Botox Myths – We Tell All

Rarely a day goes by without there being some mention in the media of Botox. Most commonly it is stories mentioning celebrities, who’s had it done, who’s denying they’ve had the treatment, who says they’re open to have treatment in the future and who has sworn of Botox completely. Quite often we hear of the negative side effects of Botox, and about those who have had poor results, which can make us feel Botox is unwise, unsafe and risky.

Most recently Jerry Hall was quoted as saying that she believe women who turn to cosmetic surgery to combat ageing are ‘lunatics’ and that she won’t be having Botox because it’s ‘poison’. While having cosmetic surgery is a deeply personal choice, and not one which everyone wants to go through, both women and men are perfectly at liberty to opt to have surgery for aesthetic reasons. Although these anti-wrinkle injections are one of the most popular non-surgical treatments worldwide, there are many myths which persist about it and which give Botox a bad name. We’ve debunked three of the most Botox myths for you below.

1. Anyone Can Administer It
Botox is a prescription only medicine and must be treated as such. Only a qualified medical professional, such as a plastic surgeon or aesthetic nurse, with the right training should be performing Botox injections. Unfortunately Botox is not regulated so it is widely available from a number of places, and people who have had no experience of Botox can easily set themselves up to offer injections. If such a place offers you Botox injections or someone offers to visit you at home to perform the injections then alarm bells really should start to ring. All the side effects we hear about from Botox, such as a frozen expression, drooping eyebrows or eyelids and double vision, are usually a result of inexperience application.

2. It Is Unsafe
As we usually hear about people who had a negative reaction to the treatment, rather than those who have had a positive enhancement, it can lead us to believe the it is an unsafe treatment that we should never consider. While there are risks associated with all surgical and non-surgical procedures, Botox has been studied for use in humans for over 100 years and is completely safe. It has been the subject of over 2000 peer reviewed studies and research papers. Again the results of Botox are dependant on the skill of the practitioner not the product, bad results are most likely the result of inexperienced applications – from injecting too much Botox, injecting the Botox too regularly or injected the Botox into the wrong area.

3. Only Used For Facial Wrinkles
Although these anti-wrinkle injections are best known as highly effective wrinkle treatment it actually has a wide variety of uses. The injections on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, forehead and underneath the arms can help reduce excessive sweating, and Botox can also be used in some cases to help those with migraines. In the USA it’s also commonly used to relieve foot pain, the nasty side effect of spending hours wearing stilettos, and Botox injections in the calf can also help to reduce their size. Further research into Botox may also bring to light even more uses for Botox, at the moment it’s being suggested that it may be able to help with knee pain and be an alternative to more invasive knee surgery.

If you would like to find out more Botox and how it could help you, book a consultation with one of our aesthetic nurses here.