The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has everything that an addictingly juicy reality TV show needs and more: A salacious sex scandal, swinging momfluencers, and, of course, a healthy dose of catty gossip. And while there’s plenty of wild drama packed into Hulu’s buzzy new series, there’s one scene, in particular, that’s got some viewers (us) raising their eyebrows.
In the third episode, several of the cast members decided to get Botox—which isn’t exactly groundbreaking these days. But what was surprising? They all inhaled laughing gas (a.k.a. nitrous oxide) before the shots. “It’s a party,” one of the wives, Whitney Leavitt, said while giggling. And when producers asked her if the group “comes for the Botox or the laughing gas,” Leavitt responded, “For both.”
If you’ve ever tried Botox, chances are you weren’t offered this option. (I know I wasn’t.) That’s because it’s super uncommon, Rawn E. Bosley, MD, board-certified dermatologist and supervising physician at Ever/Body in Dallas, tells SELF. “I have been injecting for over a decade, and I’ve never used or heard of other dermatology or facial plastic colleagues regularly offering laughing gas for Botox,” Dr. Bosley says.
Now, a small amount of nitrous oxide (so, not enough to make you pass out) could help you relax, Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells SELF—which might be especially appealing if you deal with a fear of needles. “Laughing gas can put patients in a short-term altered mental state, so they won’t process discomfort and stress as they would normally,” Dr. Zeichner explains.
However, he usually saves this mild anesthetic for more painful procedures like lasers and microneedling rather than Botox, which both experts consider pretty tolerable. “The process is quick—less than two minutes in most cases,” Dr. Bosley adds. “And it takes several minutes for the nitrous oxide to kick in anyway,” meaning the treatment would likely be over before you even started feeling the sedative’s euphoric effects.
Aside from being a waste of time (and in some cases, extra money), laughing gas also comes with serious safety risks to consider. Some folks, according to Dr. Bosley, may deal with headaches or nausea. Not to mention, being loopy might make the experience more “fun,” sure, but it could also cause you to move unpredictably, Dr. Zeichner adds—not ideal when there’s a needle so close to your face! (If you watched the episode in question, you saw how the women giggled and squirmed in their seats.)
For all these reasons, both derms recommend asking your injector for more common (and safer) methods to ease pain or anxiety, like topical numbing creams or vibration devices (which can distract you from the sharp pokes). “In my opinion, the benefits of laughing gas don’t outweigh the risks, which is why most places don’t even offer it for Botox,” Dr. Bosley says. So, as with any reality show, take what you see on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives with a grain of salt—and don’t expect your next injectable appointment to be a giggly, nitrous-fueled party.
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