Botox is among the foremost skin care and skin alteration procedures available today, with an unparalleled ability to “remove” wrinkles and make the skin look younger and wrinkle-free. The treatment is effective but temporary, such that plastic surgeon’s offices regularly get repeat customers for new injections of the compound. However, as popular as it is, botox is not always the safest choice for the type of skin care and beauty maintenance that it does. The name alone, botox, is an implication of the true nature of the substance: botulinum toxin type A. While the form injected into people’s faces and used as a skin care tool is not the raw and potentially toxic form of the chemical, it can cause a number of unpleasant side effects.

Upper respiratory infection is often reported as a side effect of botox use, likely a remnant of the effects the pure toxin had on the body. This sign is often accompanied by hypertonia, back pain, dizziness, violent coughing fits, and rhinitis. A general weakness has also been associated with this particular side effect of botox, usually because the toxin is interacting with parts of the body outside the intended area. While not toxic enough to be as lethal as it usually is, there are still enough poisonous elements in the typical plastic surgeon’s botox formula to be very dangerous if it spreads beyond the intended area. According to statistics, roughly 12% of all botox cases suffer from this problem after being injected.

Another side effect is primary a xillary hyperhidrosis, which entails excessive sweating, pain, and the possibility of hemorrhage. There is also the increased risk of infection in the injected area, along with other, minor discomforts. These minor signs include flu symptoms, headaches, dizziness, pharyngitis, and neck pain. The estimates of how many people develop these problems range from 3% to 10%, though these numbers are subject to speculation because the conditions of the clinical trials vary. Most experts do not take these trials to be indicative of the situation when put into actual medical practice.
Blepharophasm, a condition where the eyelids close involuntarily, is also often associated with botox as a side effect. The involuntary closing of the eyelids is often caused by muscle spasms and may involve just one eye, though it is more common for both eyes to have the problem. Eye dryness, which often accompanies blepharophasm, has also been associated with botox injection cases. The effects can last for several days after the injection itself, but it has only been known to appear in roughly 4% of all botox procedures.

Also, depending on just how diluted the toxic components of botox are in the formula, the patient might exhibit signs of being injected with botulinum toxin. According to some studies, a number of side effects that come with botox injections are caused by the body developing an immune system response to the injection. Essentially, the body fights off the biological effects of the injections (something it is unable to do if the toxin is at full strength) and prevents it from doing what it is supposed to do. While there is no data on just how this causes side effects, it has been linked as the primary cause of the problem. There were some indications that the closer the formula is to its toxic origins, the lower the chances of a successful immune response. Of course, that brings with it a new set of potential hazards.