Only a person who has actually had a migraine can empathize with how severe the pain and related symptoms are, and only someone who suffers from chronic migraines can understand just how debilitating the condition can be.
Many migraineurs become desperate and ready to try anything to ease their symptoms, from changing their diet and exercise plans to even getting Botox.
But whether Botox is for aesthetic or medical reasons, there are some possible risks, as TikToker Lydia August recently discovered.
August has received Botox for the last three years as a treatment for her chronic migraines—and until recently, the treatments helped with her symptoms and otherwise took place without any issues.
But at her latest appointment, August exited with the condition ptosis, which is fairly rare but possible for individuals receiving Botox injections specifically for migraines, largely because of the placements of the injections. Common symptoms of ptosis are drooping eyelids, raised eyebrows, and dry eyes, and the symptoms can last up to twelve weeks.
August revealed that she had a combination of these symptoms, with her left eyelid completely closed, left eyebrow raised in surprise, and eyes rapidly drying.
You can watch her original video here:
Fellow TikTokers empathized, with some admitting that this might scare them away from getting Botox ever.
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Some tried to make light of the situation by joking around in the comments.
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August has since posted updates about her eye almost daily in what she calls her "Unsolicited Eye Updates."
In the first update, August saw no improvement in her condition, though her doctor had prescribed special eyedrops to assist with her symptoms. Not only would they help with her eye dryness, but they were supposed to help the Botox break down faster, which would allow her eyelid and eyebrow to move to their normal positions.
She also was able to work from home for the time being, due to her impaired vision.
You can watch the first update video here:
In the second update, August was frustrated that she did not see visible improvements, and she taped her eyelid up so it was easier to see and do her work.
Because the eyedrops she needed were not standard issue, the pharmacy had to special-order them, but she was confident she'd be able to pick them up that day, since she hadn't been able to the day before.
You can watch the second update video here:
In the third video, she was frustrated by her new eyedrops and her uncommunicative doctor, who did not offer advice or additional information about the eyedrops beyond the directions on the bottle.
She remained unconvinced that they were helping and wondered what else she could do to improve her condition.
You can watch the third update video here:
In the fourth video, August shared that she'd gone to an aesthetic injector to have a little more Botox injected into her eyelid to help her eyelid lift.
She didn't think the original Botox was wearing off yet and she still wasn't convinced the eyedrops were helping.
You can watch the fourth update video here:
In the fifth video, August thought that she could see a slight improvement in the lift of her eyelid but wasn't sure what to attribute it to.
She'd started to use blue light glasses to help protect her right eye from so much exposure during the day and during work, and she planned to wear them in public to help explain the appearance of her closed eye.
You can watch the fifth update video here:
In the sixth update, August could see an improvement in her eyelid's lift and planned to go that day to get a little more Botox injected into the eyelid and to get a saline flush to protect both of her eyes. This would help with the dryness and also helps somewhat with the breakdown of Botox.
You can watch the sixth update video here:
Though this should not necessarily scare anyone off of the idea of Botox, it's important to understand that these symptoms are always a possibility when receiving an injection. Our bodies are complex systems and full of nerves that can cause a variety of issues if incorrectly triggered.
Hopefully for August, her diligence in trying out different remedies will mean that her symptoms are relieved in less than the projected three months.
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