A woman has shared images of her botched botox which meant she was unable to see out of one eye, in a warning to others tempted to use local botox spas that do not hire doctors.
After receiving her routine Xeomin injections, 55-year-old entrepreneur Shari Budner experienced severe ptosis and eye sagging on one side of her face.
In 2014, after a pseudo-mini stroke, she lost over three-and-a-half stone in weight, which left her with a slight sagging in the face.
Shari decided to get botox to reduce this, having received botox before from other clinics, and travelled to a spa in Canton, Georgia, in May this year.
On the recommendation of a Nurse Practitioner, she then received an injection of Xeomin Botox.
Xeomin is a prescription treatment that is injected into the muscle between the eyebrow and forehead lines, providing a temporary modification to frown lines.
A single 15-minute treatment lasts between three and six months.
She shared her experience on Facebook, warning others of the risk of botox at local spas with no doctors present.
The businesswoman wrote: "If you are considering any injections, specifically an eyebrow lift do your research before you go anywhere new.
"My quality of life is diminished to where I couldn't work, and I was a nervous wreck driving as I have no peripheral vision in my left eye.
"This is not my first time getting injections but is the first at this location.
"I had a procedure done along with a small amount of Botox near my eyebrows to lift my very hooded eyelids.
"Exactly one week later I noticed I was having trouble with my vision in my left eye.
"I understand there's a five-percent chance for Botox to leak or migrate to the eyelid causing it to droop."
Shari notified the clinic, returning for a follow-up assessment to try and fix the damage.
Following an examination, the clinician decided to inject more botox into her temple to worse the muscle to work harder and lift the eyelid, injecting her a second time on May 23rd 2022.
In the US, the laws regarding who can administer Botox vary from state to state. The clinic suggested the use of botox to rectify the mistake made with Xeomin, lifting the brow.
To her knowledge there was no doctor present on-site at the time or involved in the procedure at any point.
"After the assessment, she decided a small amount of Botox in the temple would relax the area and force the eyebrow muscles to work harder and start to lift the lid," said Shari.
"She injected more above the brow to try and compensate and open the eye back up and was told it should begin to open back up in three to four days.
"I did receive a partial refund for being overcharged, however the amount of time I lost unable to work and the inability to drive pales in comparison."
On May 28, Shari visited a doctor and underwent an eye examination. The doctor gave her a prescription for a 30-day supply of Upneeq drops which was sent via mail. However, due to late delivery, the drops took over a week to arrive.
The drops initially helped to improve the drooping eye, however only lasted for six hours before wearing off. Her eyelid would become so heavy that in the afternoon she would have to use Steri-Strips to be able to see out of her left eye.
"After a week of the med spa not responding to emails, I chose to see a medical doctor to have him examine the incisions of the thread lift to be certain they were healing properly so another out-of-pocket expense I should not have incurred," she said.
"This new doctor did prescribe Apraclonidine on Thursday the 25th of June and it's made an improvement already."
As Xeomin botox takes three to six months to wear off, Shari's recovery is slow. However, she is now on the mend for the better.
