Sydney Botulinum injections (B.tox for short) is now the latest craze in Sydney society in fact it is becoming an important part of a beauty routine for individuals in the city.

But I never cease to be astonished when I hear the absurd urban legends in connection with the simple treatment. I have listed below a selection of the more myths which I hear everyday in Star Cosmetic Medicine, where I am employed as a doctor.

Mistaken Belief no. 1: My facial muscles will freeze!

Research has discovered there are about 60 muscles in the human face. Their extensive use can result in expression lines to form. Too great a dose of B.tox have the effect of the face becoming less expressive. The dose used by most doctors result in you looking ‘refreshed’, but still you will of course maintain your natural expression.

So the correct quantity of B.tox in the proper site means an expressive face is maintained whilst any wrinkles undergo a softening effect.

Mistaken Belief no. 2: B.tox is a toxic substance!
This to a small extent is correct. Botulinum Toxin Type A is the exact pharmacological terminology. In very large doses it may loosen muscles that you do not want loosened and even may make one extremely sick.

Pharmacists have an old phrase that states ‘everything is poisonous – all depending on the dose’. Any medication in a large enough amount may make you sick. If you drink too much water it will be fatal.

Mistaken Belief no. 3: B.tox will hurt!
The needles used at Star Cosmetic Medicine have a diameter smaller than your hair. Some people have equated the treatments to bug bites. Certainly not as bad as having a regular shot.

Mistaken Belief no. 4: My face will lose sensation!
This is completely untrue. Botulinum medicine works on the junction between the nerve and the facial muscle, not sensate nerve fibers. Only the ability to relax your muscles is impacted by B.tox.

Mistaken Belief no. 5. Once you begin B.tox you must continue or else you will age quicker than before!
This is also untrue.

You can expect the first treatment to be effective for up to 3 months. Any injections after the initial one should be effective for a little longer. The lines will eventually reform as the muscle recovers its normal function. But they will certainly be no more pronounced than when you began.

In fact the wrinkles should be be softer than if you hadn’t undergone B.tox – even if you never continue the injections. Due to the fact that your skin has had a ‘wrinkle holiday’ whilst the B.tox was working.