Botulism

• A potentially dangerous trend has gained prominence on TikTok, with a number of people mixing borax into water and drinking it for supposed health benefits.
• Social media platforms have been host to many dangerous “challenges” – and users have been dosing themselves with questionable substances for years.

What is borax?

• It comes in the form of a colourless crystalline solid that can easily be dissolved in water.
• Borax and the related boric acid are commonly used in household products including laundry cleaning products, wood preservers, fertilisers, contact lens solution and ant killers.

Don’t confuse borax with boron

• And although the element boron specifically is considered essential for plants and some animals, its role in the functioning of the human body is less clear.
• Boron can be found in some of the foods we eat, such as grapes and potatoes, but isn’t classified as an essential nutrient.
• The very small amount of boron your body may need can be safely obtained by eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

How dangerous is borax?

• In toxicology, the median lethal dose, or LD50, is the approximate dose required to kill half the animals in a population being studied.
• The LD50 for borax in rats is about 5g per kilogram of body weight.
• But just because a dose won’t kill, that doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful – and it definitely doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Safety first, last and always

• One notable example was the “Tide pod challenge”, in which users recorded themselves biting or eating laundry pods.
• The consumption of laundry pods has caused a number of deaths (although these can’t necessarily be linked to the Tide pod challenge).
• Yet such substances can’t always be avoided – so the best protection is to understand the dangers associated with them.
• If you have been exposed to a potentially harmful substance, call your local poison information centre or seek medical attention.

• Merz Aesthetics, the worlds largest dedicated medical aesthetics business, today announced Teyana Taylor as the latest Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) brand partner.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221101005084/en/
  Merz Aesthetics announces Teyana Taylor as new Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) brand partner (Photo: Business Wire)
  I always strive to understand the ingredients in any product Im using and listen to trusted sources like my doctors when choosing whats right for my specific skin type, said 31-year-old Taylor.
• The announcement of Taylor as the newest Xeomin brand partner is a part of the Beauty on Your Terms multi-channel campaign from Merz Aesthetics, which empowers women and men to embrace beauty on their own terms.
• Teyana Taylor embodies the true meaning of Beauty on Your Terms through her music, her style and, now, her beauty treatments, said Patrick Urban, Merz Aesthetics President, North America.

• The Global Cosmetic Surgery And Procedure Market size is expected to reach $107.2 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 9.8% CAGR during the forecast period.
• Cosmetic surgery is a specialized area of medicine that focuses on enhancing one's look through surgical and medicinal methods.
• In addition, cosmetic surgery is opted by the people who want to increase the aesthetic appeal of a functional body part.
• The invention of new cosmetic devices through manufactures has resulted in an increase in demand for cosmetic therapies in recent years.

• Botox acts on muscle cells and, as we've learned over time, there are almost endless applications for its beneficial effects."
• "There are many more proven uses for Botox," says Dr. Fishman.
• Dr. Fishman also advises to be careful of Med Spas where Botox is offered very inexpensively.
• Cybele Fishman, MD , is a board-certified dermatologist, a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.