Lunch time procedure

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: The onset of lines, creases and wrinkles on the face make us grab bottles of anti-aging lotions. There are other alternatives as well. Cosmetic surgery helps tuck a sagging chin or easing a deepening laugh line. An easier alternative is Botox, which works its wonders in a few minutes. No wonder, it’s also called a lunch time procedure.

Celebrities such as Celine Dion, Cher, Madonna and even Sylvester Stallone are rumoured to have gone under the Botox needle, but only a few such as veteran comedian Joan Rivers and Hollywood actress Annie Potts have admitted to being converts. Pooja Bedi, for instance, has gone public with it in India. But most others shy from admitting to having ironed a wrinkle out with Botox.

Dr Jim Baral of the American Dermatology Center and assistant clinical professor, Dermatology and Paediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, whose celebrity client roster includes Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bundchen says, “Botox is the number one treatment requested by celebrities. It is a quick, painless procedure that helps reduce the signs of aging.”

Botox therapy is the injection of an extremely diluted and purified form of botulinum toxin type A into specific muscles. Botox has a ten-year history of use for non-cosmetic purposes such as the treatment of muscle spasms and gastro-intestinal disorders. It was through the treatment of such ailments that doctors discovered an alternate use for botox: that of an anti-wrinkle remedy. This is good news for those who do not wish to incur the risk and cost of plastic surgery yet who are also looking for a more effective wrinkle remedy other than over-the-counter skin creams. “When used properly, botox is one of the best risk-to-reward products,” says Dr Malvika Kohli, dermatologist and cosmetologist, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.

Botox injections, far from being painful or frightening, are carried out by a series of tiny needles that inject the botox directly into the muscles of the face so that they become relaxed,” says Dr Jamuna Pai, who heads Blush, a cosmetic clinic in Mumbai. “Once relaxed, these muscles are unable to contract to the extent that they once did and hence cannot cause creases to form on the surface of the skin. Your face will look younger.”