Doctors Sound the Alarm About Disturbing ‘Backyard Botox’ Trend
One doctor called the trend “scary” due to the serious risks it entails.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
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People looking to save money on their Botox appointments are injecting their own faces with neurotoxins—a move that medical professionals warn could cost them their lives. The trend is called “backyard Botox,” though many of its followers are likely using knock-off substances that merely imitate the brand-name neurotoxin.
For the past six months, TikTok and Reddit users have posted videos and photos showing each other how to “map out” their faces to find the best spots to inject neurotoxins, which paralyze muscles. This effect prevents the formation of new wrinkles and reduces the appearance of existing lines when administered by an experienced medical professional.
Texas-based plastic surgeon Dr. Bruce Hermann told Fox 13 Tampa Bay that the trend’s rise in popularity is “scary” due to the serious risks that accompany improperly injected substances.
“These neurotoxins are actually deadly toxins,” Dr. Hermann told the outlet, adding, “You can actually paralyze things like your diaphragm, which then could require life support or even cause death.”
The aesthetic consequences, too, can be severe and long-lasting. “If you inject it in the wrong place, you can get paralysis of muscles that makes you look like you’ve had a stroke,” Dr. Hermann said.
The trend is especially popular in the DIY beauty space, where people seek affordable options for aesthetic treatments. Botox at a clinic can be expensive to maintain, but this is partly because safe, FDA-approved neurotoxins come with a price tag due to rigorous testing and the training required of injectors.
In the online videos, however, people are ordering off-brand and unverified neurotoxins from abroad. One of the most popular injectables is Innotox, a Korean liquid mentioned in over 1,000 TikTok videos.
Dr. Hermann said that, even with his over 20 years of experience, he would “never inject” himself. “If you continue to see these do-it-yourself home Botoxes,” he said, “we’re going to get a news article where somebody either dies or ends up on life support because they misused this product.”