Botox is one of the most widely used beauty treatments to eliminate the signs of aging, but a new study suggests the cosmetic injection may actually cause extra wrinkles.
The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology published the findings on Monday.
Dr. David Becker, an assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, wrote in the journal that muscle groups that have not been injected with Botox will still find a way to make expressions, leading to more lines.
“Paralysis of a set of muscles might lead to recruitment of other muscle groups in an attempt to reproduce the conditioned activity being blocked — resulting in more prominent muscle activity in adjacent regions,” Becker explained.
However, Dr. Neil Sadick, a dermatologist in New York City who does an average of 30 Botox injections a day, told FoxNews.com the report has some validity to it, but not a lot.
“Theoretically, you could have some local affect of accentuating a wrinkle associated with adjacent muscle that has not been treated,” he said. “But it’s really the overall global improvement that you see with Botox treatments that leads to lesser lines on the entire face — and that’s really what the patient wants to accomplish.”
Botox is a drug made from a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is injected under the skin to temporarily relax facial muscles, smoothing lines and wrinkles. Patients can expect results to last three to six months.
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