What should I know if I'm considering Botox injections?

Almost 1.5 million people knowingly had poison injected into their bodies this past year. Namely, Botox. And that makes Botox the most popular of all cosmetic procedures. Like a smart bomb in search of a target, Botox locks on to your nerves and destroys them within days. This leaves your muscle unable to move. That's great if you want to get rid of those scowl lines between the brows or your crow's feet, but bad if too much is injected into your upper lip. Can you say drool? (Not if you've had too much Botox, you can't.) So that's why most plastic surgeons won't inject those smile lines. It's too difficult to balance the smile and get rid of lines. Botox is as much of an art form as rhinoplasty (over-Botoxing can leave you expressionless). So make sure a real doctor injects your Botox (and don't do it you're pregnant or if you have any sort of neurologic disease).

And make sure you get Botox from the real manufacturer, not the industrial-strength research-grade varieties, which have been associated with all types of complications. You might have heard about a dozen or so deaths throughout the past decade from Botox. Fear not—these problems were seen in patients with complex neck-muscle problems using doses 100 to 1,000 times higher than the normal cosmetic dose. No big problems have occurred in cosmetically treating wrinkles around the eyes. Botox injections need to be repeated every three to six months.