Health issues linked to cosmetic jab complications
Conditions such as type 1 diabetes associated with increased risk of side effects
Patients with chronic illnesses face a significantly higher risk of complications from cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox, according to a major UK study.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) surveyed 919 adults who had received botulinum toxin treatments for aesthetic reasons. The study, published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal, is the largest of its kind to have been carried out in the UK.
Researchers found that underlying conditions such as type 1 diabetes, thyroid disorders, chronic migraine and skin disease dramatically increase the likelihood of adverse effects.
According to the study, people with type 1 diabetes were 92 times more likely to experience nausea after treatment compared to those without the condition. Those with thyroid disorders and chronic migraine sufferers had an approximately 10-fold increase in the risk of nausea.
Other complications associated with pre-existing conditions included headaches, bruising, muscle weakness and persistent eyelid droop (ptosis). Patients with cataracts were 30 times more likely to report headaches, and those with prior injuries had a 21-fold increased risk of losing facial expression.
Botulinum toxin injections are among the UK’s most popular cosmetic procedures, with an estimated 900,000 treatments performed every year. Previous research has shown adverse events such as pain, swelling and headache occur in around 16 per cent of cases, but until now little was known about which patients are most at risk.
The authors recommend restricting administration of botulinum toxin injections to medically qualified professionals such as GMC-registered doctors, maxillofacial dentists and senior prescribing nurses, working in settings regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
Earlier this year, the Government announced proposals to introduce tighter restrictions around cosmetic injections, as well as certain other procedures, and these plans are now subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
“This national study, the largest patient-reported botulinum toxin safety analysis to date, exposes the myth that botulinum toxin is a trivial cosmetic procedure. Our data establishes that it is a complex medical intervention with complication profiles strongly influenced by chronic disease, psychiatric history, immune status, and anatomical risk factors.
“Safe administration requires not just injection skill but diagnostic discernment, psychological insight, and systemic medical understanding.
“Injecting into the human face and neck, particularly in patients with pre-existing conditions or psychological vulnerability, is not a beauty task. It is a medical procedure requiring expert judgment. Parliament must legislate accordingly, as the current system leaves patients exposed.”
Co-lead author Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)The study was a collaboration between Professor Smith, of ARU, and Dr Roshan Ravindran of KLNIK.