Botox while breastfeeding

[Janch13]

Just that really. Thoughts? All the googling is pretty inconclusive but does state unlikely to harm as so localised. I’ve found a few trustworthy practitioners that will do it, but would really like to find at least a couple of reliable studies to show it’s not risky.

Please don’t judge. I’m just considering it and doing all the due diligence, I would never put a baby at risk for vanity purposes but my ageing appearance is really getting me down.

Sorry but I think if you'd never put your baby at any risk for vanity purposes then it would have to be a no? There won't be reliable research on this because nobody would do the experiment, even life saving medications aren't tested on pregnant women/breastfeeding women.

There is no way I’d do something ‘unlikely’ to harm a baby out of sheer vanity. And you don’t get to tell people not to judge.

You may not be finding much evidence that it's safe or otherwise because testing is not routinely done on pregnant women for ethical reasons. Personally I wouldn't as the "tox" bit is essentially saying "toxin" but you rolls your dice, you takes your choice.

I have heard from a practitioner that Botox does not enter the blood stream so therefore wouldn't enter the breast milk?
Also not recommended in breastfeeding-pregnant women due to not testing and also, because of hormones fluctuating during this time, that this can affect the results.

I have been breastfeeding or pregnant now continuously for 9 years now (thanks to extended breastfeeding x3).. honestly you're not even supposed to take a paracetamol 🤣!

Maybe talk to a few experts and see what they say?!

@villamariavintrapp i have found studies where Botox for medicinal purposes (migraines, teeth grinding etc) has been administered in pregnant women.

@Infusionist I have 2 words for you, I’ll let you work them out for yourself.

@treetop122 thanks for your helpful message. This is my understanding as well.

Since starting this thread have found a helpful thread on here on the same topic so moving my comments to there.

Wow I just read this after having Botox while breastfeeding my 3 month old, and I am shocked at the comments. Some people are just the worst 😂 sorry you had to read those initial responses OP. After spending hours researching this subject prior to having it done, I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s safe. Yes it will never be recommended because they can’t actively do a study on it because of ethics. But if it’s okay for people to have it done on the NHS for eye problems etc, and for them to continue to breastfeed, then I trust the doctors who administer that Botox to know more than some random people on MN.

I have looked into this before and the general gist is that it is fine. If you google anything at all + pregnancy or breastfeeding you’ll get scaremongering.

I would infer, that the very tiny amount of neurotoxin used is highly unlikely to make it into breast milk. Purely on the basis that it is such a tiny amount , think about it, if the chemical travelled away from the injection site it would put loads more nerves to sleep, your face would completely freeze. And you’re right it is used for medical reasons sometimes in pregnancy. How much longer do you intend to feed for though? Because I think in spite of what I’ve said, I’d be inclined to wait. You could wean, have some treatments and a spa thing and the Botox then as a sort of hurrah for finally getting your body back to yourself? I’m sure that would feel incredible?

It doesn’t enter the bloodstream so can’t possibly get into breast milk, it’s been a licensed medicine since about 1992, there will have been lots of people who have had it whilst being unknowingly pregnant since then which is how data for drug safety in pregnancy is usually gathered.
Go to a doctor who prescribes it and injects and see what they say?

I work at a private hospital and we do not treat pregnant/bf women with Botox ..only qualified Drs perform these treatments where I work though and they are very careful about who is suitable for treatment, I’m sure rules differ at other clinics/salons. Personally I waited until I had stopped BF. Speak to your GP or health visitor.

@OneDay1234 thanks for your response and congratulations on your babba. Mine is 10 weeks ☺️ Is this your first time having Botox or did you have it before pregnancy? If so, please do report back how your Botox is appearing in a few months as I heard that some people breastfeeding metabolise it quicker so it doesn’t last as long - another reason I’m currently holding off on it, it’s a massive indulgence while I’m on maternity pay and not worth it for me if it will wear off quickly.

@Cognitivedisonance I intend to feed for another 9ish months or so until my baby is 1yo. Good idea about the other treatments in the mean time, I really fancy a hydrofacial! And my beloved Botox will be a treat when I am finished feeding and can justify the cost as I’ll be back to work then.

@Lira715 Do you think that’s probably down to licensing/insurance though?

I suffer with chronic migraines and Botox is a treatment used. My consultant would not allow me to have Botox whilst pregnant or breastfeeding.

