Oh Yes! We had a patient come to our clinic recently who, at first glance, appeared as though she had been in some sort of fight. We know this young woman and she is not the type to have a confrontation with anyone let alone get into a physical fight. So we quickly began gathering information.
First, we carefully observed her appearance. She had what looked like a swollen left eye that was almost entirely closed. That left her with only her right eye for sight. Her eyebrow seemed to droop down and hold the eye closed. She still had a radiant smile and did not seem to be suffering from any pain. We sat down together to have a chat. By this point, the cause of the facial changes were becoming apparent.
She was given too much Botox.
This is not an uncommon occurrence when Botox injections are administered by unlicensed or under-trained individuals.
In the case of this particular patient, she had been receiving Botox treatment since she was in college. She felt expert at it so she was always looking for the best deals. Though she is a smart woman, she did not consider that she was putting herself at risk by going to a discounted clinic to get her Botox treatment. She chose a “beauty clinic”. In this clinic, she received Botox from a “professional service”. Though the customer service side of the business was apparent, the expertise and professional education were not.
It turns out that this “professional service” provider had taken a short course in Botox application. He was not, however, an expert in the workings of the muscles of the face and was not a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist. When this patient explained to person treating her that she wanted her results to last longer, she was simply injected with more Botox. The results were not at all what she was seeking.
There certainly is such thing as too much Botox.
Some people may believe that if you want longer-lasting results, just apply more Botox. But that is not how it works. Too much Botox may result in symptoms like our patient had or paralysis of other facial muscles.
If you find yourself in a situation like this and worry that you will have long-term effects, recall that Botox is absorbed in the body over time. That is why you usually require follow-up applications as the results wear off. The undesired results from the poor administration will fade away in the same fashion. It may take up to 3 months or so to look “normal” again, but eventually, you will. In extreme cases, there is an anti-toxin available that can help speed the process.
Choose a board-certified plastic surgeon for professional, safe and beautiful Botox results. Although it is not unusual to believe that these mishaps will never happen to you, they definitely can, even if you have been going to the same place for an extended period of time. Protect yourself by doing plenty of research before settling on a medical professional. Safety should be your first priority.