I had a Botox injection that sent a burning sensation up through my skull. Has the nerve been damaged? Will this heal?

Question

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD · Answer

It is relatively common for patients to get some sensation of pain up their forehead and onto the top of their head with Botox injections.  This results from the needle being too close or touching a sensory nerve.  It is temporary and no permanent damage is done.

Geoffrey Pitzer, MD · Answer

It's most likely that the injection/needle was close to a sensory nerve, thus causing you to have that strange sensation. If any minor nerve injury occurred, it will certainly heal over time and go back to normal.All the best

Patrick Simon, MD · Answer

I agree with the other answer.  This will not lead to permanent nerve damage but as an aside the botox should not be injected at the level of the bone over the glabella (I'm assuming your talking about the glabella/ frown lines since you had a shooting pain to the scalp/ skull).  Your injector seems to be too deep with his/ her injection.  There are two problems with a deep injection at this site: one, that you can injure the neurovascular bundle (as you experienced), and the second being deep injections, especially near the supraorbital foramen, can spread to the levator muscle and lead to eyelid droop.I would recommend finding an experienced injector, preferably a MD with facial anatomical knowledge. MD injectors tend to cost more but also tend to provide better results and less risk of side effects.

John Louis Ratz, MD · Answer

The effect of Botox is temporary, so there should be no permanent damage to the nerve. The fact that you got this when it was injected suggests that the needle was right on the nerve.            jlr

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Sometimes when Botox injections are done it will hit right on a nerve. It will send a zing up the skull. It is not dangerous and the nerve will rework itself soon. Mostly it's just scary, but it will resolve with a bit of time and it's not dangerous. "This
answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and cannot be
held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person treatment
with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."

I had a Botox injection that sent a burning sensation up through my skull. Has the nerve been damaged? Will this heal?

Answers (5)