PARIS, March 2 — Skin rejuvenation procedures are no longer reserved for a certain elite in search of eternal youth.
Many patients are turning to injections of hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, for cosmetic purposes.
But the phenomenon is not without risk, especially if they are getting their information from social network video platforms like YouTube, according to a new American study.
YouTube is full of videos about injectable products such as Botox and hyaluronic acid.
Many of them praise the merits of these substances, described as less invasive than more traditional cosmetic surgery.
But are these videos reliable sources of information? Not for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Through a study, the American organisation evaluated the quality of a hundred videos on the theme of aesthetic medicine available on YouTube.
It found that only 47 per cent of them were made by plastic surgery doctors.
Most of them came from patients who have had injections (24 per cent) or from online media and influencers (22 per cent).
A trending phenomenon
Not surprisingly, the researchers found that videos produced by healthcare professionals provided the most reliable information about injectables.
Those made by former patients were of much lower quality than others, including videos posted online by influencers.
“These patient-based videos, on YouTube or elsewhere, should not be recommended as sources of information on Botox or soft-tissue fillers,” said Robert D. Galiano, MD, an ASPS member surgeon and professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The ASPS urges patients to be very careful when inquiring about injectable products on the internet.
These substances are far from harmless, contrary to what some proponents of cosmetic medicine like to think.
A British study published in June in the Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery found that Botox causes adverse effects in one in six patients.
It is said to cause headaches, bruising, nausea, facial paresis, muscle stiffness and dizziness.
However, these potential complications haven’t discouraged an increasingly younger patient base from seeking out injections to correct minor imperfections.
More than 4.4 million Botox injections were performed in 2020, according to figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The cult of the perfect face hasn’t seen its last days. — ETX Studio
