Nearly four in five Britons who receive anti-wrinkle injections experience adverse side effects, research suggests.
Common complications of shots like Botox are apparent headaches, pain, dizziness, and brain fog.
Campaigners today warned that the findings, from a survey of more than 500 patients, expose the reality of Britain’s booming botox industry.
Official statistics imply that the jabs, which can cost as little as £150 and require no qualifications, are incredibly safe.
According to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), only 188 side effects of botulinum toxin were recorded between 1991 and 2020.
Nearly four in five Britons who receive anti-wrinkle injections experience adverse side effects, research suggests
But the new study, conducted by experts at University College London, challenges widely held assumptions about the substance.
Patient safety advocate Dawn Knight, an author of the study, said the MHRA data was just the tip of the iceberg.
Under current rules, an aesthetic practitioner in the UK does not need any compulsory qualifications.
It means that anyone can undergo training and then perform Botox treatments, although the drug itself still needs to be prescribed by a qualified doctor.
ministers pledged last year ‘a crackdown on unregulated cosmetic procedures’ – with plans to introduce a permit for cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers.
Ms Knight said the government was not moving quickly enough to make it a reality.
“Everyone wants it to go faster,” she said.
“We don’t know how many people are offering these treatments, they are not visible and unregistered.”
UCL researchers, write in the journal Skin health and diseasefound that anxiety was the most commonly reported problem among 511 patients surveyed, with 85 people claiming to experience it after the jab.
Pain (83), headache and migraine (75), panic attacks (45) as well as dizziness and brain fog (33 each) were also common.
Overall, 79 percent of patients reported experiencing side effects.
Volunteers were gathered through a survey that lasted just three months early this year.
More serious conditions, such as Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) – when a patient’s heart rate increases rapidly after getting up from a sitting or lying position – were also reported by six people.
Six Britons even claimed to be incapacitated or disabled as a result of the anti-wrinkle procedure.
Still, there was no evidence that Botox was responsible for this, or any other side effects in general. For example, another unrelated medical condition may be to blame.
However, the NHS recognizes that headaches, bruising and temporary facial weakness are common complications.
It adds that blurred vision can occur ‘very rarely’.
Botox is the most well-known brand of botulinum toxin, which is used to paralyze facial muscles for the purpose of reducing wrinkles.
Survey participants were also asked where they got their injection and who dispensed them.
Nearly 15 percent of participants said they trusted a beautician to give them the shot — with one claiming to have had the procedure done at a supermarket.
There are currently no minimum training standards for people to hand out Botox shots, with some providers taking courses that last less than a week, campaigners have warned.
Common complications of jabs like Botox apparently include headaches, pain, dizziness and brain fog, a new study suggests
1 in 4 jabs were given by non-doctors and nurses – beauticians were the third most popular choice of administrator
Only half of the patients surveyed reported getting their shots at a beauty clinic, while the rest reported getting their shots in places like spas, their workplace, or their homes.
The research also suggests that most suppliers of botulinum toxin fail to provide the public with proper safety information.
Nearly all (92 percent) of participants said their injector had not provided them with information about reporting potential side effects from the jab to the MHRA.
Survey participants also reported financial losses due to their side effects, such as missing time off or potentially paying for subsequent treatment.
Ms Knight said the results suggest the toll of Britain’s failed Botox industry is going unreported and unnoticed.
“The government really needs to think about who has access to this drug and how it is used,” she said.
She added that the research suggested that illicit Botox advertisements, such as two-for-one or ‘last-minute’ deals, unfortunately tricked many Britons into getting the shots without due consideration of the risks.
“We have really bad results and complications associated with members of the public responding to ads like this,” she said.
“We get a lot of reports that the patients walk into a room and the syringes are already set up, there’s no mention of a prescriber, there’s no mention of whether they’re suitable, there’s no mention of side effects.”
Botox, like other prescription-only medications, should not be advertised to the public.
Violating these rules can lead to a fine and/or two years in prison.
Ms Knight added that not only individual Botox patients are at risk.
She said a lack of official reporting meant the industry was effectively blind to broader trends that could explain some of the reported side effects.
“It is the role of regulators to connect the trends between a specific batch, or product, or craftsman, or company or technique, or injection that may cause harm,” she said.
‘This research makes it clear that this is not happening.’
To help combat this, Ms Knight wants it to become a legal requirement for Botox providers to report any side effects patients experience to that person’s GP.
The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has been contacted for comment.