A record number of Americans are giving cosmetic surgeries to their loved ones for Christmas this year.
For those wondering what they would look like with some Botox, a unique study provides one of the clearest examples of how injections change a person’s facial appearance.
The women were followed for almost 20 years: one received Botox injections two or three times a year and the other let nature take its course.
He case reportwritten by a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, compared several images of each twin at different time intervals.
They were photographed for the first time in 2006 at the age of 38 and while “resting” their faces.
At the time, one of the twins had undergone at least 26 Botox injections since she was 21 and the other had only had a couple of injections.
The twin who had received the treatments regularly had noticeably smoother skin with shallower wrinkles on her face.
Meanwhile, her sister had deeper forehead lines and more noticeable crow’s feet when she smiled compared to the twin who had received the injections.
AFTER 13 YEARS: The twin who received very few injections – image A – next to the twin who received Botox regularly – image D. The twin who did not receive the injections had more pronounced lines on her forehead and between her eyebrows
The images show that the twin who received very few injections (images B and C) and the one who received Botox regularly (E and F) had significantly more forehead wrinkles.
They were then followed up at age 44 in 2012, by which time the Botox twin had been receiving injections for almost 20 years.
At the time, the twin without Botox had a noticeably puffier face and a wider jaw, although it’s unclear if the Botox was a factor.
By the 2012 follow-up, both twins said they had used sunscreen consistently, ruling out the possibility that the wrinkles could have been caused by prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Neither of them used retinol for wrinkles and lived mostly healthy lives.
And the twins lived in different parts of the world with significantly different levels of sunlight.
The twin with sporadic treatments and more lines resided in Munich, where the average UV index is lower compared to Los Angeles, the location of the other twin.
Crow’s feet when smiling are more visible in the twin who lets nature take its course (images A and B). The regularly treated twin (images C and D) had much less pronounced crow’s feet.
Shown in the photo are the locations where one twin received Botox injections in the forehead, glabellar (between the eyebrows), and crow’s feet regions.
Dr. William Binder, who reported on the case study, stated that “it is likely that long-term treatment with Botox could prevent the development of imprinted lines not only by inhibiting the patient’s ability to contract the target muscle but also perhaps through behavior modification.
‘With long-term treatment, the patient may become accustomed to having little or no need or ability to contract the target muscle and may eventually “learn” to avoid even attempting to contract it.
“It is also believed that by relieving the mechanical pressure of chronic muscle contraction in this way, dermal remodeling may be facilitated.”
Wrinkles form when facial muscles contract. At the same time, the production of collagen and elastin, proteins that provide structure and elasticity to the skin, decreases with age.
The skin becomes thinner, drier and less able to retain its shape, causing wrinkles to form.
A follow-up in 2015 showed that the Botox recipient twin had virtually no forehead wrinkles at rest.
The woman treated with Botox had more superficial wrinkles compared to her sister around the eyes and mouth.
Botox injections are extremely popular. In 2022, more than 8.7 million cosmetic procedures were performed with them in the United States. But the injections are not without risks.
Injections can cause bruising, swelling, and redness where the needle was injected. And the face can take on a frozen appearance, while showing drooping eyebrows or eyelids.
More serious reactions including anaphylaxis, difficulty breathing, headache, and even flu-like symptoms.