is botox safe? those of you that have had it, have you ever had any problems/reactions, etc...?

[Anonymous]

To PP: What makes you think that the poster you're addressing "assume[s] the mentality of a 20 yr old" or tries to dress like one? Maybe you've actually seen her without realizing that she's had any work.

And why go out of your way to be obnoxious to people whose work is obvious, at least in your eyes? I just don't get it.

[Anonymous]

I always make sure I stare a little too long and make them feel uncomfortable.

WOW - you're really showing them!! You are a complete twit. Why do you feel the need to judge? If you are against plastic surgery, how about...YOU DON'T HAVE ANY?! Do you really have so little going for you that you need to make a little game of trying to get people to care what a stranger's opinion is? I am young and haven't had any work done and generally don't feel that I will, and your post still made me gag. But it certainly proved that some ugliness cannot be cured by a needle or a scalpel.

[Anonymous]

How many years can you use botox? Do you know the long-term side effects, or is it too early to know? Pharm companies put so much crap on the market and then they have to take it down 10 years later when people start experiencing the down side....I know there will always be a market for age defying products, but for me, I can't justify buying facial paralysis for that much money...or even for $5.

[Anonymous]

Botox will probably deemed as safe as long as the doctors and pharm companies can make money off of it....and as long as women want to look younger. Whether its really safe or not in the long-term is probably not the first concern of either the dr, the manufacturer or the patient. Looking young is what is important! Do they know what will happen to people who keep using it for years and years? Now this is what gets me...Asian women have such beautiful ageless skin. Are they botoxed or is generations of having a model diet, skincare regimen, lifestyle/health practices that keep them looking so young?

[Anonymous]

Maybe you've actually seen her without realizing that she's had any work.

Hi - I am back - the one whose had botox, lips and breasts. You are right - you probably have seen me without realizing I had "work". I am not trying to look 20 - I dress well and stylish. I am professional and low-key. Believe you you would never know me to be "one of those people". I have a great doctor in Conn. where I am from, originally. So - think what you want to think about people who do this stuff - but you are wrong - it is a very common procedure that a lot of very "normal" woman are doing. Believe me - if you met me - you would not consider "staring me down"....

[Anonymous]

Me again - I forgot to say my breasts are a perky 34B - so unless you "stare down" all woman that size - think twice about who has or has not had them done. I agree - someone who has 38DD implants often looks freakish......I would stare too - who wouldn't? same with over-augmented lips and plastic faces - they are out there - just not me.

[Anonymous]

I really just don't understand why anyone would willingly have major surgery and undergo anesthesia all in the name of vanity. Seriously - there's a huge difference between wearing make up and a push up bra and injecting poison and going under the knife.

This is the secret to looking young:

Moisturize
Wear sunscreen
Exercise

[Anonymous]

My husband is a physician he uses Botox for treating migraine headaches and excessive sweating and TMJ. I think it is safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really just don't understand why anyone would willingly have major surgery and undergo anesthesia all in the name of vanity. Seriously - there's a huge difference between wearing make up and a push up bra and injecting poison and going under the knife.

This is the secret to looking young:

Moisturize
Wear sunscreen
Exercise

Just wondering - how old are you?

[Anonymous]

Just because it is a common procedure does not mean its safe. It used to be common practice to bottle feed your babies until doctors realized that the best milk for human babies is human milk. It used to be common practice to smoke in schools and hospitals, didn't mean it was safe. Now its common practice to put bacteria in your face and freeze your forehead for a few months of pretending you look younger than you are. You can by all means do what you want with your body...but is it safe in the long run is the main question at hand. Can you compare the negative effects of Botox injections to dying your hair? You can at least dye your hair outside with a fan blowing to avoid the fumes. Botox seems so over the top self-indulgent, to me at least. And if you are a Botox babe, please do not get offended by the anti-Botox people. It's always good to hear different opinions for those trying to make an educated decision, even if you don't agree.

