Botulinum is a poison – why is it OK to inject a poison into your body?
Many of the powerful drugs used in the medical profession can be toxic at higher non- therapeutic doses. The dose and the injection technique are essential for a successful outcome. This is why it is always advisable to have injections administered by a Doctor who specialises in the use of Botulinum toxin.
By extolling the virtues of Botulinum toxin are you saying that growing old is a bad thing?
Firstly, it is important to point out that injections were initially used as a medical treatment in the 1970s to help children with strabismus and continues to be used for medical purposes today for conditions such as dystonia , spasticity and excessive sweating. It wasn’t until the early 90s that its cosmetic potential was realised.
Growing old is not a bad thing, but it is important for everyone to take good care of themselves as they get older. For many clients, looking after themselves involves healthy eating, taking regular exercise, even having their hair coloured professionally. Having injections for cosmetic reasons is simply an extension of this. It makes them feel better about themselves as they get older, and gives them the confidence to continue doing the things they enjoy doing.
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Has Botulinum toxin ever caused any real damage to a patient? What’s the worst case you’ve ever known?
Firstly it is important to point out that if the correct dosage is administered by a specialist, it is very unlikely that any damage will happen as a result of a injection.
injections have been known to cause some transient side effects that can last between 4-6 weeks, but they are rare. Side effects can be caused by the wrong dosage, the technique, or it could be that the patient is particularly sensitive.
Patients can also become resistant to Botulinum toxin and this has been reported in 2% of the cases in Europe, mainly when frequent injections (with an interval less than 9 weeks between injections), or where injections with large doses have been performed.
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What is your age limit for a patient for a patient? Would you inject someone under 20?
There is no age limit for having injections in its therapeutic use in neurology.
If we are talking about the ethics of injecting someone aged 20 for lines or wrinkles, I would undertake a thorough consultation with the patient to find out what their concerns are with their appearance and understand if is the right course of action for them. I would also discuss alternative solutions. In the majority of cases, for lines or wrinkles at 20 is probably not the answer, but every case should be examined individually.
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Do you have Botulinum toxic injections yourself?
What do you think? If it’s done correctly, you should not be able to tell!
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Why should a patient go to a doctor for injections – surely a beautician can do the same thing?
The reasons why you should visit a doctor for injections are:
- patients will receive a careful and thorough consultation, where the patient’s expectations of the injections will be discussed, as it may be different from what the Doctor can realistically achieve.
- The protocol of injection (doses, number of injections) will be decided based on the expectations of the patient and the clinical examination, looking in particular at the way the patient expresses his/herself; for example, frowning, raising the eyebrows or smiling may accentuate the facial lines. Every patient is different and will have different lines, wrinkles and facial muscles – therefore each patient will need to be injected differently.
- At the London BTX Centre patients will be injected by Dr Marie-Helene Marion, consultant neurologist who been has been a pioneer in the use of Botulinum toxin injections, in France since 1986.
- Dosage and technique is essential to a successful outcome, therefore it is advisable to have the injections carried out by a qualified Doctor, rather than a beautician who will offer as part of a number of treatments, but will not be a specialist in the use of Botulinum toxin.
This last paragraph seems redundant to me
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Do you ever turn patients away because you think they don’t need ?
At the London BTX Centre every patient receives a careful and thorough consultation where the patient’s expectations of the injections will be discussed. During this consultation it may transpire that is not the correct course of action for the patient hence why it is always important to have a thorough consultation before undertaking the treatment.
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How old is your oldest patient?
There are no upper age limits. It is an individual’s choice whether to receive or not, regardless of age.
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Surely freezes your facial expressions, what do you think about that?
In instances such as Facial Palsy, actually helps to restore expression in patient’s faces.
For lines and wrinkles, if you are using a Doctor to administer the injections, who is a specialist in the use of Botulinum toxin and facial anatomy, having will actually smooth rather than freeze facial expression.
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Do we know the long-term side effects of Botulinum toxin injections?
Long term safety of Botulinum toxin is a big issue in the medical world. Insert more information on the two long-term studies.
2 studies published in peer neurological journals had confirmed the long- term efficacy and safety of BTX , in a group of patients treated for more than 10 years with BTX for medical reasons. The BTX injections after up to 15 years were still as efficient and lasting than the first initial injections. 9% became resistant ,that is to say vaccinated to BTX, and did not benefit any more from the injections. Because no long term side effects were observed in the 2 studies, the neurological teams concluded at the long term safety of the BTX injections.
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Is Botulinum toxin suitable for everyone?
The treatment is not recommended for pregnant women and patients with some muscle diseases, hence the necessity for a careful and detailed consultation prior to injection.
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Isn’t it typical for a patient to go onto to want cosmetic treatments/surgery after they’ve experienced ?
Botulinum toxin itself is not addictive as you don’t need to increase the dosage over the sessions of injections and the patient has no withdrawal symptoms if they decide to stop the injections. Therefore, it would not be true to say that all patients will go on to have more cosmetic treatment or surgery.
It’s true on the other hand that some patients are hoping that change in their appearance will be associate with changes in their personal life, and therefore are seeking inappropriately for various treatments. Doctors have their role in helping these patients to understand the realistic goals of cosmetic treatments.
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