Botox and Side Effects: Allaying Fears

Botox is a quick and effective way of treating wrinkles on the face. The common areas that are treated are the frown lines, forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet and smokers lines. One of the questions or fears that people have regarding the usage of Botox as anti-aging procedure to remove wrinkles is whether injecting Botox is a generally a safe treatment procedure and whether there are any side effects.

Botox is a very safe treatment; there are no permanent side effects from Botox. However depending on the skill and experience of the person injecting you can rarely be left with a less than ideal result.  Poor injection technique or injecting excessively high doses can cause drooping of the eyebrow. When this happens it is not permanent and usually wears off from between one to four weeks.

Injecting excessively high doses of Botox can leave some with a “frozen” or startled appearance which is less than ideal. It is better to have a little movement around the frown and forehead which will appear natural.

Botox is not recommended if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Although there have not been any actual reports of harm caused to the unborn child, it is not advisable to have Botox Injections in these cases.

Botox is also used with caution in patients with chronic medical conditions such as Myasthenia Gravis, Eaton Lambert syndrome or those suffering from Bell’s palsy as it may exacerbate or make the symptoms of these diseases more noticeable.  If you are suffering from a medical condition and would like to find out whether Botox treatment is advisable, you should talk to a Botox doctor.

Most Botox clinics offer consultations for their clients. This is a good way to for you to meet the clinic staff and doctor before deciding on having the treatment. The doctor can go through the different options to ensure Botox is right for you, and they can check your medical history to ensure that it is fine for you to have the procedure.

Injecting Botox is a skilled procedure and should be carried out by a registered and insured medical professional such as a doctor or a nurse. The treatment itself can take around ten to fifteen minutes.  After having the treatment you should follow the post procedure advice. This usually entails avoiding alcohol, excessive exercise, sauna’s steam rooms and facials for at least 24 hours.

Finally don’t expect the Botox to work straight away, as it usually takes about four to seven days for the treatment to start working. The effects usually last for an average of three months.