The New Alternative to Botox… Bee Venom

If you like to follow the celebrities' intense skin and beauty regimes but can't justify injecting your face with Botox, this new treatment discovery could have you hooked.

Celebrities have found an alternative, and just as effective, method to the paralysis treatment. Kate Middleton, Dannii Minogue, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gwyneth Paltrow all swear by the new treatment, saying it tightens their facial muscles and portrays a younger, fresher look.

The magic words? Bee venom.

The venom is now available on the mainstream beauty market as more brands launch the natural alternative to Botox. Although bee venom therapy is available, the most popular, and easiest, way to treat the skin is with a bee venom face mask.

So, how does it work?

In short, the bee venom fools the skin into thinking it has been lightly stung, stimulating collagen and elastin and creating the tightening and smoothing effect.

The venom consists of more than 18 natural substances that cannot be chemically reproduced. It is readily used in therapies for the treatment of such conditions as arthiritis and dissolving scar tissue. This is because the venom stimulates the release of cortisone and can be applied directly or by intramuscular injections.

The most abundant active component of the bee venom is melittin, which has many useful properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral actions.

How does it end up in the bottle?

To extract the bee venom a pane of glass is placed alongside the hive and a small electrical current is run through it which encourages bees to sting the surface. The bees are not harmed in the process and the venom is collected safely.

And, finally, how does it differ from Botox?

The venom is a complex mix of enzymes, proteins and amino acids. It is a colourless, clear liquid and it is soluble in water. It is hemorrhagic, differing from snake venom, which is a coagulant.