Career women are now turning to Botox to ensure that their blow-dried hair smells nice even after intense workouts. The treatment to prevent sweaty scalps has even been renamed "Blotox" because the injections allegedly extend the life of a blowout.
Blotox has boomed in both the U.S. and in the U.K., especially since Botox is a remedy for hyperhidrosis or extreme sweating. According to Dr. Michelle Henry, a dermatologist in New York, working women use Blotox to keep their hair looking nice, which seems like a risky decision considering that the procedure is linked to negative side effects such as dyphasia and headaches.
Henry told US Weekly that she has been doing Blotox for eight years now.
Botox works by "inhibiting the eccrine glands." Since the scalp perspires less, women who have Blotox treatments have hair that is less frizzy and they don't have to wash their hair as frequently. Dr. Cindy Bae, another New York dermatologic surgeon, attests to the surge in popularity of Blotox. Bae commented, "They won't sweat as much so their blowout will last longer and their hair won't feel or look as greasy."
Cashing in on this phenomenon, more cosmetic clinics in the U.K. are also offering “Blotox” treatments. Patients can get Botox at MediZen for 500 British Pounds ($658), and each treatment lasts for at least three to nine months. Dr. David Eccleston, MediZen's clinical director, stated, "I have been using Botox for 20 years to treat everything from facial wrinkles to underarm sweating and migraine... I also treat patients with Botox for facial acne and scalp and forehead sweating."
Eccleston explained that frizzy hair gets worse due to humidity, and that “Botox stops sweating by blocking the nerve impulses to the individual sweat glands. When used in the scalp, sweating is reduced, thus reducing the tendency of straightened hair to return to it's curly state.”
But is nicer hair worth the risk of taking expensive Blotox treatments linked to negative effects and lose their effectiveness after only two to three months of use?
Before you sign up for some Blotox injections, check out the cons and possible side effects of using Botox:
Disadvantages of Botox treatments
- Because Botox is a temporary solution, you might have to get treatments as long as you wish to prevent lines and wrinkles from showing up on your face.
- Some patients can have allergic reactions to the drug, especially those who take antibiotics. These reactions can be severe and uncomfortable if not treated immediately.
- Botox paralyzes your facial muscles, making it hard for some people to make certain facial expressions.
- Botox is expensive, and the average cost of a single area injection is $466. However, this varies depending on where you're getting your treatments. You can get them for as low as $100, but these can give you mixed results. In other states like California, the rate for an injection can get as high as $2,000.
Possible side effects of Botox
Consider other alternatives to preventing excessive sweating since the use of Botox can cause these side effects:
- Dysphasia – Dysphasia is “the minor loss of the ability to speak clearly or perform basic facial expressions.”
- Headaches – Some patients experience headaches after Botox injections.
- Nausea – At least 45 percent of people who get Botox injections experience some nausea.
- Neck pain – A common side effect of Botox, it is believed that neck pain indicates the spread of Botox to other areas of the body.
- Ptosis – An estimated five percent of people who get Botox injections suffer from ptosis, a temporary condition that causes one or both eyelids to droop.
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