I had Botox injected, thinking I was done nursing my 13 month old and he is now screaming to nurse and I caved and fed him.

While we can never say it's OK to breastfeed after getting a Botox injection, the real question is how long do you have to wait until you can? There are obviously patients out there who have had Botox in the past, then later get pregnant and breast feed. Is a year long enough? A month? A day? No one knows. Considering that Botox breaks down quite easily and a very small amount of Botox (15U) that was used then has to end up in your bloodstream (which very little would), then from your bloodstream, it has to end up in your breast milk, I would have to assume very little ends up in your breast milk. Then, even if there was a very small amount in there, that unstable Botox molecule would then have to survive the acid in your child's stomach before it could be absorbed. If my wife had Botox, then later breastfed my child, I personally wouldn't be worried. However, there is no scientific data, so everyone will still say don't do it. But when can we? I don't think we really have an answer.Andrew Campbell, M.D.

Facial Rejuvenation Specialist

Quintessa Aesthetic Centers

There is nothing to worry about.  Plenty of women have been pregnant or breast feeding while getting cosmetic treatments.  Even though there are no official studies, nothing has been reported to affect a baby in the rare instances the physician has treated someone who is in this situation.  All my patients are asked about this and informed that studies have not been performed.  The decision is then left up to them. If you're concerned, I recommend consulting with your pediatrician about what is best for you. Best, Dr. Emer

Here is my message to you.  This is not recommeded because we will never do a research study to determine if the practice is safe or not.  Consequently the recommendation is to not do this.  However, there is absolutely no evidence that it is harmful either.  Unforunately physicians will not endorse this. My advice is to use your material judgement and recognize that the risk of this being an issue is probably quite small.

There's no data to show if this is safe or not. However, your Botox most likely is no longer circulating through your body and has permanently bonded with the receptor in the junction between the muscle and nerve. I suggest you do not breast feed any more until you get medical advice from your OB or physician injector. 

Best wishes, Dr. Aldo

Thanks for your question and what you are seeing here is that we all have had patients get pregnant with Botox on board and there are no problems associated with it – but we don’t recommend that pregnant women or those breast-feeding get Botox because there are no FDA clinical studies on it and there never will be.  The fact that you are breast-feeding is a decision you need to make and if you do, I am sure your OB or your child’s pediatrician will be fine with it.

Probably because of liability risk, there are no studies on this. I tell my patients not to get Botox while nursing because of liability. HOWEVER, I did not miss out on my Botox when I was nursing a toddler.  You have already nursed he baby so at this point go at it and do not worry. I do not think that there is enough Botox in your body to affect the baby. What is done is done so stop even thinking about it.

Given the small amount you've had injected, I doubt that there will be any consequences.  Even so, it is not recommended to receive Botox if you are breastfeeding.
However, the Botox would have to be absorbed into your bloodstream, make it's way into the breastmilk, become ingested and somehow survive the acidity of your baby's stomach and by that point it's very unlikely to be able to do much damage.  Chances are good your baby will be ok.

There are no studies regarding this but generally doctors do not treat patients who are pregnant or breast feeding. That being said there have been many instances of women getting pregnant and breast feeding and there has never been a problem You should check with your OB or pediatrician but there is no problem at all

Thank you for your
question kk0310. Botox is a
purified protein used to address wrinkles associated with facial expression. The safety and efficacy of Botox treatments has not been established in women who are pregnant or breast feeding. For this reason I do not treat women who are pregnant or breast feeding. Please consult
with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

Rest easy. The reason we do not inject cosmetic botox in nursing mothers is purely medicolegal. They were not included in the studies that brought the botox FDA approval, so it is technically not approved. No professional would anticipate a distant effect from just 15 units of toxin. 

Best,

Lisa Vuich, MD