Doctors have warned that the high demand for what is known as “Barbie Botox” among young women in their twenties may have consequences in the future, and they said that undergoing procedures that depend on a biological poison to obtain an appearance similar to the heroine of the movie Margot Robbie may lead to resistance within their bodies and hinder the medical use of the substance.
This procedure – also known as “traptox” – is widely used by doctors to inject drugs, including Botox, into the trapezius muscle in the upper back to treat migraine headaches and shoulder pain.
However, since the movie “Barbie” was shown in theaters last July, there has been an increase in demand for the procedure, but for cosmetic purposes, and the hashtag “Barbie Botox” has won 11.2 million views on the “Tik Tok” application.
Dustin Sgotts, president of Revance Therapeutics, told Reuters that the procedure was “supposed to make the neck slender, and that was somehow attributed to the actress who plays Barbie.”
Slimmer neck
Dr. Scott Glasberg, president-elect of the Foundation for Plastic Surgery, said that people who request the procedure “don’t treat wrinkles or sagging skin, but rather want a reduction in the circumference of their neck, and a slimmer, more eye-catching neck.”
It is noteworthy that the authorization of injections for cosmetic purposes is limited to procedures performed on the face only, which makes the use of injections in the trapezius muscle “medically inappropriate.”
The US Food and Drug Administration places responsibility on health professionals to judge whether these procedures are medically necessary.
