Before you go ahead
Cost: In the UK, botulinum toxin injections cost £150-£300 per session, depending on the amount of product used.
Limitations:
- The effect isn’t permanent.
- There’s no guarantee the desired effect will be achieved.
Safety: Take time to find a reputable practitioner who is properly qualified. Ask the practitioner what you should do if something were to go wrong.
Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine that should only be prescribed and administered by an appropriately trained healthcare professional.
Legally, the prescriber can delegate the administration of the injections to another person, but they are responsible for ensuring it is given safely.
You shouldn’t have botulinum injections if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, since the effects on the baby aren’t known.
What it involves?
The first step is to meet with the doctor, nurse prescriber, pharmacist prescriber or dentist who will prescribe the medicine. This should always be a face-to-face meeting.
They’ll want to fully understand your medical history and reasons for wanting the treatment before they go ahead.
The person who prescribed the medicine might administer it, or they might delegate this task to another person.
Local anesthetic isn’t usually needed. Your skin is cleaned and small amounts of botulinum toxin are injected into the muscles of the face to be treated.
Several injections are usually needed at different sites. It takes about 30 minutes. The injections may be a little painful. Most people tolerate the discomfort well.
Risks
Possible Risks, Complications & Side Effects to Botox
- Hypersensitivity, Allergic response, Anaphylactic reaction (rare but can occur)
- Asymmetry of facial expressions
- Muscle weakness, twitching
- Bruising/swelling/skin redness
- Stinging/burning
- Headaches
- Drooping of the eyelid or eyebrow (ptosis)/local muscle weakness, double vision, dry/teary eyes
- Hives, feeling faint, nausea or flu like symptoms, tiredness
- Swelling of the face or throat, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing
- Infection at treatment site
- Period to take effect, further treatment needed, remaining muscle movement
In rare cases, serious problems can develop in the hours, days or weeks after treatment, including blurred or double vision (if the area around the eyes is injected) and breathing difficulties (if the neck area is injected).
Aftercare
You won’t see any difference straight away: it takes about three to five days before the injections take effect, and up to two weeks for the full effect to be seen.
General Aftercare Post treatment with Botox
- Avoid touching and rubbing and make-up to the treated areas for 4 hours
- Avoid extreme heat/cold for up to 1 week post treatment
- Abstain from Alcohol, heavy exercise for 24 hours
- Stay out of Sunlight/UV radiation until redness and swelling has resolved.
After Botox treatment
- You may find it helpful to apply iced gauze to the treated area
- Treatment normally takes 2-4 days to start to take effect. 10-14 days to reach full effect.
- Do not rub, massage, apply make-up the treated areas for at least 4 hours after treatment
- Botox treatment last for 3-6months.
What to do if you have problems
If you’ve had Botox injections and are not happy with the results or are experiencing problems, take up the matter with your practitioner through the clinic where you were treated.
If there are any complications that require medical attention, it is best that you go back to the practitioner who treated you. If this is not possible, you can go to your GP or local accident and emergency (A&E) department.
You can also report any side effects directly through the Yellow Card Scheme website. By reporting side effects, you are helping to provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-treatments/botulinum-toxin-botox-injections/
