History of Botox from toxin to blockbuster medical and beauty treatment

Howard Sobel, attending dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, demonstrates how Botox or other anti-wrinkle medicines are applied via syringe to a patient at his office in New York City March 22, 2013.REUTERS/Mike Segar

• Botox, the pharmaceutical drug best known for smoothing out wrinkles, took more than a decade to reach its potential.
• Initially found to be a treatment for a tight eyelid condition, doctors started realizing that after treatment with botulinum toxin A, patients came out with “lovely, untroubled expressions.”  
• Here’s the history of how Botox went from an understudied toxin to a blockbuster drug used by millions. 
• To hear the full story of Botox, subscribe to Business Insider’s podcast “Household Name.” 

Mitchell Brin has a license plate that says “Botox.” 

Brin’s been researching Botox since 1984 and is currently the chief scientific officer of Botox at the drug company Allergan. It’s one of many Botox-related license plates he owns, including some more scientific nods like one that says “Snap-25.” That’s a reference to a protein affected by botulinum toxin A, leading to smoother foreheads when used in the right doses.

“Botox is a big component of my life,” Brin told Business Insider.

Brin is one of the scientists who saw Botox through from its early days as a potential treatment for muscle disorders to what it is today — a blockbuster pharmaceutical drug best known for cosmetic uses like smoothing out wrinkles on patients’ faces.

Here’s the story of how a poisonous toxin became a blockbuster treatment for everything from wrinkles to migraines.