Merry botox!
2007-12-10 11:51
Johannesburg - It's Botox time, say doctors involved in the business of rejuvenation, and from now until Christmas the clinics are packed with patients who want to iron out their wrinkles.
Among those seen in the hunt for a "new look" are Sunette Bridges, Edith Venter and Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu.
Sources claim singer Patricia Lewis has had a boob job, which she denies.
And, former Miss South Africa Suzette van der Merwe definitely has had some work done on her face, they say.
Dr Riekie Smit of Vivacite Medical Spa in Pretoria says Botox injections are so popular that spas in South Africa do up to 250 a day.
The average price varies from R1 000 to R1 500 per facial region.
School reunions, too
Dr Smit said: "The most popular work is on the frown and around the eyes."
Two of the main reasons women have Botox injections are for Christmas, and high-school reunions.
But, don't think it's only the fairer sex who are into Botox.
"Men are streaming to the clinical and medical spas for Botox. And, they're also having liposuction (to remove fat), surgery for breast reduction and hair transplants, to curb balding," she added.
Cape Town plastic surgeon Dr Nerina Wilkinson said men opted for Botox injections because they didn't need time to recuperate, and didn't leave any telltale marks.
Besides procedures to remove wrinkles, facial tissue injections and breast-firming were high up on the Christmas shopping list.
De-wrinkling operation
A new trend, said Wilkinson, was the invisible de-wrinkling operation.
"The facial skin is lifted and tautened with special wires that have tiny hooks."
Dr Smit forecast that in the next four years, one in every six people worldwide would be using Botox for a better look.
Speaking of celebrities, it's said that most of the clinics' clients are actresses and models.
Edith Venter has had Botox injections around her eyes and in her forehead.
Noeleen Maholwana- Sangqu of 3Talk chat show was off to the plastic surgeon to remove her frown, after she got a phone number from Edith at a party for the glamorous.
And Sunette Bridges admitted in the past week for the first time: "I had my frown removed (with Botox injections)."
Marks disappear quickly
"If your appearance is a problem, it takes away your spontaneity. Have a doctor look at you to restore your self-confidence."
She's a regular visitor to Vivacite Medical Spa. Her advice to women is: "If you're going to have a Botox job, do it for yourself, not for someone else."
Noeleen said earlier in an interview: "At first, a Botox injection feels like a bee-sting, but it doesn't last long.
"After the treatment, I had tiny prick marks on my forehead, but they quickly disappeared."