Botox is tested on animals first!

[kimmerspixelated]

How Botox works( this makes me sick)

When injected into the skin, Botox paralyzes the muscles, which evens out fine lines and wrinkles. It’s no wonder people who use Botox look expressionless; their faces are literally paralyzed. The treatment is temporary, causing people to continually and addictively get Botox injections. There are no studies that demonstrate the long-term safety of such a vicious cycle.

Even if you can overlook the unknown safety issues associated with long-term use, there are direct dangers linked to having even just one injection. As people flock to Botox clinics throughout the United States, unlicensed, unsafe concentrations are making their way into the faces of unsuspecting consumers. In 2006, four people nearly died after being injected with a “black market” Botox at a dose nearly 3,000 times the estimated human lethal dose. The scientific literature also contains reports of eye injuries associated with Botox injections.

Animal Suffering

But when it comes to Botox usage, it’s not the safety of humans that infuriates me. It’s the animal suffering. Because Botox is so dangerous, every batch has to be tested on animals to determine the proper dosage. Reports regarding animal testing of Botox are barbaric. Animals are injected with Botox at varying dosages. Botox isn’t strong enough in the animals that have no paralysis. And guess what? The animals that receive too much Botox die a horrible death. The animals with just the right amount of paralysis determine the proper dosage. And that takes place every time a batch of Botox is made.

The Humane Society has filed several complaints against the FDA wanting to see Botox testing information. The Humane Society states that because every batch of Botox must be tested on animals it causes “…differing levels of muscular paralysis. Those given a high or powerful dose eventually die from suffocation, after their respiratory muscles become paralyzed.”

Botox is a toxin that can be dangerous. What’s worse is that its production is associated with animal abuse. In my view, it should only be used when medically necessary — not as a temporary quick fix for facial lines and wrinkles.

-Mychelle Natural Skincare


JUST A LITTLE FYI ABOUT BOTOX IF YOU WERE CRAZY OR INSECURE ENOUGH TO TRY IT!

[flvegan]

1. Damnit, where'd I put my big bowl...

aha, there it is :popcorn:

[God23]

3. Can I have some?

[flvegan]

6. Pull up a chair.

I think it's just starting.

[Matariki]

8. flvegan, I admire your new found love of popcorn.

;-)

think I'll have some too :popcorn:

[flvegan]

19. It's a kick I'm on.

[Matariki]

22. You're setting a fine example!

keep up the good work

:popcorn:

[Hoof Hearted]

59. Hmmm, do you mean that in a

"you're a credit to your kind", kinda way?

[Matariki]

60. Bullwinkle!

i LOVE Bullwinkle!

[midlife_mo_Jo]

62. I support testing on animals for drugs that cure disease

but not for vanity procedures .

[Lorien]

66. The sick thing is that plenty of unnecessary testing is done by companies

because they can receive government subsidies for doing the tests. Many have no medical value whatsoever. I don't have a link; just something I was told by a friend who worked for years in R&D for a major pharmaceutical company.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

63. Damn man, you've been on a popcorn streak lately.

When you get sick of it, give the rest to me!

[CoffeeCat]

2. Now that you mention it...

...I thought that the squirrels scampering around my backyard
looked a lot more attractive and youthful.

There's one that looks like a little furry Katie Couric.

[judaspriestess]

4. disgusting

and just another way to mistreat animals.

[DesertFlower]

5. any testing on animals is despicable

and must be stopped. this is a group that i've been a member of for years. we're fighting constantly to stop animal testing. if you want it stopped i suggest you join them and contribute.

http://www.pcrm.org/

that being said, i've been having botox injections for years. it doesn't mean i'm a bad person.

[kimmerspixelated]

7. Really?

But...But...But how can you do that to yourself? Especially if you know it is a paralyzing poison, AND that animals were tested/killed just so you could look a few years younger? Really...I would take the money and find some natural solutions.

[DesertFlower]

10. grow up.

most likely the shampoo and other products you use were tested on animals.

there are no natural solutions for frown lines and crow's feet. and botox is totally safe. i've had collagen injections too.

the animals were tested and that's past history. my getting botox injections cannot change that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. You're telling FA to grow up?

