zybch
12-28-2004, 03:49 PM
Linky (http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/health/12272004_hk_botchedbotox.html)
A shared quest for external beauty took a macabre twist when a financially squeezed doctor who lost his medical license injected himself, his girlfriend and another couple with the paralyzing botulism toxin instead of the low-dose derivative Botox.
Botox is a much weakened version of the botulism toxin and is considered safe. It is injected at the site of a wrinkle to paralyze the nerve causing the crease, smoothing the skin. The treatment lasts a few months.
But McComb didn't use Botox, officials say. Instead, he diluted powdered botulism intended for animal research with saline, creating a solution that was 10 times stronger than Botox, Food and Drug Administration investigators determined.
A shared quest for external beauty took a macabre twist when a financially squeezed doctor who lost his medical license injected himself, his girlfriend and another couple with the paralyzing botulism toxin instead of the low-dose derivative Botox.
Botox is a much weakened version of the botulism toxin and is considered safe. It is injected at the site of a wrinkle to paralyze the nerve causing the crease, smoothing the skin. The treatment lasts a few months.
But McComb didn't use Botox, officials say. Instead, he diluted powdered botulism intended for animal research with saline, creating a solution that was 10 times stronger than Botox, Food and Drug Administration investigators determined.