Is Botox Bad For Your Brain?

April

Despite their hype, most wrinkle creams do not have a significant effect on actually reducing wrinkles. The creams are typically just good skin moisturizers with an added “special” ingredient that makes for a good story but doesn’t actually do anything. (The exceptions are ones with effective levels of retinoids).

What really removes wrinkles

Of course plastic surgery really removes wrinkles. But it’s expensive and involves one or more surgical procedures. Personally, this Beauty Brain doesn’t like the idea of surgery for fixing the things time is doing to my skin. I’ve seen too many celebrity face lifts that have looked too weird (If you’re interested in seeing celebrities who’ve had cosmetic surgery, check out our favorite blog on the subject.) But if wrinkle creams are bogus and surgery’s not an option, at least there’s Botox. Right? Maybe not!

Is Botox Benign?

Now, scientists have found evidence that Botox may not be as safe as believed. According to this Italian study, the toxin used in Botox treatments was shown to migrate into the brains of treated rats. They say there were no observable negative effects, but it does seem a little scary. Could you exposing your brain to a known toxin while smoothing out your skin? Of course, scientists and the media who report on these types of things tend to exaggerate to make things sound more sensational. Botox treatments have been around since the early 1980’s and they were approved by the FDA in 2002. There has been no indication that treatments are turning people into brain damaged zombies.

However, science is always changing and when there is evidence of a problem, it is wise to be cautious. More research will be needed so I remain skeptical of the problem. But if you’re thinking about getting Botox this is just one more thing to add to your consideration. Do you really want to risk nerve and brain damage to get rid of wrinkles?

Some people might.

What do YOU think? Have you, or anyone else you know, had Botox injections?

–Mid Brain

15 Responses to “Is Botox Bad For Your Brain?”

Jo Says:

I’ll tell you one thing: If you get Botox injections for years and years and years, the areas that are injected repeatedly begin to turn green. I don’t know if the nerve endings die off or the muscles die off or if the skin’s just traumatized by repeated needle sticks, but…eugh. Green bits on my face? No. Thank you.
fluff Says:

A good friend of my gets regular Botox injections on her forehead. On two separate times, her right eyelid has drooped for a few weeks after getting the injection. This is probably caused by the nerve to the eyelid getting temporarily paralyzed from the Botox. Although she has recovered both times, I wouldn’t think it would be the risk of having permanent damage to the nerve.
Cindy Says:

Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.
Joshua Powell Says:

I read this elsewhere on the internet a week ago and it is enough to make me reconsider getting Botox again.
Janis Says:

I can’t believe that humans will actually ask to get something with the word “tox” in it injected into their skin. And pay for it.

No, thanks. We age at the precise rate of one day per day, and it’s gonna stay that way. Looking nice at one’s age is reasonable — injecting deadly neurotoxins into one’s facial muscles to do so? I’ll pass …
Beequeen Says:

I know a number of people who have been getting botox for years, with no adverse effects. The key is finding a highly skilled injector, for one. I have never indulged, partly because I plan on having a lift when the time comes. I want something more permanent . I also know people who have gotten fantastic results, totally natural, through surgery- you gotta do your homework and find the best!
Donna Says:

Interesting about botox. Friend of mine is a master aestetician(?) and does botox for her forehead. She said that she knows when it wears off because she gets a headache. She says it is because the muscles are “waking up.” Is that a common side-affect and is it because the muscles are “waking up?”
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Lynnette Says:

Hola everyone,
I find it hard to believe that the Botox alone will cause discoloration of the skin. What is probably the cause is at the injection site, there is leftover makeup or something with pigment that is causing the skin to “tattoo.” A competent doctor will have the skin completely cleaned. If your technician is not skilled, or s/he does not know how to clean the skin first, I would find someplace else to go.
That said:
For many years I have had a twitch on the left side of my face. Because of the twitch getting worse, the left side of my face has a slight sag.
I went to a neurologist and he put me on seizure meds. Aside from the fact that they did not help, the side effects from them were horrendous. Those meds really affect the brain. It screwed up my memory and fortunately I realized this and weaned myself off those meds. (Topomax was the last one I took and that really messed me up!)
My next step was either have surgery with them drilling the back of my head or to try Botox to stop the twitching. I did some research on the Botox and decided this was the route to go. I do not get the Botox for cosmetic purposes.
Depending on the strength and amount the NEUROLOGIST injects, I can go for almost a year and a half without a twitch. I do have a few months where it is hard to close/blink my left eye, but it is worth it to not have the twitch.
I would like to say this: I have to laugh when I see ads for products that claim to be better than Botox. Botox does NOT fill in wrinkles/lines. There is NO topical that will freeze the nerves. If someone wants something to FILL in the wrinkles, they will need to get Restalyn or collagen injections. Botox will not plump out your lines!!!! It will only help prevent you from making them deeper!
I am confident with my physician. He cares about my twitch and how I feel about the Botox. There is a possibility I may need surgery to help with the sagging, but I have not looked into that yet.
If you find a good doctor and not look for the cheapest, you should get good results. But remember, the Botox will not take away those lines or wrinkles.
My last injections were this past Friday, April 11th. The twitch is easing up. The Botox does not take effect immediately.
If you are going to spend good money on injections, be sure to look into the FILLERS.
PS–I do not get the injections on the right side of my face. I hate having to defend my choice to get Botox for this problem. Everyone thinks I do it for cosmetic reasons.
buenos dias,
Lynnette
Brenda Says:

