to think my dentist should not have f*****d up my first botox?

[regretbot]

I had my first botox a few weeks ago, I asked for a subtle eye brow lift and came away with a completely immobile and bruised left side of my forehead. I can't raise my left eyebrow at all, it's actually lower than it was in the first place. The right side has only a tiny movement, but at least it doesn't feel heavy.

In the two week review his reponse to this was to say he'd 'make a note'. Apparently this was so that next time he'd do better. I honestly have no intention of going back. I've lost trust completely.

Is this normal? I signed all sorts of forms before the treatment, but assumed he'd do a good job. He's known me for years. In retrospect he was just looking to sell me as much as possible.

Do I just have to suck it up and wait for the botox to wear off? I mean i know i just have to wait for the botox to wear off, but shouldn't he be offering me a refund or something?

Except they don't!

And as they get older they just can look...odd

I’m due to get some ‘poisonous neurotoxin’ injected into my face so it doesn’t hurt to eat, lol. The scaremongering around botox is wild.

This- first sentence only. No need for the second.

I am so so glad I am a bit older (59) !

My dentist does Botox and fillers, is highly trained in facial aesthetics too.
(They are higher trained than any nurses who normally do it) in facial nerves/muscles ect due to their dental training.
The point of Botox is the area of your face wont move afterwards, if 1 eyebrow is lower or higher then the other its called Spocking, he can add more to the lower brow to lift it to match the other. Its trial and error as to whether you bruise, some do some dont.
I think if your not happy with it just dont go back to him, you can try for a refund but as your paying for the drug too i doubt you will get all your money back.

I agree with the posters that say dentists are more than qualified to do this (with add on qualifications) they study the face in such detail. It’s not the same as going to a beautician who did a one day course and isn’t highly trained in the anatomy of the face. The issue is getting a good injector. It’s like every other occupation, some people are better at things than others, despite being fully qualified. The consultant clinic is excellent and they also have dentists working with them, I got some work done with them a few years ago and it was great. No issues at all. But of course things can go wrong anywhere. I think though, you would be much better cared for if things go wrong in a place like that. Your dentist did deal with it badly I think. I hope the effects wear off soon op, it’s a miserable thing to happen.

@regretbot
Did you read the forms that you signed?

I think it would be very unwise to leave a bad review.

I used to work in a clinic that did Botox treatments. Bruising is a potential side effect of sticking any needle in your skin. The after care advice is not to rub the area and do not bend or lie down, for a certain period of time, (usually the injections are given whilst you are sitting up) to prevent unwanted and uneven dispersal of the drug. I don't have time to explain why the Botox equivalent of a "patch test" won't work to establish sensitivity.

The forms you signed would have included a loooong list of undesirable outcomes and you clearly signed them.

I heard of a couple of cases of sudden and irreversible blindness being attributed to botox be relieved it's not that bad and either don't have Botox if you can't live with the unpredictability of it or find a different practitioner.

What is a skin aesthetician? It's not a term I've heard of, so to me it sounds like a nurse, beauty therapist etc who's done a two day course. But several posters have said that's their preference so presumably not? Is it a type of plastic surgeon? What makes them more knowledgeable than dentists?

They're skin care professionals who offer medical treatments but they're not medical professionals.

As far as I recall they work closely with plastic surgeons.

I'm only going on friends who get botox and fillers and they almost always say they go to their skin aesthetician, they prefer this. None of them to my recollection say they go to their dentist for botox but I wouldn't rule it out.

No wonder people can't get an appointment for dental work if dentists are doing this work instead.

Fuck’s sake. No wonder it’s so bloody difficult to get an appointment to get your teeth fixed.

Snap @NiceCoffee!

What's a skin care professional though? Someone with a level 2 qualification who does facials? Sorry, not getting at you at all, just slightly bewildered at the idea that a non medical professional would be preferable to inject into your face than a dentist who injects all the time, knows the anatomy etc. Given they also prescribe painkillers, antibiotics etc they presumably have medical knowledge outside of facial structure as well.

