Post: Botox and Pregnancy: Is It Safe?

Botox isn’t your best choice during pregnancy — try topical vitamin C and moisturizers in the meantime Healthcare provider sitting at office desk, talking to pregnant person across from them There’s nothing like pregnancy to make you think twice about everything you put into your body.

There’s a wealth of information available about what to eat and drink while pregnant . You know to avoid alcohol . To take your prenatal vitamins faithfully. To keep your caffeine intake low .

But there are some gray areas, too.

Like what about your regular Botox® injections? (Or Dysport®, Xeomin® or your botulinum toxins of choice?)

Are they safe during pregnancy?

These purified proteins help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Some people also use botulinum toxins to treat chronic health issues.

To provide you with some guidance, plastic surgeon James Zins, MD , answers commonly asked questions about Botox and pregnancy. Is Botox safe if you’re pregnant?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies botulinum toxin as a category C drug.

“That means botulinum toxin hasn’t been shown to be dangerous,” Dr. Zins shares. “But it also hasn’t been shown to be safe for pregnant people.”For that reason, Dr. Zins recommends erring on the side of caution and avoiding Botox during pregnancy whenever possible.“Anytime you ingest anything or inject a substance into your skin, you need to consider the effect it may have on healthy fetal development,” he emphasizes. “The challenge is that we don’t always know the long-term effect . So, we can’t assume it’s safe during pregnancy.” What if you unknowingly use Botox while pregnant? If you already got Botox injections before you realized you were pregnant, Dr. Zins says you can take a deep breath. The overwhelming likelihood is that it won’t pose a risk.“We use very small doses of botulinum toxin for aesthetic (cosmetic) purposes, especially in cases of baby Botox ,” he explains. “It’s not absorbed in the bloodstream. It’s just absorbed locally, in the area where it’s injected.”One study reviewed nearly 400 pregnancies that involved exposure to botulinum toxin during the three months before or after conception. Those pregnancies […]

Botox and Pregnancy: Is It Safe?