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What is a BOTOX® party?
A BOTOX® party is a social gathering at which a doctor injects the participants with BOTOX® (botulinum toxin) to reduce or remove facial wrinkles.
Whiel the topic is a heated one, most doctors frown on any procedure not being performed in a completely controlled environment. The cleanliness of a hospital along with its accompanying support network is important should any need for it arise. The ease in which BOTOX® can be administered is the primary reason why the "Botox Party" has become a trend. Many doctors believe should in fact not be treated as lightly.
"Botox parties are quite a trend ... I think mainly because it's a real quick fix," Frank tells ET. "Its very easy, and it makes a very dramatic result."
s at a BOTOX® party can range anywhere from $300 to $1,000 and involve injecting the drug (a purified protein that inhibits a type of chemical that causes muscle contractions) just under the skin to temporarily paralyze the face muscles, allowing the skin to smooth out. A single procedure's effects can last anywhere from three to six months.
The simplicity of the procedure has led to the phenomenon of the BOTOX® party -- modeled after old-fashioned Tupperware parties -- where a group of woman gather in a social setting for good munchies, good conversation and a good ol' wrinkle zapping with the support of their friends!
"Its good because the best work is done when patients are comfortable," Dr. Frank explains. "A little hand-holding can ease their nerves about getting the procedure done."
The FDA approved BOTOX® in 1989, to treat medical conditions involving muscular spasms or twitches, especially for a disabling eye disorder called Blepharospasm. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, approximately 1.6 million s (or those using the similar drug Myobloc) were performed last year in the U.S., up from only 65,000 such procedures in 1997. MSNBC reports that BOTOX® sales increased to $310 million last year, with $100 million for cosmetic uses alone.
"I think the people who wanted it in the past five years in big cities like L.A., Chicago and New York have gotten it," continued Dr, Frank. "Now, with the FDA approval, other people who have been a little wary of it are actually sort of convincing themselves into it."
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