What you need to know about DIY Botox

DIY Botox first gained popularity in late 2008. Today,  if one were to initiate  a Google search, there are over 2 million results.  Among them you would even find a  step-by-step tutorial on YouTube.  Do-it-yourself Botox and other dermal filler kits are becoming prevalent internationally, but is it safe?

The dangers are countless, and  I’ll enumerate a few of them: 

DIY Botox is not legal.   The Botox and other dermal fillers I use in my practice are  approved for use by the FDA by physicians and nurse practitioners under the direction of a physician only, in a clinical setting.

Injectables which are readily available to the public, on-line or otherwise, have not been approved by the FDA, and are not  monitored.    These fillers and other injectables  are not subject to safety measures, and myriad complications may ensue.    These non-FDA approved products may be even more  potent than licensed Botox. The consequences could be fatal, or  result  in  short-term or permanent  paralysis.

DIY Botox is not sterile. 

Prescription Botox is packaged in a sterile environment, using sterile equipment.   Botox  purchased through a non-FDA approved source is often not prepared under sterile conditions, may contain other  toxins, and the risk factors are vastly greater for complications. 

As with any sterile procedure, whether it’s in the operating room or the examining room, proven methods of sterile technique are adhered to, and this also applies to the use of Botox and filler injections. 

Counterfeit Botox and Juvederm has not been approved by the FDA and is not legal in the United States.  Patients subjecting themselves to injections of these substances by non-professionals using illegal substances will not be saving money in the long-term, as the risk of infection, disfigurement, abscess and even death is high.