肉毒杆菌毒素长期因简单地掩盖皱纹而被嘲笑，实际上可能会使皮肤更具弹性和对皱纹的抵抗力。
肉毒杆菌毒素是一种使面部肌肉瘫痪以减少皱纹的外观的注射，它因其肤浅而短暂而成为徒劳的小明星的首选补救措施而闻名。
但是最近
根据发表在JAMA Facial Plastic Surgeryby dermatologist Dr. James Bonaparte of the University of Ottawa and Dr. David Ellis of the University of Toronto.
“肉毒杆菌毒素的最初理论是您瘫痪了肌肉，然后再也无法皱纹，因为您无法移动。这表明可能不仅发生了，而且实际上您正在重塑皮肤以摆脱皱纹，” Bonaparte说。
皮肤科医生观察到，即使是肉毒杆菌毒素没有被肉毒杆菌毒素擦除的深皱纹也变得不那么严重。波拿巴已努力科学地衡量效果。
In the current study, he and Ellis used a Cutometer, a device that sucks the skin and measures how much it rebounds to its previous position. As we age, our skin becomes less elastic, recoiling about 30 percent less at age 70 than it does at age 20.
Flaccid skin makes us look older. It also makes the skin more prone to wrinkle.
研究人员发现，当肉毒杆菌毒素的作用最强大时，该药物可能会增加30％。效果在两个月的峰值达到峰值，然后在四个月后下降之前减弱。
研究人员追踪了43位首次使用肉毒杆菌毒素的女性。
波拿巴较早工作在同一主题上受到批评。批评家认为，似乎弹性的原因可能只是注射受伤而肿胀。随着皮肤的损伤愈合，它会吸收更多的水，并在一两个星期内变得更加弹性。
当前的研究裁定，通过表明伤害导致对吸力的抗药性模式不同。
“肉毒杆菌素可能做两件事,一个muscle one to the skin,” Bonaparte said.
If indeed Botox makes the skin more elastic, it may also help prevent the formation of wrinkles. That could expand the market for cosmetic injections significantly. More than 6.6 million Americans underwent treatment with Botox or a similar drug last year,according致美国整形外科医生学会。
Bonaparte, who also works in private practice, performs Botox injections for a fee. His study was funded by Allergan, the pharmaceutical company that makes Botox. All of the research to date on the potential anti-aging effects of Botox has been funded by Allergan, Bonaparte said.
在法律上也可以使用另外两种产品Dysport和Xeomin，将眉毛之间的沟渠静音。像肉毒杆菌毒素一样，它们来自天然存在的肉毒杆菌毒素。只有肉毒杆菌毒素得到食品药品监督管理局的批准，可以在乌鸦的脚上使用，但其他植物管理局经常在标签外使用。
波拿巴说：“没有理由相信其他药物不会产生相同的作用。”
To nail down exactly how the botulinum toxins ramp up elasticity, the next step will be to remove small bits of skin from participants before and after the procedures.