits of Botox

The number of people choosing Botox to help restore their smooth, wrinkle-free skin and overall youthful appearance has been on the rise, and it's no wonder. Take a look at the benefits of Botox to see for yourself.

1. Botox is preventive

Despite the marketing jargon touting botox injections as a treatment for "moderate to severe" wrinkles and lines, Botox may work better on wrinkles that have not yet formed. In any case, this minimally invasive cosmetic procedure works at least as well on emerging wrinkles as it does on established ones.

The younger you start with Botox injections, the less of them you will need throughout your life. By relaxing facial muscles that can cause wrinkles, this treatment not only works retroactively, it can also prevent wrinkles from taking over your skin.

2. Botox is quick and practically painless

Unlike other cosmetic procedures that are bona fide surgeries and as such require a hospital stay, getting a Botox injection is very simple. You can do the procedure at lunchtime! It only takes 15 to a half-hour for botox  before and after treatment .

Not only is it quick, but it is also almost painless. Many satisfied Botox patients say that the treatment is comparable in feel to receiving a flu shot or other vaccine.

There are some side effects to be aware of, although they are very rare. Botox patients sometimes experience redness, irritation, swelling, or bruising at the injection site. Headaches and flu-like symptoms may also appear.

When you see the esthetician who will give you the botox injection, they will explain all the possible side effects to you. And if at any point after receiving a botox treatment, you don't feel well, be sure to seek medical attention just to be safe.

3.The effects of Botox improve over time

It will take a few days for you to see an improvement in your skin condition after undergoing a Botox procedure. Once you start to see a change, you can expect to look better and better, up to about the two-week mark. Therefore, do not judge the results of your Botox injection right away.

The effects will eventually wear off, but that takes for much longer - four to 6 months, on average. This is good news for people who are skeptical about the procedure; Unlike many other cosmetic surgical treatments, Botox is not permanent.

If you don't like the way it looks, you won't have to live with it forever or go through any kind of expensive change. Just give it time.

4. Botox works on all skin types.

The effects of Botox do not discriminate. Botulinum toxin can be used effectively on any ethnicity or skin tone. This is good news for African American women, as well as for people of Asian descent.

Minimally invasive non-surgical cosmetic treatments, such as Botox and dermal fillers, not only serve wealthy Caucasian women but are equal-opportunity procedures.

5. Botox doesn't freeze your face

One of the most widespread myths about Botox is that it will "freeze" your facial muscles, resulting in a mask-like facial expression that you can't get rid of. Many people fear that if they receive Botox injections, they're going to not be ready to smile, frown, raise their eyebrows or have various facial expressions.

This is simply not true.

Instead of "freezing" the face, Botox injections relax the muscles under the area of ​​skin most prone to wrinkles. Due to the way Botox works, it is not effective on all types of wrinkles. Wrinkles that have occurred as a result of sun damage, or the effect of gravity, will not respond to Botox-like wrinkles that occur when using the muscles of the face.