I had botox for the first time, a week ago. Due to a continual stress frown on my forehead, I’ve been succumbed to serious headaches. I could either take pain meds… or try botox.
I did the latter.
While scared to do it.. I didn’t want to be stereotyped (such as Lynnette also states) I chose to try this route before having to do something more evasive.
I don’t regret it. It takes 2 weeks to take full effect, and at day 4 I already felt the effects relieving my headaches. Now it’s day 8 and I’m almost headache free.
I’m told this will last anywhere from 3-6 months because I didn’t need much for the area that was treated and every person is different.
However… the lines that had permanently formed in my head from stress frown… are gone.
Bearing in mind I’m only 35 years young and haven’t really started the ‘aging’ process yet.
While it won’t ‘plump’ your lines out, if they’re not terribly deep it will soften them by relaxing those muscles and preventing them from becoming deeper.
I’m not afraid of botox. But my doctor administers it. People need to arm themselves with knowledge first before making any decisions.
Unfortunately most of society is stupid and will let the media lead them in their decisions.
I say do it, but through a reputable injector. Nothing wrong with it, and if you’re smart about it, then you should have success.
I had no issues with my eyes or anything drooping.. but I had a professional injector. Makes the whole difference.
As for scientists and their ‘theories’ most of them are crap and unproved. Keep that in mind also.
josi Says:

just so people know…it was not BOTOX specifically injected into the rats in the Italian study, it was botulism toxin. Yes, BOTOX is made from botulism toxin…but let’s be clear…it was not BOTOX that was injected. What is injected into faces cosmetically is not the in the same doses as what was comparitively injected into the rats whisker area…or what is injected in people for medical reasons.
The study was not to test the safety of BOTOX. It was not BOTOX that travelled back to the brain either…it was a protein marker…traces of the protein marker were found in the brain. This is not to say further investigation is not warranted…but do take what the media hypes with a grain of salt people.
Even the scientist that ran the Italian study does not see concern in folks using BOTOX.
Do people not realize that many drugs alter the brain and its chemistry? Does anyone realize that drinking and smoking also kill brain cells? That many hormonal drugs and antidepression drugs change the brain too?
People need to look outside the bubble.
josi Says:

just so people know…it was not BOTOX specifically injected into the rats in the Italian study, it was botulism toxin. Yes, BOTOX is made from botulism toxin…but let’s be clear…it was not BOTOX that was injected. What is injected into faces cosmetically is not in the same unit doses as what was comparatively injected into the rats whisker area…or what is injected in people for medical reasons.
The study was not to test the safety of BOTOX. It was not BOTOX that travelled back to the brain either…it was a protein marker…traces of the protein marker were found in the brain. This is not to say further investigation is not warranted…but do take what the media hypes with a grain of salt people.
Even the scientist that ran the Italian study does not see concern in folks using BOTOX.
Do people not realize that many drugs alter the brain and its chemistry? Does anyone realize that drinking and smoking also kill brain cells? That many hormonal drugs and antidepression drugs change the brain too?
People need to look outside the bubble.
Marsha Says:

Josi, your answer is best of all, since it’s very factual, scientific, as well as containing much common sense! Brenda, though I enjoyed reading everything else you said, I do not agree that most scientific therories are “crap” or untrue – rather, it’s how the media presents their findings to us, or how we misinterpret the results. Thanks, Josi, for your concise and thought-provoking info which should settle this debate. I’m currently on oral medications for headaches proven to be safe, yet I know how much these drugs significantly affect my memory. Many medications can pass through the blood-brain barrier into the Central Nervous System, but no one seems too worried about such drugs (though maybe they should), and we all know alcohol kills our (mostly irreplaceable) brain cells. Science is constantly changing its findings, only because it constantly self-corrects itself; when new evidence arises that contradicts old theories, the old theories must then be discarded to make way for the new facts. Science must admit it was wrong. So, to feel perfectly safe about using anything may be an impossibility. Botox, though apparently safe, has not been on the market long enough to know everything about it. One has to go with the facts as they are today – tomorrow any kind of knowledge could change. One must measure the ratio of benefit to the risks; if Botox helps severe and debilitating headaches, I say go for it. It’s not just Botox that would cause side effects. Josi is right.
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