Long-term effects of Botox as woman only injects one half of her face to show what it does to her

Dr Bita Farrell made headlines in 2024 when she chose to show people the true effects of Botox.

The medical professional made herself a 'lab rat' in her own experiment, showcasing exactly what the drug botulinum toxin (often known by the brand name Botox) does to you by only injecting half her face.

Though it has its uses in medicine, we best know it to be used by celebrities to try and appear as young as possible in their later years.

Botox injections work by temporarily paralysing the muscles in your face and blocking signals sent from nerves to the muscles.

This stops the muscles from contracting, though only for months at a time.

This means regular injections must be scheduled - but what are the long-term effects of doing this?

Health professionals have done research over the years, working to uncover the possible effects of Botox in the long-term.

Common side-effects of Botox

While Dr Farrell revealed that she struggled to get any movement out of the half of her face that was injected with Botox, there are other side-effects of the cosmetic procedure.

According to Mayo Clinic, some unwanted results or negative side-effects include:

• Pain, swelling or bruising at the area of injection
• Droopy eyelids/crooked eyebrows
• Headache or flu-like symptoms
• Watery or dry eyes
• Infection at the area of injection
• A crooked smile or drooling

Speaking about the side-effects of Botox she was facing two weeks after the procedure, she said on social media: "You can see that the platysma muscle on this [left] side is really contracting and pulling my jawline down, and so is my DAO, pulling the corner of my mouth down.

"I'm really trying to pull this side!" she said of the injected side.

Other studies have been carried out in recent years that delve into other health effects Botox can have.

While people have taken part in studies, including a set of twins to compare the differences in appearance, clinical trials have focused on a select few of the estimated three million Botox injections that occur each year.

Serious side-effects of botox

According to the BBC, in April 2024, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerted that 22 women between the ages of 25 and 59 had reported 'harmful' reactions to counterfeit/mishandled botulinum toxin.

As a result, 11 were hospitalised and six were treated with an antitoxin as it was believed they could develop botulism.

This is where the toxin spreads from the local site, attacking the central nervous system and resulting in muscle paralysis, making it harder to breathe, and potentially even leading to death.

The women reported the following as symptoms:

• Blurry and double vision
• Drooping eyelids
• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Slurred speech
• Difficulty swallowing
• Weakness

It should be noted that these women got their injections from untrained or unlicensed people in non-healthcare settings.

Michelle Waltenburg, an epidemiologist with CDC's Epidemic Diseases Epidemiology Branch, explained at the time: "The CDC, FDA [Federal Drug Administration], and jurisdictional partners are actively investigating these illnesses that happened after injection with mishandled or counterfeit botulinum toxin."

Long-term effects of Botox

A 2023 study carried out by Mosahebi and colleagues at UCL discovered that 69 percent of participants in a survey found they had long-lasting negative effects such as anxiety, headaches and pain caused by getting Botox.

Patients also said they faced psychological consequences when procedures went wrong.

Not much is known about the long-term health effects of taking Botox, it must be said, as most clinical trials take place over six months.

Certain studies state that long-term use can cause permanent changes in facial expression, as well as changes in muscle composition.

Mosahebi further explained: "If you didn't use your abs [abdominal muscles] for 10 years, they would waste away.

"So in a similar way, if the muscle that causes the creasing of your face doesn't get used, or is paralysed with Botox, after a while it's not as strong as before, so you have less of an expression," the health expert added.