[Anonymous]

To the "youthful" looking botox ladies out there, please read this article that is on the front page of AOL news today:

http://news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/botox-may-move-from-face-to-brain/20080405162709990001

Are you going to look "youthful" after your brain starts to have problems? Botox needs to be studied more and long term studies need to be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really just don't understand why anyone would willingly have major surgery and undergo anesthesia all in the name of vanity. Seriously - there's a huge difference between wearing make up and a push up bra and injecting poison and going under the knife.

This is the secret to looking young:

Moisturize
Wear sunscreen
Exercise

Just wondering - how old are you?

What I'm wondering is how old she LOOKS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just because it is a common procedure does not mean its safe. It used to be common practice to bottle feed your babies until doctors realized that the best milk for human babies is human milk. It used to be common practice to smoke in schools and hospitals, didn't mean it was safe. Now its common practice to put bacteria in your face and freeze your forehead for a few months of pretending you look younger than you are. You can by all means do what you want with your body...but is it safe in the long run is the main question at hand. Can you compare the negative effects of Botox injections to dying your hair? You can at least dye your hair outside with a fan blowing to avoid the fumes. Botox seems so over the top self-indulgent, to me at least. And if you are a Botox babe, please do not get offended by the anti-Botox people. It's always good to hear different opinions for those trying to make an educated decision, even if you don't agree.

OMG. Even a discussion about botox can be turned into a debate on breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. Fascinating. Just a few quibbles though - it is *still* common practice to bottle feed babies. And no doctor will tell you it's not perfectly safe to do so. And no - dying your hair (even outside with a fan blowing - thanks for the visual) is not considered 100% safe, which is why most OB's will tell you to avoid it for some if not all of your pregnancy. And your "closing" comments are hilarious - you write a judgmental and preachy and uninformed post slamming other people's choices, and then tell people who don't agree with you not to get offended because it's good to hear different opinions and that your own could "educate" someone in some way. Okey dokey. And for the record, I am un-botoxed and don't plan on choosing that for myself at any point, but why would I care what other women do to their faces??

[Anonymous]

If an American physician says it is safe, I would still have my doubts. They say lots of things are safe that aren't. I am from Japan...and cannot stand the drug-pushing Dr.s here. I love America, don't get me wrong, but I can't stand seeing Botox ads everywhere I go. I can go in for a pap smear and the damn stirrups have Botox ads on them! It's crazy! I would opt for acupuncture before Botox. I would opt for a long vacation before Botox. I would opt for Kama Sutra before Botox. I would opt for a fruit/fish/miso diet before Botox. I'd opt for taping up my face like my grandmother did, before Botox. She is 80 and looks 50.

Sorry, but American doctors can't even figure out how to fix a migraine without putting a bunch of crap into your body...they mask it, charge for it, and say they've fixed the problem and then wonder why it comes back. Then they laugh at Eastern medicine as if its all a bunch of voodoo crap and then wonder why we have such great skin, the lowest cancer rates and the longest life span. Hmmm...maybe there are alternatives to Botox! Not trying to inflame...but perhaps open a few eyes. Just because a Dr. says it is safe doesn't mean it is...he is getting his $$ regardless. There are many alternatives to Botox, but many of them are laughed at simply because the Dr. can't charge for it, doesn't know about it, or it's considered esoteric because it's not an American thing. If you haven't had Botox and are want to look younger, I recommend trying a lifestyle change for at least a year and see if that helps, before resorting to bacterial help.

[Anonymous]

15:54, you missed my point. Not trying to start a discussion about breast feeding. I was using those two as examples of how something can be considered safe at one point in time, and then not so 10 years later. Yes bottle feeding is fine, I meant that breast feeding was DISCOURAGED 20 years ago, and now it is ENCOURAGED. Smoking in schools was considred SAFE 20 years ago, now it is considered UNSAFE. Point being, we consider Botox safe now, what about in 20 years?