摘要

Objectives: To document a difference in patients awareness of sensory symptoms after botulinum neurotoxin A treatments associated with different formulations Introduction: A retrospective review of patients who switched from onabotulinumtoxinA (onaA) and/or abobotulinumtoxinA (aboA) to incobotulinumtoxinA (incoA) found anecdotal reports of differences in ‘feel’,including a ‘lighter’ feel or treatment-associated tightness. To document this, we surveyed symptom incidence as an initial proof of concept of toxin proprioception among our patients who switched toxins. Materials / method: Seventy-nine patients who had past facial aesthetic treatments with more than one botlinum toxin A (BoNT/A) formulation completed a questionnaire on their experience of treatment-associated sensations, including stiffness or a frozen feeling. Results: Symptoms reported by 69.6% of patients were tightness (33%), headache (29%), heaviness (27%), feeling frozen (20%), stiff(14%) or weak (14%). Furthermore, 54% noted an inter-formulation sensory difference; 68% of onaA-treated patients associated their symptoms with onaA, 39% of aboA-treated patients associated their symptoms with aboA, and 12% of incoA-treated patients associated their symptoms with incoA. Conclusion: Some patients switching between preparations reported a different ‘feel’ between toxins Given the fine coordination of facial expressive muscles, we suspect that associated proprioceptive afferents may be at play. Our findings confirm that post-toxin sensory symptoms can be detected by some patients and this is likely due to the variations between the formulations. Some patients may consider switching formulations to reduce these conscious proprioceptive symptoms. Failing to advise patients of this sensory aspect prior to switching formulations may cause a misperception that the treatment is