What to think about before having botulinum toxin injections

If you’re thinking about having botulinum toxin injections, be clear about why you want them.

Avoid practitioners who have no training or have only completed a short training course.

At Flawless Aesthetic Clinic, I have many years experience and am a Registered Nurse Prescriber.

When you meet the practitioner, ask about:

Their training, qualifications and experience
The name of the product, if it’s licensed, and how and where it’s made
Any risks or possible side effects
What will happen if things go wrong
What insurance cover they have

Botulinum toxin can only be prescribed in a face-to-face meeting by a qualified medical practitioner, such as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist prescriber or nurse prescriber.

The person prescribing botulinum toxin is responsible for making sure it’s given safely.

When you cannot have botulinum toxin injections

In certain circumstances, botulinum toxin injections are not recommended, including if:

you have a skin infection
you’re unwell in any way
you have a neuromuscular condition like myasthenia gravis
you’re taking certain medicines
you’re pregnant or breastfeeding

What having botulinum toxin injections involves

Your face will be cleaned and botulinum toxin will be injected into muscles in your face using a very fine needle.

You will need injections in different places, depending on the area being treated. The practitioner will ask you to move the muscles in your face to help find the best place for the injections.

It usually takes about 10 minutes.

Afterwards

You will not see a change straight away. It takes about 2 or 3 days to start working, and 2 to 3 weeks to see the full effect.

Do not massage or rub your face for 3 days. Also, avoid vigorous exercise, sunbathing (including using sunbeds), and the sauna for 2 days. Your practitioner should be able to give you more advice about what you should and should not do.

The effects usually last for about 3 or 4 months. If you have botulinum toxin injections again, you should wait at least 3 months. It might stop working if you have it too often.

Risks

The risks of botulinum toxin injections are small if it’s done correctly by a suitably qualified practitioner. Speak to your practitioner about the risks.

After treatment you may have:

Headache and flu-like symptoms for the first 24 hours
Bruising, swelling and redness where the needles went in the skin
Frozen look – you might not be able to move the muscles in your face if too much botulinum toxin is injected
Temporary weakness and droopiness in your face – for example, your eyelids or eyebrows may droop if the botulinum toxin moves into these areas

Very rarely, serious problems such as blurred or double vision can happen if the area around the eyes is treated, or breathing difficulties if the neck area is injected.

What to do if you have problems

Talk to your practitioner if you’ve had botulinum toxin injections and you’re not happy with the results.

To book a consultation for botox please click here