Plastic surgeons caution young women about ‘Barbie Botox’ craze

DOCTORS warn that the “Barbie Botox” fad, which has women as young as 20 rushing to get toxin-based operations to replicate actress Margot Robbie’s appearance in the movie, may cause “resistance” among them and impede medical use in the future.

Doctors frequently use a treatment known as “Trap Tox” to inject a class of medications known as botulinum toxins, including Botox, into the trapezius muscles of the upper back to treat migraines and shoulder pain.

But there has been a rise in demand for its use as cosmetic surgery since the premiere of the Barbie movie in July. On TikTok, the hashtag BarbieBotox had 12 million views.

The actress who plays Barbie, Margot Robbie, was somehow given credit for the alleged neck-slimming effects of the operation. The technique was initially developed to help relieve the strain on the trapezius muscles, which can lead to headaches and excruciating neck stress. It is now used off-label to lengthen the neck and cosmetically reduce the size of the shoulders. And on social media, it’s gaining popularity.

However, it’s not being used to treat wrinkling or loose skin here: the women desire a neck that is smaller and more sculpted, according to the president-elect of the Plastic Surgery Foundation, Scot Glasberg, in a Business Day news video on YouTube.

The use of the injection in the trapezius is “off-label” because only operations affecting the face are permitted to use such injections for cosmetic purposes. Health experts must determine whether “off-label” uses are “medically appropriate”, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The market for toxin-based injections, traditionally preferred by those over 40, is thought to be worth over $3 billion (about R56bn) in yearly sales in the US alone, according to Reuters.

According to Precedence Research, the market for facial injectables could more than double in the next 10 years, reaching $36.8bn by 2032.

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that since 2017, the use of minimally invasive procedures like Botox and fillers has increased by 54.4%.

The doctors express concern about a younger demographic using Medispas more frequently, and six of them warn that treatments performed by unqualified employees at some of these facilities increased the risk of “consequences”.

The type of doctor who can operate a Medi-spa is not subject to any restrictions. In theory, a family physician or an obstetrician-gynaecologist can start a Medi-spa, and increasingly, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are also administering injections.

According to a cosmetic study published in the National Library of Medicine, Botox can fully paralyse the muscle if it is applied incorrectly or at the wrong dosage.

On rare occasions, the neuro-toxin may move away from the injection site, weakening the nerve connections to nearby muscles.

According to health influencer and licensed physician @therealtiktokdoc, “especially if it’s around the neck, that can be quite significant because it can affect your ability to hold your head up properly”.