Me Tox Pretty By Megan McCue

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Me Tox Pretty: A Story of Iatrogenic Botulism and the Ugly Side of Cosmetic Injections
By Megan McCue
Self-published

In 2023, according to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), almost ten million Americans received “neuromodulator injec­tions”; Botox and similar products represented about half of those “cosmetic minimally invasive procedures.” Botox and soft tissue “fillers” are marketed as less expensive and less invasive than other popular cosmetic surgery procedures like breast augmentation, breast lifts or “tummy tucks.” ASPS says that Botox is “now so normal in American culture that patients mention it as casually as running an errand to the store or post office.”

Megan McCue was a mom whose doctor of­fered “aesthetic services” on the side and tempted her with Botox’s promises of flawless skin. Botox is a “neurotoxic drug whose primary ingredient is botulinum toxin.” McCue’s doctor explained that it would simply freeze her facial muscles temporarily, preventing wrinkles from forming.

Before going for it, McCue informally polled her friends. A quarter of them had tried the procedure (including her own sister), and they were all thrilled with the results. McCue opted for a single injection of the smallest possible amount, injected around the eyes to diminish “crow’s feet.”

Almost immediately, McCue began to experience effects that she wasn’t expecting. She had brain fog, felt pressure in her head, struggled to concentrate and felt “weird” and “off.” Unfortunately, this was just the begin­ning of her troubles. She also developed “Botox headache” and “Botox bloodshot eyes.” When she contacted her doctor’s office and also looked it up on Google, both suggested that these ef­fects were “normal” and would diminish within twenty-four to seventy-two hours.

For McCue, they did not. Symptom upon symptom piled on. Over the following months, McCue experienced bouts of dizziness, nausea, trouble swallowing, anxiety, difficulty focusing, nervous system dysregulation and more. The symptoms made it hard for her to work, eat and care for her family. It took time for the stark realization to hit her: the symptoms were her body’s attempt to deal with the toxin she had allowed to be injected in her body. McCue was experiencing the effects of “iatrogenic botulism.”

McCue’s is a cautionary tale. Lest you think she must have had underlying health concerns to cause such a reaction, she relates that she was in perfect health when she went in for the procedure in July 2024.

I’m aware that most who will read this re­view would not consider injecting themselves with a toxin, even for vanity’s sake. However, there are many around us who would. I suggest purchasing this book and sharing it with others to steer them away from cosmetic procedures. Me Tox Pretty is a slim book that contains criti­cal information. It opened my eyes to what can happen when we go under the knife (or needle) unnecessarily. I’m grateful to McCue for writing it and for courageously recounting her experi­ences in such detail and vulnerability.

For more information about the history of Botox and iatrogenic botulism—and more on the risk-benefit ratio of Botox injection—I suggest you also read McCue’s second book, Notox: The Shocking Truth about Cosmetic Injections. In the meantime, Me Tox Pretty deserves a thumbs up.

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Spring 2025

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