Celebrating the 10th 'birthday' of Botox treatment

It’s one treatment that claims to erase the lines, literally! Only on the skin though. International celebs have openly sworn by it and as Botox turned 10 this month, we take a look at the treatment that changed the face of the cosmetic industry. In India, Botox was approved for the treatment of hyper kinetic facial lines like glabellar lines (that appear between the eyebrows when you frown) in 2006. The treatment has now evolved into a household term and is used for more than just treating wrinkles. While the debate on whether the treatment is harm-free rages on, the list of its regulars continues to grow longer by the day.

Dr Jamuna Pai, cosmetologist, says, “Botox has dramatically changed our ability to treat patients by giving them an effective option to treat the appearance of moderate to severe vertical frown lines with a minimally invasive procedure. The art and science of facial aesthetics reached new heights with Botox.”

“When approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2002, Botox changed the way physicians treated patients interested in improving the appearance of their vertical frown lines between brows,” opines Raghu Kumar, managing director at Allergan India.

Hollywood, however, has a different story to tell. Actor Nicole Kidman admitted to having tried Botox, but she apparently didn’t like how her face looked later. She confessed that apart from working out and a good diet, most things don’t help. Now, she claims not to use Botox anymore. Hottie Jennifer Aniston also has been vocal about trying Botox on her face but she thought it made one look older and harder. Actor Cindy Crawford echoes her thoughts. She apparently finds Botox scary, but feels it’s fine as long as you don’t use it to change your face. Singer Kylie Minogue also used it, but claims she stays away now.

Raghu offers hope though: “In India, we have seen its use as a non-surgical medical aesthetic procedure. It gave patients a new way to look refreshed and rejuvenated and has virtually changed the face of medical aesthetic treatments.”