and the University of Pennsylvania. Its aim is to compile and organize the large amount of data published regarding botulinum toxin into a reference for dermatologists and other practitioners using this treatment. At 312 pages it is reasonably comprehensive; however, it is not particularly concise and despite its size there still some significant deficits. Overall, it is a useful reference for anyone administering botulinum toxin for dermatological indications.
It is organized into a prologue, 10 chapters written by nine authors, and five appendices. Chapters include Pharmacology, Facial Anatomy, Use of Botulinum Toxin in the Upper Face, Botulinum Toxin B, and Use in Hyperhidrosis. Because each chapter is written by a separate author and perhaps is intended to be read as a stand-alone piece, there is an annoying amount of repetition for anyone reading the book from cover to cover. It is also written in a verbose fashion which may not lend itself to be a quick reference manual for a busy practitioner in his or her rooms. All but the very novice injector will read very little in the first 150 pages they shouldn't already know, however, the discussion of some of the less common indications such as post-herpetic neuralgia and hyperhidrosis, including anaesthetic options, would be useful for most readers. For the completely novice injector there are probably more concise texts such as Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology: Botulinum Toxin by Carruthers which comes with an instructional DVD.
It has a definite slant toward Botox ® and the chapter on pharmacology is written by the Vice President of Neurotoxins Research Program at Allergan, the manufacturer of Botox ® . There is an eight-page chapter on Dysport ® ; however, the text stresses that the remaining 304 pages pertain to Botox ® . The text stresses that data and experience with Botox ® should not be automatically extrapolated to other forms of botulinum toxin such as Dysport ® .
Glaring deficits are the minimal discussion of the data regarding duration of action, contraindications and interactions.
The cost of the book is very reasonable, and at a fraction of the cost of a single botulinum toxin treatment, it is hardly a consideration.
Overall, it is a useful reference text for any dermatologist using botulinum toxin. Its main problem is that it is too repetitive to strongly recommend being read from cover to cover and, although chapters can be read in isolation, it is not particularly easy to quickly access the information you require because of its wordy style.