Saskia Paulussen
CT 200-3 WV1V- Principles of Public Speaking
Professor Cristy Stefnoski
June 24, 2018
Persuasion Speech
Outline persuasion speech
to persuade you NOT to use Botox for cosmetic reasons.
Attention Getter:
Announcement broadcast on the radio:
Do not go to the park, do not let your children or dogs swim in the ponds, fish are floating on the water and ducks are dying.
A cow is standing with her head hanging down in an inch of saliva all around her and her tongue hanging out. She cannot swallow and is having trouble breathing.
Is this an apocalypse?
No- they are the effects of the toxin Botulism produced by the anaerobic bacteria Clostridium Botulism.
Botulism is the most formidable poison that we know of and its effects are fatal for humans and animals.
Why am I mentioning this? It is this same poison that humans are choosing to use for cosmetic reasons.
As a former veterinarian, I have seen the above-mentioned scenarios first hand and because of this I would like to persuade you
NOT to use Botox for cosmetic reasons.
Main Points:
1. Effects of Botulism Aka Side effects of Botox
2. Treatment for Botulism
3. Alternatives to Botox
As stated by the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine “One gram of the toxin produced by the bacteria is lethal for human beings because it blocks the nerve impulses and leads to respiratory and also musculoskeletal paralysis.” *
Body of Speech:
1. Effects of Botulism Aka Side effects of Botox:
What is botulism:
Botulism as defined by websters-meriam dictionary is:
“A poisoning that is caused by botulinum toxin produced in food by a bacterial clostridium (Clostridium botulinum) and is characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis, disturbances of vision, swallowing, and speech, and a high mortality rate”
What is Botox:
Botox is derived from the toxin Botulinum and this is what is injected for cosmetic reasons. So simply put one is risking botulism in order to counter the natural effects of aging.
A form of botulism caused by the administration of Botox is called Iatrogenic botulism.
It can be a result of an overdose but even has been seen in therapeutic dosage of the Botox being injected into a patient.
As mentioned in an article from November 2017 written by Chegini in regard to therapeutic doses “The injection of high doses of Botox (more than 200 units in every injection) or boostering within less than one month is dangerous. (Botox BCC2024).”
Keeping this in mind that boostering is dangerous it is concerning that 2 disadvantages of botox use for cosmetic reasons as listed on the website DermaNetwork are that it is a temporary change and tolerance is possible.
The fact that botox effect is temporary means that it needs to be administered every 4-6 months indefinitely which increases the risks of an allergic or adverse reaction.
In addition to needing to be administered repeatedly the body can become tolerant to the toxin which means that more of the Botox needs to be administered for the same effect.
This increased dosage brings with it the risk of iatrogenic botulism- a severe side effect.
Side effects of the injections listed by the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine are:
• Nausea and headaches, feels like having the flu
• double or blurred vision, drooping of eyelids
• difficulty swallowing (remember the cow in a puddle of saliva)
• slurring of words
• Weakening of muscles
• Paralysis of muscles which can affect breathing and hearth leading to death
During all of these side effects the patient is aware and it is a painful death.
Spreading of toxins in the tissues
• One of the most serious side effects of a Botox injection is that the toxin can spread to the surrounding areas. This can have a deadly effect. It is for this reason that one of the post administrative instructions as listed by the Laser SkinCare Center Dermatology Associates are to “NOT perform activities involving straining, heavy lifting, or vigorous exercise for 6 hours after treatment. This will keep the Botox in the injected area and not elsewhere.”
Allergic reactions
As botox is a temporary measure it needs to be administered more than once to achieve the desired cosmetic effect. The body can develop a sensitivity to the toxin by being exposed to it repeatedly. This allergic reaction can be severe and life threatening.
An article written by Caretta (2015) discusses a patient’s allergic reaction to the botox injection minutes after it was injected. Many reasons are sited as possible reasons but it comes down to a toxin being injected into a body for cosmetic reasons and the body (over)reacting to it.
2.Treatment for botulism
According to Stephanie Brunner in an article in Medical New Today dated January 27, 2018“Respiratory failure caused by botulism can result in death. Patients with severe symptoms may need a breathing machine and sometimes intensive medical and nursing care for several months.Fatigue and shortness of breath may linger for many years.Other illnesses may develop as a result of the patient's condition, and these are sometimes fatal.A person who experiences paralysis may recover from botulism with the help of antitoxins, antibodies that can neutralize the toxin, but antitoxins will not cure any paralysis that has already occurred.”
In addition to these life-threatening side effects another article written by Kelly Tatera (2015), a psychological drawback was mentioned in regard to using Botox which was as follows:
“It’s normal to smile when we’re happy or frown when we’re sad, but these facial expressions also reinforce what we’re feeling. That’s why when you feel down and a friend finally makes you laugh, you feel a sense of instantaneous relief and happiness just from cracking a smile.
