Acute pain management during facial injection of botulinum toxin : an evidence-based systematic review

Abstract

Botulinum toxin injection is one of the commonest procedures in plastic surgery, with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ statistics review for 2007 reporting a 7-year 488 percent increase in the number of procedures performed. Indications for toxin injection have also increased substantially. Despite this huge popularity, several authors have identified pain as a common significant adverse event possibly resulting in acute discomfort, reduced compliance, and therapeutic failure. Some studies report that practitioners perceive this pain as unworthy of treatment, introducing the potential for inadequate pain management. The increasing demand for and applications of botulinum toxin require that the potential for inadequate pain management is addressed.