Once again, news headlines claim that Botox® injections can be lethal. The news reports are not only exaggerated, but inaccurate in that the news stories logged don’t differentiate between injections of BOTOX for medicinal purposes and the injections for cosmetic purposes-a big difference.

“Bottom line, all the reported cases of adverse events using Botox come from injections of BOTOX for medical purposes, not cosmetic,” says Jeff Raval, MD, FACS, American Board certified facial plastic surgeon who is ear/nose/throat board certified too. “The high level of doses of Botox used for medicinal purposes can be too much. For example, there have been cases that doctors injecting Botox in the neck muscle to treat torticollis, abnormal spasms of the neck muscle, have injected too much of the toxin. The patient’s throat can close up and he/she can have trouble breathing.”

But there are no reported incidences of lethal or near-lethal use of Botox for cosmetic treatments, Dr. Raval confirms.

The dangers in Botox use surface in the press every year or so. “There is no truth to the rumor that Botox Cosmetic is dangerous,” adds Dr. Raval.