Is FA the one who's afraid of aging?

[Matariki]

20. ...

:rofl:

clever ;-)

[DesertFlower]

26. i'm not even going to dignify

that with an answer. i'm not going to post anymore on this thread. i don't like "judgmental" people.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. Ooo, I'm sorry.

I'll go down the doctor and have that removed.

[superduperfarleft]

40. Judi Giuliani, is that you?

How's Baby Louis doing?

[DumpDavisHogg]

18. They said every batch gets tested

It isn't "past history." The article says every batch still gets tested.

[Ignis]

29. This is true, and this is why it's hypocritical to laud PCRM...

while having Botox injections.

PCRM is, indeed, an awesome organization. But throwing money at them doesn't act as some sort of medieval indulgence to wash away the guilt of animal testing on a purely fucking cosmetic product.

Boo. :(

[AngryAmish]

44. Botox is not purely cosmetic

I agree that the vast majority is used to cosmetic reasons, but it is used for certain neurological condition s(trigeminal neuralgia I think plus others which I don't remember) and for wandering eyes.

Your basic point still stands, tho.

[Ignis]

30. It is incredibly easy to find cruelty-free beauty products.

If you really oppose animal testing and support PCRM, why do you support a product that involves animal testing in every single batch?

I don't understand. :shrug:

[DesertFlower]

43. i did not know that every batch

was tested. i checked it out and yes they do. i sent allergan (the makers of botox) a letter telling them that this has to be stopped.

[Ignis]

46. Good for you. But they won't stop.

The risks are far too high when dealing with a known toxin for any company to avoid testing every single batch. I can't see a company who stopped testing every batch being able to get insurance and/or pass FDA approval. And given that the practice is already in place, it would be a tough fight for them to show that it is suddenly unnecessary, when it was deemed necessary before.

If you remember the fights over cosmetic testing in the 80s, you'll see why this is a very difficult approach. It would be easier to start fresh with a new company, rather than changing test procedures as they stand.

But who knows? A lot of public pressure--especially economic pressure via boycott--can work wonders to change a company's business practices.

[DesertFlower]

49. i don't understand why

they have to test every batch. they've been making it for enough years to know how much it has to be diluted.

[Ignis]

50. Because it's a variable bacterial by-product (waste).

So they have to use a 50% toxicity test on every single batch. This is the FDA standard for most products that have the potential to be harmful or have harmful origins.

(BTW, the Lethal Dose 50 Percent test requires that half of the animals tested die in the course of testing.)

Here's some more info from the Humane Society:

Botox, or Botulinum Toxin Type A, comes from the waste of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, the same toxic byproduct that causes botulism food poisoning. Botox works by blocking nerve signals between the brain and muscles, effectively paralyzing the muscles that cause wrinkles and certain medical disorders. Because Botox is produced from bacteria, it is created with varying levels of potency-some batches of the drug, in other words, are stronger than others.

To determine the proper strength for each vial of Botox, Allergan must test the product.

Of all the tests done on animals, the conventional or classical LD50 is one of the most brutal. In Botox testing, animals endure differing levels of muscular paralysis and suffer from impaired vision and dry mouth. Animals who die do so from suffocation, after their diaphragms become paralyzed, and they can no longer breathe. Those who don't die immediately may languish with varying degrees of paralysis before being euthanized at the end of the three- to four-day test.
-- http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/animal_testing/the_beauty_myth_botox_kills_animals/index.html

[DesertFlower]

51. thanks for that info.

i'm sure they can find another way if they really tried.

[Ignis]

52. Yeah, the LD50 test is pretty awful across the board.

And it's fraught with error, unreliability, false positives, etc.--but that doesn't stop the FDA from mandating it for the silliest cosmetic products, nor does it stop the industry from performing millions of unnecessary LD50 tests every year.

