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Doctor: Article On Botox Concerns Inaccurate

1,683 views · Published 23 May 2008 · 1:56 · Indexed 1 November 2026

Channel: KMBC 9 · 2008 · News & Politics

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Botox has become a very popular cosmetic product for getting rid of unwanted wrinkles. But what if Botox travels beyond the injection site?

Botox is basically a very diluted form of a poison that weakens or paralyzes certain muscles. But a recent article in Newsweek highlighted a laboratory study that showed Botox has been shown to travel beyond the injection site in lab animals, even to the brain.

According to plastic surgeon Dr. Frederick Thompson of North Kansas City Hospital, the article is inaccurate on several fronts.

He said what they injected in the animals is nothing close to what is injected in humans for cosmetic purposes.

"The Botox injected is not only highly purified, it's also very diluted, not nearly the strength they would be injecting in that laboratory report," said Thompson.

KMBC's Kelly Eckerman reported that the particles shown to have traveled from the injection site were not Botox. They were byproducts of Botox. Thompson said that is comparing apples to oranges.

"I would say, at this point, it's nothing to be alarmed about -- about two different studies in lab animals using two different products. So it doesn't show anything that would make me want to withdraw the product from my practice," Thompson said.

Thompson said the problem lies in one person's analysis, drawing comparisons between two completely different products. He said similar research using the diluted cosmetic form of Botox showed no such problem, which is why it has Food and Drug Administration approval.

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