NOS
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:19
Simone Gideonse
editor online
Simone Gideonse
editor online
The hashtag has already been viewed millions of times on TikTok and Instagram: Barbie botox. A treatment in which botox is injected into the shoulder muscles to make the neck appear longer, just like Barbie’s neck. Originally it is a medical treatment for muscle tension or migraine. But it is rapidly growing into a cosmetic trend, which comes with risks.
In cosmetic doctors and hospitals, the treatment is known as traptox. A combination of botox and the muscle where the botox is injected: the trapezius. The muscle covers most of the upper back. Several hospitals offer the treatment for excessive muscle tension.
“In principle, it is nothing new. The first article was written about it in 2008. It is originally from Asia,” says cosmetic doctor Daria Voropai. She has been carrying out the treatment for quite some time at her Kalea Clinic in Amsterdam. Because a large amount of Botox is injected into the muscle, and it has to be done every two years, it is a costly affair.
Optically longer neck
“The botox relaxes the trapezius muscle. This makes the bump on your shoulders disappear. The volume decreases, which means that you optically have a longer neck,” explains the cosmetic doctor.
And that’s where the Barbie doll comes in. Barbie naturally has a long, slender neck. “Instagram and TikTok make women think: the Barbie neck is nice and long, let’s throw in traptox.”
On TikTok show women in different videos to see how their shoulders have changed after the Barbie botox treatment. Also to show clinics how they carry out the treatment.
Kardashian
Not only the Barbie movie and social media influence the trend, reality star Kim Kardashian also has in May admitted that she uses botox in her shoulder muscles. She indicated that she could no longer sing because she could no longer use the muscles around her neck.
That does not prevent interested parties from undergoing the treatment. Recently, requests in the Voropai clinic have increased by about 15 percent. “I often see it in brides who have a strapless dress and want to emphasize their cleavage and nape.” The Oran Aesthetics clinic in Amsterdam has also seen an increase in demand for the treatment in the past year.
‘Social media does not show risks’
The cosmetic clinic The Body Clinic deliberately does not perform the treatment. A spokesperson says that the clinic advises against this treatment. “Treatments like Barbie botox are mostly hyped by social media, but the risks are not discussed there.”
The clinic is concerned about the large amount of botox that is injected into the trapezius during the treatment. “A higher dose of botox for therapeutic or medical purposes is possible, but Barbie botox is purely aesthetic, so we do not consider it responsible to perform this treatment.”
According to the clinic, the risks are not in proportion to the result. “The narrowing is often minimal. If you suffer from tension pain in the neck, a botox treatment of the trapezius muscle can be a rewarding treatment for relieving this pain, but not for narrowing the neck muscles.” The botox can also disable other muscles, which can cause muscle relaxation.
Inexperienced doctors
Voropai, who does carry out the treatment, also warns. “There is more demand for it because it’s a trend now. But we’re probably going to see problems with it because a lot of people want to participate in such a trend, so they’ll go to inexperienced doctors.”
She emphasizes that the botox can only be injected into the trapezius muscle if it is really tense. “The correct diagnosis is important. There must be an increased tension. If that is not the case, you will not achieve the desired effect. Then you can get muscle weakness and other muscles will compensate for that.”
2023-08-18 18:19:44
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