It's a horrible system, but it's hard to change a system that's in place and considered to be "working as intended" by both Big Pharma and the Federal Government. The PCRM has some great anti-LD50 literature written by doctors for doctors, but getting the FDA to change policy is another matter.

Remember, these are the folks who suddenly had a change of heart and decided that Aspartame was safe once Reagan was elected and Donald Rumsfeld was an ally of the White House.

:eyes:

[Ignis]

61. Here's a good report on how the FDA's priorities are flawed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/washington/01fda.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Matariki]

55. I'm sure you can too.

you'll be stopping the botox treatments now that you have this info, right? And do a bit more research on the product you use in the future?

[DesertFlower]

56. yes.

[Matariki]

57. good for you.

thanks for the links you posted, btw.

[DesertFlower]

45. see response 43.

here's a link giving the names of companies who do animal testing.

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=5345&pst=238581&archival=&posts=4


then do some research on what other products they make. you might be surprised to find out that you're brushing your teeth or washing your hair or cleaning your contact lenses with might be tested on animals.


take a look at Colgate. you'll see Science Diet (pet food) listed under their products.

[Ignis]

48. You're preaching to the choir. I've been vegan for 15+ years.

Compared with the dearth of cruelty-free products in the 90s, it is ludicrously easy to find cosmetics, hair-care, soap, etc. in 2007. You don't even have to go to a health-food store anymore, nor use Dr. Bronner's soap (ick).

But again, I applaud your efforts to spread the word. PCRM is a great resource to share with people who assume that all animal testing is necessary, desirable, and unavoidable.

:)

[Matariki]

9. Yours might be the most self conflicted post ever.

very interesting.

[DesertFlower]

11. see my response #10.

[Solly Mack]

12. hmmm

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. So not only are you hypocritical with regards to animal testing...

You're vain enough to inject that shit in your face?

Wow.

[DesertFlower]

21. i am not hypocritcal with regards

to animal testing. i give large amounts of money to PCRM, PETA, etc.

am i vain? well maybe i am. so what? there's nothing wrong with trying to look "good".

the testing was done. it's over. if i or anyone else stops botox it will not change that fact. it's not being done anymore.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. Sure you are.

You seek to end animal testing, yet you reap benefits only made possible because of animal testing.

[flvegan]

32. So then one can't be against the war and support any of our Dem candidates

short of Kucinich?

Howdy.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. Honestly?

I was under the impression that Obama is also against the war, but pretty much, yeah.

[Ignis]

31. That's like saying you're vegetarian...

but you eat meat anyway because the animals are already dead.

Again, I don't understand your rationale here. :shrug:

[Raine]

24. Looks like a good group

but I wonder what their stand on the use of botox is since it's tested on animals. I'll have to read the whole site and see if I can find out.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Well, duh.

:shrug:

[Raine]

14. Disgusting

the things that are done to animals because of human vanity. x(

[DesertFlower]

16. FYI, my face does not

look paralyzed.

the black market botox was not given by doctors who are approved to use botox. i tend to remember that women didn't want to pay the "price" for botox. they put their lives at risk to save some money.

it is a very expensive procedure.

[RB TexLa]

25. I don't know anyone who has gotten a paralyzed looking face from it

[monmouth]

28. Come to Palm Beach. These gals all look alike, mouth frozen

in place, hardly moving when talking, could bounce a dime off their foreheads... They fly out of PB up to NY, shop and fly back down...What a life, war, killing and maiming our kids, and the rest of the US is at the mall or getting botoxed... sigh.

[Raine]

34. or come to Beverly Hills

:wow: it's enough to give you nigthmares. :scared:

[AtomicKitten]

33. At least the animals are smarter than to inject themselves with that poison.

Can't say the same for human beings.

I think all testing on animals should be considered a CRIME and prosecuted accordingly.