While Botox takes away those age-defying wrinkles, it does this by taking away
the freedom to express genuine emotions.
Once that freedom is gone, it becomes more difficult to truly feel.”
3.Alternatives to Botox
• Facial Acupuncture
As shown in a scientific study by Youghee Yun and colleagues (2013) acupuncture is a viable option to improve the skins resilience referred to in their research as elasticity. The conclusion of their study was:
“The use of acupuncture for cosmetic purposes has gained popularity worldwide. Facial cosmetic acupuncture (FCA) is applied to the head, face, and neck.
In this pilot study, FCA showed promising results as a therapy for facial elasticity.”
• Topical applications such as serums, creams and lotions
• Preventative measures to reduce wrinkles
-Quitting smoking
-Sunscreen
I love the attitude of the author Laurie Sandell in the Redbook article(2013) who had a bad experience using Botox as she was trying to get rid of a line in her face which her boyfriend had not even seen. She had an undesired side-effect which resulted in her not being able to open her eye for 6 weeks.
She writes “Two years later, my face is injection-free.
When I start feeling insecure, I take advantage of the other things I can do that make me feel good.
As I looked around at the multitude of frozen faces in L.A., I began to see the beauty of the natural ones.
Sure, I have more wrinkles than my five-years-younger self, but I'm also living in a house with a sunny backyard and a wood-burning fireplace, working on a new book, and taking daily walks on the beach
–things that were out of reach for me when I was younger and my skin was as smooth as a peach.
If you'd ask me to choose between a bothersome wrinkle and all the beauty in my life now, well, there is no contest.
"When the line between my eyebrows reappeared, I welcomed its arrival."
To quote Tatera again, she reiterates the link of facial movement to emotional well-being just as Sandell was happy to have her wrinkle back.
Tatera links the abiltity to make facial movements to express emotions as essential to being human and therefore needed for well-being. She states” To have a well-rounded human experience, it’s important to feel all of the sensations that come with life’s curveballs”
Conclusion:
Question- is beauty worth risk of death?
1.Relist symptoms:
listed by the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine are:
“flu-like symptoms that are accompanied by nausea and headaches.
• double or blurred vision
• the eyelids may droop
facial paralysis,
• a dry mouth, dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing
• speech slurring.
• Muscles will become weak.
• Next, paralysis will set in.
Without treatment, the patient's breathing muscles will eventually become paralyzed, resulting in respiratory failure and death.
The patient remains conscious during this process.”
2. Treatment for botulism- palliative and cannot reverse paralysis that has set in. respiratory issues can linger for years and secondary infections can be fatal.
3. There are alternatives available
The cow died of respiratory failure, the fish had to be removed from the water and the ponds were off-limits and monitored until the heat wave subsided and the botulism was no longer a threat.
Why would you choose to have this poison injected into your body voluntarily and risk death? For a few inevitable wrinkles?
Bibliography:
1International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine Facts: The Long Term Effects of Botox® Injections (web log post)retrieved June 14 from: https://iapam.com/long-term-effects-botox-injections.html
2.Brunner, Stephanie (2018, January 24) Botulism what is it and how can be prevent it
retrieved June 17 from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173943.php
3.Sandell, Laurie My mortifying beauty story (learn from it, ladies).
Redbook July 2013 Vol 221 pp 48-49
4Merriam-webster dictionary (2018) retrieved June 19
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botulism
5.Laser SkinCare Center Dermatology Associates (2018) Retrieved June 23 from: https://www.lasercarespecialists.com/resources/pre-post-care-instructions/pre-and-post-instructions-for-botox-and-dermal-filler/
6.Tatera, Kelly (September 19, 2015) Botox Inhibits Deep Emotions and the Ability to Empathize retrieved June 20 from:
http://thescienceexplorer.com/brain-and-body/botox-inhibits-deep-emotions-and-ability-empathize
7.Younghee Yun,1 Sehyun Kim,2 Minhee Kim,1 KyuSeok Kim,1 Jeong-Su Park,3,4 and Inhwa Choi1 Effect of Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture on Facial Elasticity: An Open-Label, Single-Arm Pilot Study
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2013, Article ID 424313, 5 pages
retrieved June 18 from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/424313
8.DermaNetwork.org (2018) Advantages and Disadvantages of Botox
retrieved June 21 from https://www.dermanetwork.org/article/injectables-fillers/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-botox
9.Mariana Figueiroa Careta, PhD Livia Delgado, MD Régia Patriota, PhD
Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 35, Issue 5, 1 July 2015, Pages NP102–NP105,retrieved June 24 from :https://doi-org.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2443/10.1093/asj/sju105
“All things are poisons and there is nothing that is harmless, the dose alone decides that something is no poison” -Paracelsus (1493–1541).