Botox is given by injection to reduce or eliminate the wrinkles that appear between your eyes and elsewhere on the face, such as the sides of your mouth. Each treatment can last up to four months. Botox is derived from Botulinum toxin, the same toxin that causes botulism. Although there have been no reported cases of anyone contracting botulism from receiving Botox injections, it should be remembered that Botox is a drug and as such there can be side effects.
Difficulties Involving Swallowing
Because Botox relaxes the muscles in and around the area in which it is injected, if you have injections in your cheeks or along the sides of your mouth, difficulty in swallowing can occur if the muscles become too relaxed. This can cause you to choke on food or drink, which can pose a serious health hazard.
Swallowing difficulties are rare, but if they do happen, they can occur several days or weeks after the injection has been given. If you start having swallowing difficulties after a Botox treatment, you should contact your health-care professional. If you begin choking, seek immediate medical attention.
Difficulties Involving Breathing
Rarely, Botox can cause generalized muscle weakness and can affect the muscles you use to breathe. This, too, can be a delayed reaction, occurring after several days or weeks have passed since a treatment was given.
If you notice that you are having difficulty breathing, you should contact your health-care professional immediately. If you begin to show signs that you are not getting enough oxygen, such as dizziness, or a bluish color around the lips, in your nail beds and on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, seek emergency care at once.
Difficulties Involving Vision and the Eyes
The wrinkles between your eyes are caused by the contraction of the muscles located there. Botox is intended to relax these muscles so the wrinkles will disappear. Sometimes, however, Botox can do its job too well, causing you to have blurred or double vision, which can make it dangerous for you to drive or perform other tasks that require unimpeded eyesight.
In addition, Botox can relax the eyelid muscles so much that they droop over your eyes, making it difficult for you to see, or they relax your eye muscles so much that you have trouble blinking. This can cause dryness of the eyes, and in severe cases, ulceration of the cornea.
If you experience vision problems or difficulty blinking or being able to open your eyes wide enough to see, contact your health-care professional.
Difficulties Involving the Muscles
Botox injections can cause muscle weakness in general, and again this can occur days or weeks after the injection. This is rare, but if it occurs, it can result in you feeling as though you don't have enough strength to perform necessary tasks or walk around. If this occurs, be sure to report it to your health-care professional.
If this weakness becomes severe enough that your ability to walk or control your muscles is greatly impaired, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Difficulties Involving Facial Expression
There have been reports that continued use and the long-term effects of Botox can actually cause the muscles in your face to become paralyzed, giving your face an artificial, expressionless appearance. If this occurs, it is usually temporary. According to southatlantaent.com, there are no known cases of permanent facial paralysis because of a long-term use of Botox.
Tags: Difficulties Involving, health-care professional, your eyes, your health-care, your health-care professional, contact your