Botox, a common treatment for wrinkles, that seems somewhat safe and non invasive.  If you choose surgery, you automatically risk death considering you go under the knife.  But some would consider botox to be much safer.  Those people would be surprised and maybe even shocked into finding another alternative.

Botox comes from a toxic substance known as botulism that in the right levels could easily kill a person, but freezes the muscles.  As such, there have actually been 16 reported deaths associated with botox.  Botulism is a common food poisoning element, and though popular celebrities have touted it as a safe alternative, we have found that you can’t always count on the media or celebrities for the truth.

Botulism can also spread from your face to other areas you may not have intended, causing paralyzing effects there as well.  Some have reported that massaging the area of injection can cause it to move around the body at a higher rate, causing headaches, droopy eyelids, etc, which all seems relatively minor compared to the most serious side effect, but still inconveniencing at the least.  Others have reported the inability to make a regular expression with their face.  When most users report problems with botox, they are generally told there is nothing to be done but wait. 

Between 1997 and 2006, 180 botox patients developed life threatening conditions, 16 died, and 87 were forced to be hospitalized.  4 of the deaths occurred in children, though we are unsure why children would be undergoing botox injections, both legally and for practical matters.  Some experienced paralysis of the respiratory functions, difficulty swallowing, pneumonia, fluid in the lungs, and eventually suffocation or too much water in the lungs.  658 others have reported other adverse side effects according to Allergan, the makers of botox on a voluntary basis.  But we have seen prescription companies and others who have withheld a significant amount of information before.

It should also be noted that while botox can have these serious side effects, there are quite a few imitators purchased by doctors in order to save money.  These are more likely to have adverse side effects.  But no one gets the benefit of knowing which they are getting before the procedure.  One such patient experienced the inability to speak or breathe on his own after injections, and apparently could barely move.  They had to be fed through a feeding tube, and a lawsuit was filed against eh doctor for a botox injection 10 times stronger than normal.  Some have also said that they can become addicting over time. 

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2593

http://www.wsbtv.com/health/4166244/detail.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/17/nbotox17.xml