Swiss doctors warn of stomach botox trend

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A small injection and the pounds will tumble. This is how Sarah F.* (28) from Germany had imagined it. And that is why he flew to Istanbul in February for a stomach botox treatment. This is reported by the “image”.

The abdominal muscles are paralyzed by the neurotoxin Botox. The idea: the stomach should work more slowly. Patients are full for longer and are less hungry again. F. heard about the method via Instagram and found an attractive offer. Was promised 15 kilograms of weight loss in three months – for 550 euros.

But instead of losing weight, the mother of two (5 and 6 years old) almost lost her life. “I have already written a farewell letter to my children in the hospital,” the German tells “Bild”. The problem: The neurotoxin not only stayed in the stomach, but also paralyzed other parts of her body.

“I thought I was going to die now”

Sarah F. suffered from botox poisoning, also known as botulism. The complaints started after three days. She just caught the plane back to Germany and ended up in intensive care soon after. Sarah F. about “Bild”: “The Botox paralyzed my diaphragm, I had to be ventilated with a mask for several weeks. I thought I was going to die now.”

Sarah F. is not an isolated case. A total of 27 cases are known in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) stated in March. There are also two cases in Switzerland, the Bundesamt für Volksgezondheid (BAG) reports when asked by Blick. Although the BAG does not make direct recommendations, it refers to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). And this explicitly warns against the injection of weight loss into the stomach. The risk of complications is too great.

Weight loss is short-lived

Swiss hospitals do not even offer this procedure. “A Botox injection in the stomach can lead to serious side effects, such as severe abdominal cramps and vomiting. In the worst case, the treatment can be fatal,” Minoa Jung, a surgeon at Geneva University Hospital, told Blick. When poisoned, the neurotoxin not only paralyzes the musculature of the stomach, but may also paralyze the respiratory musculature or heart.

Moreover, no matter how great the risk, the effect is small. In fact, patients lose some weight through the method. Jung zu Blick: “However, this weight loss is only short-lived and not permanent, as the effect disappears after four to five months, as in aesthetic medicine.” Theoretically, the next intervention would then be imminent.

Use in the stomach is “very negligent”

Dan Iselin, a specialist in aesthetic medicine in Zurich, also thinks it is irresponsible to use Botox for the stomach. “Although it is also about achieving a beauty ideal, I would never perform such a treatment,” he tells Blick. He has been working with the neurotoxin for years and uses it to treat wrinkles. In small amounts and only on the face.

Every doctor knows the risk of botulism. “I consider it very negligent to knowingly inject Botox into the GI tract.” Of course, the suffering of patients who want to lose weight is great, but health must come first. “In the end, if there is a death, the health risk of obesity is put into perspective.”

* Name changed

Source: Blick