No way would I do this. I'm an allergy mum and quickly realised how much things get transferred into breast milk. If I ate a quarter of a biscuit with baked in milk powder my dairy allergic baby would be screaming all night for example. Speak to most medical professionals and despite the NICE guidelines on bf allergies they will tell you it's not possible so they really have no idea. So on that basis I'd be holding off.

I will do @Janch13 it’s actually the 2nd time I had it done while BF. I had Botox when I was still breastfeeding my eldest when she was about 14 months. And I had it done again just a couple months before I fell pregnant with my 2nd. I personally didn’t notice any difference in how long it lasted, it actually lasted quite long into my pregnancy, but as you can imagine after 12 months of going without I was keen to get going with it again, and so I went for it with what knowledge I’d already required before having it done while BF’ing my first. I’ll come back and report how it goes this time :)
@Diddykong my baby also has an intolerance to milk from my breast milk so I do understand how easily things are transferred. But I have read plenty of literature on people who have had Botox while pregnant without realising, and also of a case where a woman came down with Botulism after having Botox while breastfeeding, and on testing her milk there was no toxins found in her milk. Of course that’s not to say it is the case for everyone, but when you look at the way Botox works, if it leaked into the mothers blood stream and migrated away from the area intended, then the mother would suffer serious consequences before she even had a chance to breastfeed her baby. I completely understand the reasoning to refrain from having it done, absolutely! But I think as mothers and as woman we can make informed choices x

The best ‘facial aesthetics’ practitioner I knew, by far, I genuinely could not tell he had any work done ( and I usually can including for those who say they like the natural look) said he rested his face frequently from having Botox. So I’d take breastfeeding as a chance to do that. He was my hairdresser and I think that was what made him so good at the aesthetics stuff. He was able to look at a face and judge what worked for the aesthetics of it. Whereas most practitioners are good at the jabbing a needle into you ( come from some sort of healthcare background) but not so good at the aesthetics side.

I had a really good long chat with him about it. He was clearly an intelligent and reflective guy.

He rested his face in part as he said you can end up with an uneven face. He also talked about people who end up looking older than they are, like they are older woman trying to look younger. I know women exactly like that, where I was surprised when I found out their age, as I assumed they were older but trying to look younger.

Which is all a long way of me suggesting you take the opportunity to take a rest from Botox!

Post on the breastfeeding network Facebook page - run by pharmacists

What I would say is I would definitely think twice about having dermal fillers while breastfeeding. I do receive dermal fillers normally but have stopped while pregnant and BF’ing my two children. But the nature of Botox treatment is much safer than fillers in general. The toxin particles are very large and the risk of it moving beyond the intended site is low, and risk of it entering and spreading far in the blood stream lower, and then entering breast milk even lower still. I am not a nurse or doctor, but my best friend is, and she would absolutely not allow me to put my baby at risk if she thought there was a real chance it could cause him harm.

@OneDay1234 there interesting as I would have been more worried about Botox transferring to the breastmilk than fillers, purely because of the “tox” in the name! In my understanding both are super localised and unlikely to enter the mother’s milk either way, but I am no expert hence starting this thread!!

It is interesting because I had the same thoughts but when I asked my friend I was told that with fillers, there is an anaesthetic in the filler syringe (or there is in the one she uses anyway) that is used to numb the area as they inject. This can pass into breastmilk freely and is likely to do so in very small amounts. Also as there are usually more injection sites with fillers, the needle goes deeper into the skin, and the large amount of substance left in the skin after injection, there is a greater risk of infection. Which again can pass through the milk. I’ve been dying to get my lips done not gunna lie, as both my kids are IVF i avoided having it done for months before treatment, and of course during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so it’s been years! But i guess on a positive note i definitely don’t have the ‘overfilled’ look haha. X

Oh, and congratulations @Janch13 on the birth of your 10 week old! 🩵 xx

Just wanted to come back and contribute to this thread as I did a LOT of research before deciding to go for it, so hopefully someone else find this helpful.

I got 3 areas of Botox yesterday and continued to feed my 8m old as usual and he is absolutely fine.

Practitioner did warn me that the effect might not last as long as previously but we will see. Mama desperately needed a boost even if it won’t last the usual 6m (for me)

For anyone else looking for info on this, Wendy Jones, pharmacist, BfN breastfeeding counsellor & Drugs in Breastfeeding helpline, is an authority on the safety of drugs in breastmilk and she discusses botox, fillers and breastfeeding on her website here. She can also be contacted, details on her website.

Any reputable and ethical practitioner would not provide this service when you are breastfeeding or pregnant.