Counterfeit Botox Is Making People Sick—Here's How to Spot an Unlicensed Injector

glamour.com:

, Tennessee, and Washington, according to an April 15 .The 19 individuals reported adverse reactions to counterfeit , with nine undergoing hospitalization for conditions such as blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, constipation, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Before you panic about getting overall however, there are some key details you should consider.The people impacted—all of whom were from the ages of 25 to 59 and received Botox “for cosmetic purposes” (as in, not to treat a condition like or )—were injected by untrained and unlicensed injectors in nonmedical settings, such as at home and in med spas.Translation?

If you see a , you shouldn't have to worry about counterfeit Botox. It's unclear whether these women knew the extent of their injectors' qualifications, though this proves that while it never hurts to ask, sometimes it does hurt to not.Fortunately, none of the reported fake Botox cases resulted in death.

Those hospitalized were successfully treated with “botulism antitoxin,” a medication prescribed to treat symptoms of botulism, while five of the 19 reported were tested for botulism—a rare type of poisoning that can be caused by toxins and cause paralysis, per —but tested negative.The counterfeit Botox is now being investigated by the CDC, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and several state and local health departments.Ahead, dermatologists and plastic surgeons break down exactly what you need to know about counterfeit Botox as well as how to spot it ahead of time.“People injected with the counterfeit product have reported visual changes, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing and breathing as well as slurred speech, dry mouth, fatigue, and generalized weakness,” , MD, a.