Carla Bruni ‘Over-Botoxed’; What Are the Dangers?
With Carla Bruni, an Italian-French singer-songwriter, actress, former model and the current first lady of France, being criticized by accomplished dermatologist Dr. Ben Behnam for looking "over-botoxed," the question now that's begging to be asked is: "Is having too much Botox bad for one's health?"
The dermatologist, reported by RadarOnline.com, went on to say that many celebrities these days look the same - puffy cheeks and catlike eyes - because they have too much of the Botulinum Toxin Type A, commercially known as Botox.
That being said, Botox is sometimes used for non-cosmetic medical treatments as well, like chronic pain, enlarged prostates, migraines and neuropathy. But generally, the toxin is used to banish those unwanted wrinkles and signs of aging by blocking the transmission between the nerve endings and muscle fibers around the injection site to cause weakness of the nearby muscle, Medic8.com explained.
Being non-invasive, its procedure only involves several tiny injections directly made into the muscles of the face, making it hugely popular and generating billions yearly in revenues for dermatologists and other skin practitioners.
In spite of the youthful beauty it brings to its patients, the toxin has its dangers and side effects.
When is Botox Bad?
Botox, when used in very large doses, can cause botulism, which is a rare and paralyzing illness that commonly stems from food poisoning, Dr. Susan Evans of DoctorOz.com said.
Another thing that can go wrong with Botox is repeated exposure to it can cause addiction. Botox addiction, which brings in repeated treatments, can actually make the face appearance frozen, limiting facial movements.
Aside from these dangers, side effects from the drug can cause patients a variety of problems: headaches, flu-like symptoms, temporary eyelid droop, nausea, double vision, twitching of the eye, facial pain, and redness at the injection site.
It is important to have a trained medical doctor to administer the procedure. A trained professional can can tell a patient whether he or she does need Botox. Morever, proper care in injecting the toxin can be done, thereby avoiding the risks involved in having too much of the toxin.