Is Botox painful?
Apr 19, 2022
Any injection can hurt or pain, but the needles used for Botox injections are very small, hence the level of feeling uncomfortable is minimal. The surrounding area can be numbed with a topical anesthetic cream or cold pack 10-20 minutes before the injections are given.
Botox, or onabotulinum toxin A is used for three main purposes- muscle spasm control, severe underarm sweating and cosmetic improvement. In this article we focus on the third use, achieved with the product called Botox Cosmetic, which contains botulinum toxin type A (the active ingredient), human albumin (a protein found in human blood plasma) and sodium chloride. The effects from Botox will last three to six months. As muscle action gradually returns the lines and wrinkles begin to reappear and need to be treated again. The lines and wrinkles often appear less severe with time because the muscles are shrinking. Mostly things could contribute to painful Botox injections. None would indicate long term damage but might impact your concentrate to try another injector next time. If the needle strikes a cutaneous nerve this can cause a lightening like pain away from the injection site. Hitting the underlying bone can also be quite painful and is basically associated with that ‘crunching’ noise. Preserved normal saline is the best to use and the least painful. This is my preferred vehicle and most patients need no skin prep before my injections. Non preserved saline is a bit more uncomfortable. What would really be painful would be the wrong diluent being grabbed off the shelf and used, like as sterile water or sodium bicarbonate. A new research focus that Botox injections may significantly reduce chronic neck pain when used in combination with physical therapy. Botox is a purified form of botulinum toxin type A that has long been used to relax muscles and treat uncontrolled muscle contractions caused by a number of medical conditions.