Botox has been considered the wonder anti-ageing treatment for decades. Compared to other treatments, it has one of the longest-standing safety records, making it the preferred treatment of choice for those entering the later stages of life, particularly celebrities, who have a public image to consider.
The trend hasn’t stopped there, however. Although historically considered an exclusive beauty treatment for A-listers and extremely wealthy individuals, times have changed, making Botox more appealing and accessible to wider classes of people, not just in Hollywood or Beverly Hills, but worldwide.
However, as the market for Botox widened, so has the desire to profit from it, and with this, it has attracted scrupulous characters who now put Botox’s long-standing safety record at risk, and the problem – counterfeit Botox.
Opulent Aesthetics is a professional beauty treatment centre with studios in Purley, South Croydon, and Caterham. Opulent Aesthetics prioritises your safety above all else, working exclusively with licensed prescribers of Botox who only supply qualified practitioners like Sadie from Opulent Aesthetics.
We never compromise on quality, safety, or standards. This article explains the risks of fake Botox, how to identify it, and how to protect yourself. First, let’s get you educated on real Botox.
What is Botox?
Botox, an anti-wrinkle treatment, refers to botulinum toxin type A, a neurotoxin protein derived from Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
The bacteria are naturally found in soil, dust, and improperly preserved food. This bacterium produces several toxins, one of which is Clostridium botulinum, which blocks the release of acetylcholine from nerve cells, preventing muscles from contracting.
This sounds scary, and not dissimilar to natural defences from dangerous snakes and spider bites, and that’s because it is. This is why using fake Botox can be so risky.
Scientists isolate the Clostridium botulinum, purify it, and grow it in controlled lab conditions. Then they dilute it significantly to ensure only safe quantities remain for human use. Then, they bind it with stabilising proteins like human serum albumin, ensuring it can be stored safely and is effective when injected.
When injected properly at the correct dose, Botox temporarily paralyses facial nerves, smoothing lines and even deep wrinkles. More than this, it is used medically to treat chronic
migraines, muscle spasms, overactive bladder, excessive sweating, and certain eye disorders like strabismus.
How safe is Botox?
If you are using a professionally qualified aesthetician who uses medical-grade Botox, then the treatment is considered safe and has a long history of positive recorded patient outcomes.
The problem arises if untrained or unprofessional practitioners attempt to apply real Botox, or worse, fake Botox, in an attempt to save money and increase profits. Under either of those circumstances, administering Botox can be very risky.
What is fake Botox?
The short answer is any product presenting itself as botulinum toxin type A (or Botox) that has not been approved for human use by a competent authority like the FDA, MHRA, or a similar regulator is fake.
Only a licensed manufacturer or distributor can supply Botox. Anything made or supplied by anyone else is fake and should never be used.
Fake Botox normally consists of inappropriate strains of the toxin that don’t match approved medical formulations, and are often supplied because they are cheaper and easier to grow.
They are not purified to the same standards or sufficiently diluted, making them inappropriate for human use. Additionally, they are often mixed with the wrong binding proteins, increasing the risk of an allergic reaction.
In some cases, fake Botox has been found to have completely unrelated substances, or just saline water, which offers no cosmetic effect, but can still present risks if the product spoils before being injected.
How to identify fake Botox
Unfortunately, counterfeit suppliers have become more sophisticated in recent years. The easiest way to ensure the authenticity of your product is by selecting a qualified professional like Sadie at Opulent Aesthetics, who is insured and works with a licensed prescriber of medicine.
If you have doubts, ask to see the prescription and check that the product being used matches the one being prescribed.
There are often ‘tell-tell signs’ if fake Botox is being used. Here is a quick checklist you can use to keep yourself safe:
- Check the packaging against the branding of the manufacturer’s website. Are there inconsistencies? Look out for obvious mistakes like spelling errors, logo discrepancies, and use of language. If it doesn’t look professional, it is likely fake.
- Manufacturers of medicine provide batch and lot numbers. You can send this to them and ask them to verify its authenticity and confirm who the authorised supplier was. This allows you to trace the supply chain from the manufacturer to the prescriber, sidestepping the risk of counterfeiters potentially copying numbers from original bottles.
- Botox normally comes in the form of fine white crystalline powder in glass vials, which are normally in 50, 100, or 200 units, and they have to be reconstituted using a saline solution before being injected. If your practitioner uses already-made liquid vials, there is a high probability that they are not using authentic Botox.
- Price is often a good indicator. Medicines are typically expensive because the manufacturing process follows tightly regulated procedures, requiring substantial monitoring for health and safety purposes. Manufacturers of fake products don’t follow the same rigorous standards and can provide their products cheaply, but not without cost to human health.
Must read: The Importance Of Aftercare
The risks of using fake Botox
The risks of using fake or unlicensed Botox are very real, because unlike the genuine, precisely manufactured drug, counterfeit versions may contain the wrong amount of toxin, the wrong substance entirely, or unsafe contaminants.
The consequences of using fake Botox include:
- Toxin overdose – fake formulas can contain higher quantities of the paralysing toxin, which can have devastating effects, including nerve damage, extensive facial paralysis with drooping eyelids and slurred speech, much like a stroke casualty, and difficulty breathing and swallowing. In severe cases (if that was not enough), life-threatening paralysis.
- Contamination – fake products are unlikely to be made in sterilised conditions, risking potential contamination, especially as the product itself is a dangerous bacterium. Using such products risks introducing dangerous pathogens into your body, causing sepsis, abscesses, and scarring.
- Asymmetry – Because dose is hard to regulate with fake products, you can end up with a lopsided smile or eyebrows, which can last a long time or be permanent in the case of severe overdose. This defeats the cosmetic purpose of enhancing your appearance.
- No active ingredients – The lowest risk, but a risk nonetheless, is that the product does not contain any toxin at all, rendering it ineffective. This can still introduce pathogens, and increase scarring if multiple injections are undertaken into the same site to achieve the desired effect.
- Difficulty in getting medical assistance – when using fake Botox, it is difficult for medical professionals to know how to assist you because they will not know what bacteria or toxins they need to counter, putting you at greater risk of lasting damage.
Final thoughts
Botox has a strong safety record, but it is a substance worthy of great respect. That is also true of your body, but that goes out the window entirely when you begin experimenting with cheap counterfeit products.
You may save money in the short-run, but it will likely come at the cost of your health and appearance in the long-term. Opulent Aesthetics believes that beauty shouldn’t cost your health, and only uses anti-wrinkle products like Azzalure from licensed manufacturers.
This is true of all of our injectables, including our skin booster and polynucleotide treatments. We never compromise on quality or standards, and place greater value on client outcomes rather than profits.
If you are approaching the stage of your life where you are considering anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle treatments, give Sadie a call for a free consultation. We will discuss the best treatment options for you, and welcome you to our cosy studios in Caterham and Purley.
Until next time, be safe and beautiful.