Well as you say skin care professional would on the face of it be less qualified than e.g. a dentist.

I suppose what concerns me, is dentists do this as well as dental work, so it's a sideline to make money. Whereas, skin care aestheticians do this all the time day in day out so if I were ever to go for procedures I'd use them.

Especially as the last dentist I saw was ringing me and DB (who used to be his client years ago) out of hours and at weekends touting for more work!

I can sort of see why dentists do this. They have the requisite knowledge of the face. I immediately avoid dentists who do this though, would rather they concentrated on my actual teeth rather than injecting Botox into me.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience.
Unfortunately, side effects can and do happen with Botox. It doesn't necessarily mean that the practitioner has done anything wrong.
If you weren't warned about the possible side effects then that's a problem, but all of what you describe can happen to even the most experienced practitioner.
I do think the practitioner could have offered more advice and support at your 2+ week check up. But once the Botox is there, it can't be 'undone'. You have to wait for it to wear off.
Also, dentists are usually extremely well placed to provide aesthetic treatments (assuming they have an aesthetics qualification on top of their dental qualifications) because of how they study facial anatomy. They also have to be very skilled injectors to ensure anaesthesia is delivered to the right place. Everyone saying "why did you go to a dentist???" is being unreasonable.
Finally, if you choose to have Botox again then there's a good chance you'll have similar side effects and you must mention what's happened this time. Some people really don't get on with Botox or other anti-wrinkle injections such as Dysport.

My dental practice (fine for teeth) also offers Botox.

The chap that does my Botox is a dentist, as PP’s have said, it’s completely normal and they are way more qualified than most out there to do it. He doesn’t practice dentistry any more, just facial aesthetics.

No one can know how your face and muscles will react the first time you have it, that should have been explained to you. It is why you have the 2 week check in to make any adjustments. Your face is not symmetrical. I have very strong muscles in the one side of my face and so need more Botox on one side than the other. But that wasn’t discovered until I had tried it.

I also have a problem with my brows getting heavy so he stays away from certain areas. Again, that wasn’t discovered until I started having it.

It really is a case of slightly modifying every time you have it done until you have the look you want, regardless of who you go to.

A dentist whose primary focus is skin, not teeth?

I thought I'd never use this stupid expression, but what is the world coming to?!

I mean, I think Botox is an abomination, but dentists choose their career at 17, I think it's a good thing if there are other ways to use their skills when they fancy a change. We need more NHS dentists, but the way to get them isn't to tie individual dentists to choices they made decades ago.

Properly fund NHS dentistry and I'm sure it will become more appealing again.

It’s not scaremongering. As with any medical procedure there are inks. If the pay off is that you no longer have daily pain, the risk is probably completely worthwhile. If the pay off is you have smooth skin, not so much.

Sorry, I’m just laughing at all the PPs horrified at the idea of getting Botox done by a dentist with over half a decade of medical certification in facial anatomy, nerves etc as opposed to Shanice the ‘certified aesthetician’ with a 2 day course under her belt

A friend of mine is a Podiatrist and she did a course to administer botox . After a while she had to stop doing it because of some change in the rules about "remote prescribing".
Those in the industry will probably know what that means?

In theory dentists are very well qualified to do aesthetician-style practices like Botox, if they take the necessary extra training. They are more highly trained in the muscular-skeletal and nerve structure of the face than any regular nurse or non-specialising doctor because dental work is all about the face! One of the best aestheticians I know started out as a dentist.
However it doesn't guarantee they will be good at it...
Sounds like he should have gone in with a lighter dose and aimed to top up if necessary at your two-week check-in. I'd go to two other people for a second opinion from each to see whether they think your anatomy just requires a different approach or whether it simply isn't suited to Botox.

All these comments about dentists doing Botox 'as a side line for money ' makes me laugh,as opposed to doctors or nurses doing it for love /free?