Botox is the brand name for the cosmetic substance botulinum toxin type A. Also called onabotulinumtoxin A, Botox is typically injected into the muscles to treat certain medical conditions, as well as to get rid of wrinkles and make your skin appear younger. Certain risks are involved with Botox injections, including certain factors relating to toxicity. Discuss Botox with your doctor carefully before undergoing these injections.
Function
Botox is made from the bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which is a type of bacteria that causes food poisoning and is considered a bacterial neurotoxin. This means that Botox has toxic effects on your nerves, inhibiting chemical signals to your muscles and essentially reducing or blocking muscle contractions, explains the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. When injected into your muscles, Botox can essentially paralyze the muscles temporarily, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
Uses
Botox is often injected into the muscles--usually in the face--as a cosmetic procedure to reduce wrinkles and smooth the skin, says the University of Michigan Health System. Although its cosmetic uses are best known, Botox has other medicinal purposes. You might have Botox injections to help treat muscle-spasm disorders such as cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, achalasia, cerebral palsy and temporomandibular disorder, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Botox injections are sometimes also recommended for treating crossed eyes or strabismus, excessive sweating, migraines, peripheral nerve pain, brain injuries that cause muscle spasms, urinary incontinence and disorders involving the anal sphincter.
Dangers
Toxicity can occur when too much of the botulinum toxin is injected or if the toxin spreads outside the injection area, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You could experience similar symptoms as botulism, which include breathing difficulty. In rare cases, toxicity can be fatal. Other symptoms of Botox toxicity could include muscle atrophy, eyelid drooping and difficulty swallowing. You could also develop corneal ulceration, a sore on the whites of your eyes, and a reduced ability to make facial expressions, warns the University of Michigan Health System. If you have vision problems, muscle atrophy throughout your body, difficulty breathing, bladder-control issues or difficulty speaking after Botox injections, seek medical attention right away, MayoClinic.com cautions.
Considerations
Although Botox injections are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for most medical and cosmetic uses, you must seek a qualified, experienced health care professional to perform the injections, MayoClinic.com avers. Consult your primary physician before undergoing Botox injections and obtain a referral to a reputable doctor or health care provider to receive the injections. Also, keep in mind that Botox injections are effective for only a few months, which means you will need additional injections a few times each year to continue the effects, notes the University of Michigan Health System. In some cases, other treatments or cosmetic therapies are less costly than Botox.
Warning
The most common side effects of Botox injections are pain, bruising, itching and redness at the injection site, as well as nausea, headaches, sweating and muscle weakness, MayoClinic.com says. You could develop blisters or a rash on your skin, flu-like symptoms or even seizures following Botox injections. Children who receive Botox injections to treat muscle spasms due to cerebral palsy are at a high risk for the toxin spreading outside the injection area and death due to botulinum toxicity, warns the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Also, Botox injections can worsen certain muscular or nerve conditions like myasthenia gravis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and they can interact with antibiotics and certain other medications.
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