Is Botox Dangerous? A Cosmetologist’s Commentary

The use of Botox in cosmetology is very popular today — these “beauty injections” are administered to correct facial mimic wrinkles. However, recent studies have confirmed that botulinum toxin injections cause significant harm to the body and have serious side effects.

Is Botox dangerous, and what harm can such injections cause to the body? We discussed this with Olesya Kolesnik, cosmetologist at the i-MED Integrative Medicine Center.

“Botox injections, which are used to smooth mimic wrinkles and other organic changes on the face, are not as safe as some cosmetologists claim.

Botulinum toxin is a potent poison — the very toxin that causes botulism, a life-threatening food poisoning,” explains Olesya Kolesnik.

Most specialists in the beauty industry promote Botox injections, assuring that they are safe because only small doses of diluted botulinum toxin type A are used.

But even the smallest doses can disrupt the transmission of impulses from nerve endings to muscles, thereby causing paralysis.

“The fact is, botulinum toxin does not have a ‘wrinkle-fighting’ function. Its job is to cause limited muscle paralysis in the areas it reaches. Botox easily penetrates nerve tissue and selectively affects molecular structures responsible for transmitting nerve impulses. If the botulinum toxin penetrates deeper and spreads to other tissues, the consequences can be unexpected. That is why cosmetologists warn their clients not to scratch the injection sites. Doing so can spread the toxin to adjacent tissues,” explains the specialist.

Side effects of Botox injections:

• Local immune disruption, which can provoke a severe herpes virus outbreak;

• Facial nerve paralysis, excessive salivation, and a “tragic mask” effect on the face;

• Asymmetry, crooked smile, displacement of facial parts. For example, one eyebrow may droop while the other rises. This reaction occurs due to the “spread” of the product into other tissues. Everyone’s left and right facial halves are naturally asymmetrical, and often to “turn off” muscles, one side requires a slightly larger dose than the other. Here, a cosmetologist can “miss the mark”;

• Botulinum toxin may affect the upper eyelid muscles — in this case, the eyes cannot open or close fully, and the eyelids remain half-closed. This leads to tearing and dry eyes;

• Vision problems. If the product spreads beyond the targeted area along the circular muscle of the eye, it can paralyze the lateral rectus muscle and cause strabismus. Until the substance is fully eliminated from the body, the person will have blurred vision;

• Swelling and bags under the eyes. Changes in muscle tone after the procedure and fluid retention can disrupt blood circulation and lymphatic flow, and in some cases cause persistent extensive edema. Angioedema (Quincke’s edema) may also occur as an allergic reaction to botulinum toxin;

• Partial paralysis of the throat muscles after Botox injection, manifesting as hoarseness and difficulty swallowing.

“If botulinum toxin is used repeatedly, changes occur in the sensory areas of the cerebral cortex. After a relatively short loss of facial muscle activity, both hands may suffer from loss of cortical brain activity and lose mobility,” adds the cosmetologist.