[Hidden Stillness]

35. Endless, Sickening Human Cruelty and Stupidity

A situation like this, as horrific and tragic as the thought of still continuing cruel animal testing in labs is--years after many people probably thought it was completely discontinued for such trivial corporate products--reminds you of the wall you start to run into when you get to the issue of people's selfish vanity and "fun." People who would ordinarily support animal rights or anti-animal-cruelty issues now suddenly fight you on this, because you are now threatening to take one of their "toys" away. I notice on the, uh, "new" poster's link/website, that it is a physicians' group that "conducts clinical research," so that although it claims a stance against animal testing, (which is no longer even necessary because of computer models, very often), the poster then claims, bizarrely, that Botox does not introduce a plastic, immobile, and notably ugly look to the face, that anyone can plainly see; an obvious and fake self-interest.

I will not mention the names of many Hollywood celebrities that I actually like, who were once beautiful, got Botox treatments--for God knows what reason other than commercial pressure--and who now look ghastly; there are several. The beauty of real people growing older and still looking nice, as opposed to these Botox horrors, is obvious to anyone who will admit what they see--and this should be told, so people will not think to turn to this sad scam--as well as the evil sin of cruel animal torture for profiteering on something so meaningless. People often completely lose their morals when you have approached something THEY want to exploit or get the advantage of, when they might have supported it, when it was still abstract. I remember hearing years ago, on Joe Madison's radio program--the former head of the Michigan NAACP, I think it was, and sometimes commentator on Lou Dobbs--Madison laughing at an animal rights activist complaining about Madison's fur coat, and Madison yelling, taunting, attacking the activist, etc. Lowered my whole opinion. When you get to the area of people's own hypocritical exploitation and vanity, everything becomes infinitely harder--now you are really facing the difficulty of trying to get people to face what they do, and change. Easy to be against it, when you don't really care and it doesn't affect you--yet.

[Swamp Rat]

37. crazy iz az crazy duzz

:D

[Lurking Dem]

38. Insulin is tested on animals first!

Oh my G-d! A bunny had to die to make sure I won't!

You do realize that botox is used for things in addition to aesthetics, right?

[uppityperson]

41. Got a link for that? I'd like to check the source. Thank you.

[DesertFlower]

42. i'll give a few.

make sure you read past the wrinkles on the first one.

http://www.cosmeticsurgery.com/articles/archive/an~95

you'll see it helps with migraines and children with bladder control issues.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/34886.php


http://publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/hleader/archive/Dermatology/2005/botox-0603.html

[uppityperson]

58. That is a good set of articles. Few things are black/white. Many things can be misused. eom

[Fleshdancer]

47. more reasons to dislike the entire concept of botox n/t

[txaslftist]

53. Shit I hope so.

It's pretty popular for use on people. I wouldn't want any of them to die because it wasn't tested on lab animals first.

[superduperfarleft]

68. Yep. Good thing they tested Vioxx first.

Wouldn't want people dying from it. Oh wait...

[jpgray]

54. Doesn't every drug that's FDA approved go through a round of animal testing?

[superduperfarleft]

67. Yes. n/t

[Nikia]

64. Actually, I'd rather products be tested on animals

Initially to find out how toxic they are rather than unsuspecting people who are encouraged to use them start dying or having disabling side effects.
I don't think testing every batch makes sense though. There are precise chemical tests that they can do now, which can determine the exact chemcial composition of a product and the amounts. I would think that if they are raising bacteria for there purposes, the bacteria would be fairly genetically homogenous within a short time. Maybe I am missing something though.

[Lorien]

65. I get Botox injections for migraines. A friend gets them in her neck and

arm to ease the pain of carpel tunnel/ post polio disorder. These are off label uses, of course, and I didn't know about the animal testing. I consider Botox something of a lifesaver for me; I used to wake up with severe headaches every morning, and at least three times a month (often more) those headaches would become blinding migraines. I was taking eight Tylenol a day and losing a lot of time at work. Two injects of Botox between my eyebrows and I have no headaches at all for up to six months. If I could find a way to get the same effect without the Botox I'd do it in a heartbeat (the injections are painful and expensive). Doctors don't know if it's the muscle paralysis or the Botox itself which inhibits headaches/ migraines; no studies have been done because the manufacturer discourages the medical use of Botox (not sure why this is).