21.10.2026 12:02
Prof. Dr. Zekayi Kutlubay, Head of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, said that in needle procedures performed on the face, accidental administration of the product into a vein, nerve, or muscle can lead to permanent blindness. Noting that more than 150 cases of permanent blindness have been reported worldwide and 2 in Turkey, Kutlubay warned that bootleg and high-dose botox can affect the respiratory muscles.
Prof. Dr. Zekayi Kutlubay, Head of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, warned that in needle procedures performed on the face, if the products used are accidentally injected into a vessel, nerve, or an unwanted muscle, they can cause permanent blindness.
Kutlubay, who came to Antalya for a health congress, told the AA correspondent that it is very wrong to present aesthetic applications on social media as if they were very simple procedures.
Emphasizing that some people share content on social media by performing the applications on themselves in front of a mirror, and that a perception is being created that "the procedures are very easy," Kutlubay noted:
"This is not true, because if you accidentally inject these needle procedures into a vessel, a nerve, or an unwanted muscle, the patient can even develop blindness. There are more than 150 reported cases of blindness worldwide due to incorrect aesthetic applications, and 2 permanent blindness cases in our country. Blindness can occur due to a wrong filler or a wrong procedure. This is why we train dermatologists in this regard. We say, look, you must inject into the correct layer and the correct place. You must know the anatomy of the vessels well. Even though you know it very well, we teach how to treat it when an incident happens to you."
ILLEGAL BOTOX CAN STOP BREATHING
Pointing to the importance of managing complications, Kutlubay stated that in cases caused by smuggled, unlicensed, or incorrectly applied botox, people can end up in intensive care.
Also recalling the problems of illegal products, Kutlubay continued as follows:
"You think, for example, that there are 100 units in a box, but if the box you think has 100 units actually has 1000 units, and you accidentally give a high dose, what we call botox is a bacterial toxin, that is, a toxin. When you give a high dose, unwanted side effects can occur in the patient. The toxin prevents muscle contraction. When you give the toxin at a high dose, it can also go to the respiratory muscles. When it goes to the respiratory muscles, this time breathing begins to stop or difficulty breathing can occur. When it spreads to the body muscles, restriction of movement can occur. They cannot walk, numbness occurs."
NATURAL BEAUTY IS NOW PREFERRED
Kutlubay noted that while fillers were more popular in the past, today procedures that stimulate substances in the skin called collagen and elastin are preferred.
Touching on the fact that people now turn to natural beautification methods, Kutlubay said, "Because these create vitality, radiance, and tightening directly in the skin without inflating it like fillers, as well as what we call lifting, wrinkle-reducing, and firming effects. These are very prominent. Cellular treatments we call exosomes are coming to the fore."
Stating that exosomes are the final product of stem cells, Kutlubay continued his words as follows:
"We use exosome treatments in wrinkle treatments on the face, hair, vitiligo, psoriasis, that is, in the treatment of some dermatological diseases. It can also be administered intravenously. These methods are used not only in dermatology but in every field of medicine. In other words, it has begun to be used in many areas, from infertility to dementia, neurological diseases, heart attacks, and strokes. In that respect, it is a very good method."
Prof. Dr. Kutlubay stated that newly released devices are also much more effective.
Drawing attention to the fact that they can also treat vascular structures with technological devices, Kutlubay used the following statements: "They provide anti-aging properties by stimulating collagen. Previously, devices mostly worked by peeling the skin and somewhat distancing the patient from social life, but new devices are devices that revitalize the skin without much peeling and without affecting the patient's daily social life."