Numb the Face, Numb the Brain?

I’ve never much liked the idea of the cosmetic use of ‘Botox’, given that the drug is—essentially—the same toxin that causes botulism, which causes damage to nerve function and paralyzes muscles and kills people. Yeah, that sounds like a good, friendly drug to inject into one’s face to smooth out some wrinkles. Good thinking.

Regardless, there may be some medical backing to my gut rejection of the use of Botox. As reported by Bloomberg.com, the Botox neurotoxin can move from a muscle injection site to the central nervous system, including the brain, in tests with rats. Granted, rats aren’t people, but it might be a good idea to check this out a little more carefully before we use a potentially deadly neurotoxin for such a superficial purpose as smoothing wrinkles.

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.