About Face - Celebrities and Civilians Break the Botox Wall of Silence

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New York Post

(2007-05-08) P. 53; Weinstein, Farrah

Although Botox has conjured up images of celebrities with facial skin stretched too tight, that impression is changing. While previous celebrity images of Botox included Joan Rivers, the new "face" of Botox is more along the lines of Brooke Shields, who has said in the past she has used it. The change in attitude is signified by the emergence of independent Botox clinics at stores and malls. An increasing number of medical organizations are creating alliances with spas and establishing mall-style injection centers, notes New York Presbyterian Hospital assistant professor of surgery Dr. Laurence Reed. Reed states that Botox use has grown significantly since 1997, when it was applied 157,000 times. Last year, it was employed 3,185,592 times.

Numerous unlicensed physicians, however, have been found utilizing illegal and counterfeit injectables to increase collagen and make wrinkles disappear. Some plastic surgeons caution it is highly important that women select a well-instructed physician to perform Botox procedures at a doctor's office, and not have them done in a mall where something could go wrong.