TAMPA, FLA. — According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, from 2000 to 2020, Botox injections increased by 459 percent. Medical experts said that’s why 19 different cases of mishandled or counterfeit botox in nine different states is a serious problem.
“When it's injected wrong, reconstituted wrong, or poorly administered there could be some affects from that that,” said nurse practitioner Morgan Morgan.
That could be anything from Botox not working to botulism. Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by toxins released by bacteria that attacks the nervous system. Symptoms can be blurry or double vision, droopy eyelids, difficulty breathing, headache or flu -like symptoms, or — in some cases- fatal.
Morgan is a licensed and board-certified nurse practitioner who works at Cell Renew Medical Spa in Tampa. She is one of two people certified to administer Botox at the spa.
She said situations like this is a good reminder to educate the general public and patients about what you should be looking for in a medical setting from an injector.
Botox can be used for medical or cosmetics. That’s important because one of the first things you should do is make sure you are seeing a licensed Botox provider. According to the CDC, just because a person is a doctor doesn’t mean they’re qualified to give Botox.
"We can treat both in most circumstances,” Nurse Morgan said. “However, if it's something very specified — such as migraines— we're referring you to a neurologist for those."
The CDC said you should always ask if the Botox products being used are FDA-approved and get reliable proof. Ask to see before and after pictures of current patients, and make sure your med spa or clinic has the correct oversight
“Every medical spa should have a licensed physician as their medical director like we have here,” Nurse Morgan said. “Our director is Dr. Mario Hernandez is our medial director. He also practices alongside me.”
