14 DAY TRIAL // Ever since a do-it-yourself Botox kit was found on eBay, concerns over just how many of these prescription drugs and treatments can be found online have been raised. As a recent investigation of the Daily Mail reveals, one can buy almost anything off the Internet – and risk being disfigured for life in the process.
DIY kits for Botox, Restylane (a filler that is also supposed to eliminate wrinkles, has been used by countless celebrities for plumper lips and rounder cheeks, as well as for fewer wrinkles) and many other types of prescription drugs that are used for beautifying purposes can be found online – and ordered with just a couple of clicks and at half the price one would have to pay for going to a specialist. Yet the risks men and women expose themselves to with this are beyond anything we might imagine: injecting such substances (poisons, in the end) in the wrong area can lead to paralysis and drooping, among others, specialists warn.
“If the toxin is not injected in precisely the right place, you can paralyze the wrong muscles, causing drooping of the eyelid or eyebrow or even paralyzing the muscles that move the eyeball, causing impaired vision. With applications of Botox in the lower face and neck it is also possible to cause inability to speak or swallow, and there has been at least one death reported in America. While these are rare complications in the hands of an expert, they are potentially life threatening in unqualified hands.” Dr. Darren McKeown from a Glasgow aesthetic clinic says for the Mail.
“There are a number of hazards associated with obtaining and administering botulinum and dermal fillers by unqualified people. One danger is overdose by incorrectly diluting it. In the US a couple of years ago, patients ended up in an intensive care unit by being given a form of Botox obtained through illegal channels, which were given in error in massive doses. Also, the provenance of the products when bought over the internet is unknown, and there may be a risk that the product you receive may is [sic] toxic or not sterile.” Dr. Paul Myers of Cosmederm says for the same publication.
Cases of women who have ended up with permanent disfigurement following one such procedure have been known to happen even with supposedly trained medical staff. This should only serve as warning of the many things that can go wrong when buying a DIY kit on the Internet: there is no guarantee we’re buying what it says on the box and, should anything go wrong, we’re on our own because the “distributor” makes sure they leave no trace to lead authorities back to them.