Russian sexologist Olga Vasilenko has warned that Botox injections into the anus can cause dangerous side effects, including incontinence. She made the warning in a post to her Telegram channel, aimed at Russians considering the procedure.
Vasilenko said the muscle in that area of the body exists for a specific purpose, since it holds in fecal matter. Relaxing it with Botox, she said, risks leaving people unable to control their bowels.
She added that people who practice anal sex could run into the same problem, facing a similar risk of incontinence even without any cosmetic injection.
Fecal incontinence, the loss of the ability to control bowel movements, is recognized as a serious and sometimes life-altering medical condition. It can affect hygiene, work, relationships and general quality of life, which is why doctors normally avoid deliberately weakening the muscles that prevent it.
"Imagine the smell"
Vasilenko asked her followers to picture the smell that incontinence would produce and what daily life would look like with that problem, posing the questions rhetorically rather than expecting a reply.
She urged people not to gamble with their health by injecting Botox into the anus, saying no sexual act is worth taking on that kind of risk.
What Botox actually does
Botox is a brand name for a purified form of botulinum toxin, a substance that blocks nerve signals to muscles and causes them to relax. It was first studied as the cause of botulism, a severe form of food poisoning, before researchers found that tiny, controlled doses could safely relax overactive muscles. It is now best known as a cosmetic treatment for smoothing wrinkles around the eyes and forehead, but doctors also use it medically to treat conditions such as chronic migraines, excessive sweating and muscle spasticity.
Botox injections into the anal sphincter do have a recognized medical use, most commonly to treat chronic anal fissures by temporarily relaxing the muscle and easing pain during bowel movements, a use that differs from any cosmetic application aimed at enhancing sexual activity. The anal sphincter, the ring of muscle that controls the release of stool, is not a standard or approved site for cosmetic Botox use.
Earlier warning on anal bleaching
Vasilenko's warning follows earlier comments from another sexologist, Olesya Melekhina, on whether people should bleach the skin around the anus. Melekhina said men do not pay attention to the color of this area on women.
Anal bleaching is a cosmetic procedure intended to lighten the skin around the anus using creams or professional treatments, and it has grown in visibility through recommendations shared on social media.
