Wired magazine ran an article on the following website that offers BOTOX without a prescription and a how to video on do it yourself BOTOX injections. This is a very disturbing idea. Not only do you not know whether the product you are injecting into your face is authentic, but to think you could be trained well enough to perform the procedure is madness. It requires a knowledge of muscle structure and depth in order to be effective and this video simply shows this woman sticking a syringe in her own face.
Times are tight but this approach to cosmetic treatments is a bad idea anyway you look at it.
“If it’s prescription-only, it doesn’t matter whether it’s over the counter in Mexico or not,” said Carmen Catizone, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. “Offering a prescription drug without a prescription is illegal any way you phrase it.”
Read full story via DIY Botox Wired.com.
What is disturbing is big pharma and the FDA’s thuggish attempts to keep certain medications out of the hands of the public via fear tactics, all under the guise of keeping the sheeple safe. Whatever, it is about money, plain and simple.
Ibuprofen, if wrongly used can be lethal. However, there is not alot of cash in that and the big dogs do not stand to gain. Physicians, and better yet Allergan, who both stand to loose out on profit, have much to get up in arms about concerning the thought of the public taking the cash cow. Thus the media, who are also bought and paid for, bombard the easily duped public with horror stories that are in fact half truths.
They also want you to believe that it is a “science” etc and companies other than Allergan are lacing the products with arsenic and giving mega doses. The real truth is Allergan is guilty of monopolizing the market-whatever happened to competetiton?
Actually the injection of Botulin A is very simple given a basic idea of anatomy and areas to avoid while paying heed to dosage instruction. Obviously do not put it less than 1 cm from your eye as the product can migrate and do not use it full strength. This is obvious to most and common sense, much like it is common sense to not take a bath with a toaster or take the whole bottle of Ibuprofen unless you intend to end your life or get very sick in the case of Ibuprofen.
The special interest groups who represent the userous pharmaceutical companies are the bad guys. As for the efficacy/purity factor-Botulin A is Botulin A is Botulin A. Botox is simply a brand name for Botulin Toxin A whether it is used for cosmetic or therapeutic purpose! Like Bayer is aspirin the same as the generic version. Many times they are produced by the same company and labeled accordingly.
Also look at the statement made by Carmen Calzone or whatever her name is. Look at who she works for. Of course she is going to benefit from keeping knowledge from the public. She is the face of big pharma. She gives a one line comment and the sheeple tremble.
Individuals in other countries have been self injecting Botulin A for cosmetic purposes for years with great results(way before it hit the U.S who is always the last in line). Women like the lady selling the product via the internet, IMO is guilty of nothing other than poor hygiene protocol (injecting in bathroom, sans gloves or sterilization is a bit questionable-again the common sense thing).
Also other myths I wish to dispell-Botulin Toxin A is not Botulism as in the sickness you get from ingesting undercooked poultry or spoiled food. It is a safe derivative of the toxin approveded, evidenced in research from various scientific bodies, to be safe in treating wrinkles.
Also no,it is not addictive physiologically. You may be addicted to how good you look, which is psychological. Physiological addiction comes from needing more of a substance to illicit the same effect. Quite the contrary with Botox as it serves to weaken the muscles that cause expression lines and gets you out of the habit of making the expression that caused the wrinkles in the first place, so less product is needed over time, not more.
Furthermore, the one death thought to have been caused as result of Botox involved the clinial therapeutic setting where a child who had a neuromuscular disorder was injected to lessen spasms in the lower extremeties. Very unfortunate and I feel bad for the family, but not reason for over concern on a large scale or removal from the market.
Other issues such as eyelid ptosis (dropping) is extremely rare and oddly enough the few reported cases of this were done by licensed physicians (who claim to have the knowledge to do this to the point of keeping you from doing it). This issue had perhaps less to do with the docs than the persons particular anatomy or other factors (blood thinners, antibiotic use etc).
The case of the natropath who caused respirtory paralysis used full strength Botulin A that was produced from his own recipe. Again, no common sense.
The internet is filled with hype. Consider the source and what they stand to gain/loose. Regulation has it’s place but it is now rampant and serves a darker purpose.
Overall I think if you want to self inject you should be given that chance, doing so at your own risk. However, I think the benefits outweigh the risk by far. I would not advocate self rhinoplasty, but really folks, this is not a difficult procedure.
As for my credentials. I am a retired medical doctor schooled in the U.S. specializing in aesthetic and plastic surgery of the face and body. I am a former member of the Royal College of Physicians and American Board of Plastic and Reconstrutive Surgeons. However, I am simply fed up with the idiotic FDA and regulators whose intention is not to inform the public, but withhold information.