GaAs laser treatment of bilateral eyelid ptosis due to complication of botulinum toxin type A injection

The widespread use of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) for aesthetic procedures in recent years has brought about some unwanted side effects that, though they are self-limited, cause inconvenience for patients. Injection of this paralytic toxin inactivates target muscle(s) for many months and unwanted facial movements will thus be prevented. Spreading of the toxin beyond the target muscles sometimes involves muscles necessary for other facial movements, such as the levator palpebrae, inactivation of which causes upper eyelid ptosis. Mild cases resolve after 2-3 wk, but in severe cases the complication may last as long as the cosmetic results persist (3-4 mo), and until now there has been no medical intervention to accelerate healing. In an effort to achieve more rapid recovery from eyelid ptosis due to overdose of BTX-A in the glabella, laser therapy was used in a 46-year-old woman with bilateral eyelid ptosis (partial on the right side and complete on the left) 12 d after injection.