Is that true? Does that make Botox dangerous to use?
Well, actually, when used in very large doses, Botox can be poisonous. But when Botox Cosmetic is used in the amounts necessary for cosmetic indications it is safer than Aspirin. While it is common to link press reports of deaths in patients with Cerebral palsy to Botox Cosmetic, it is deceptive. The amount of Botulinum Toxin used for non-cosmetic purposes (such at with patients with cerebral palsy is orders of magnitude higher than used for cosmetic purposes. To repeat, Botox Cosmetic has a better safety profile than common aspirin and has not been linked to any deaths in millions and millions of treatments. It is a very safe treatment.
Botox treatment for cosmetic improvement of lines and wrinkles has been the most commonly performed cosmetic intervention in the United States for several years running. In the hundreds of thousands of patients successfully treated, there are no reports of "poisoning" from the treatment. Side effects are usually minor, and quite rare- but they do exist, as they would with any other medication.Bottom line—the drug is safe; but it is a drug. So it should be administered by a well trained and experienced practitioner to a patient who is also well educated about the procedure, the likely outcome, and the potential (if minor and rare) risks.
