Will Botox Ever Cause Deformities or Permanent Bruising or Muscle Destruction if Used on a Long-long-term?

When performed properly by a board certified physician, Botox is safe and can yield a great result. It will not cause any permanent bruising or destruction to muscle. When looking to have Botox, be sure to choose an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, or dermatologist. They are all great choices. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck!

I would recommend you visiting the website for cosmetic Botox, to read about their studies and results of long-term use.

Long term use of Botox to soften facial lines is very safe. Repeated injections of Botox over several years will weaken and atrophy muscles of facial expression, but not in a detrimental way. Botox and filler injections do not cause permanent bruising. 

I have been treating with BOTOX since 1988.  It is a very safe product.  It does not cause permanent bruising or long term damage to muscles.  Like anything, it does help to go to injectors who really know what they are doing.  

Botox, like any injection, can cause temporary bruising, but this should not be permanent.  Botox works by weakening the muscle into which it is injected.  This effect is temporary and does not cause any permanent deformity to the muscle.  

I typically counsel my patients that the facial mimetic muscles treated with Botox/Dysport will become slightly atrophic with continued treatments.  This is akin to a broken arm being placed in a cast which is removed several months later and the muscles have become atrophied from disuse.  Regular use often will allow for treatment with less Botox and longer intervals between treatments. 

Please refer to Allergan's website for review of the long term studies detailing the safety profile of Botox cosmetic.

Best Regards,

Jacque LeBeau, MD

There is enough data to support the safety of BOTOX, even when used for years together. In fact, there are studies that have evaluated the safety of BOTOX over a few decades. In the right hands, I would think that, you should largely be safe!

The internet can be a great source of information, but it can also be a great source of misinformation. Botox does not cause permanent bruising (always temporary), deformities, or any tissue destruction.  All our research and clinical experience demonstrates that Botox is safe long term. In fact, besides use in cosmetics, large doses of Botox have been used for decades in neurologic diseases without permanent side effects. While your muscles need less Botox over time, this is a desired effect of long term use, and does not result in deformity or suggest muscle destruction. Enjoy it!

It is safe to use Botox at an early age as data shows from practitioners who have had patients who have had injections for 10 years or more that a positive attribute is that as the injected muscles atrophy (lose bulk), you may need less Botox product to achieve the same result.

I can speak from 15 years of experience.  Continued and regular Botox use is of no danger at all.   What you will see is atrophy of the muscle because of inability to use the muscle.  It is similar to working out at gym building up muscle and then stopping.  The muscle ultimately atrophies from non-use.  I see this on my long term patients that their brow muscles get smaller, they need less Botox than before and seem to go longer between treatments.  If you decide to stop using it in the future, the muscle is still there and will return to normal just like when you decide to go back to the gym again!