Tuesday 21 October 2008

Botox Jabs May Cause Long Term Damage

The Telegraph has reported about the growing trend in applying botox injections to the bectoral region. The procedure, pioneered by American doctors, involves injecting the botulinum toxin into the pectoral muscles, causing the chest to rise up.

Trends in American cosmetic surgery tend to be transferred quickly to the UK, but British surgeons have expressed concern about the possibility of the "Botox boob job" being carried out by beauticians or nurses, due to less strict regulation than in the US on non-surgical treatments.

"These are the major muscles that you use to ski, turn over in bed, do everything. For me, the risks outweigh the benefits," Dr Nick Milojevic, a Botox specialist at the Harley Medical Group cosmetic surgeons, told the Independent. "You'd need a lot of Botox for this treatment to work, so it would cost around £1,000 per treatment, and it is something you'd need to repeat three times a year."

There are a range of similar treatments already available in the UK, the most popular being the "boob jab," in which a temporary filler is pumped into the breast. Milojevic described the most popular filler, Macrolane, as "one of the most exciting things to happen in aesthetic medicine in years."

Despite the high cost of Macrolane, at around £2,800 for the initial treatment and a £1,400 annual top-up, interest in the procedure has grown exponentially. Nationwide cosmetic surgery chain SurgiCare, which has recently introduced Macrolane, yesterday announced a 135% increase on last September in enquiries about breast augmentation.

However, Nigel Mercer, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps), warned that: "If put in the wrong place, filler can leak out through the ducts in breasts. You can also get granular formation – lumps". He added: "The thought of a nurse performing this is alarming. The Government are shy of regulating this industry, although professionals and consumers are pushing for it."