Health: Botox's Bad Side

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By Mary Carmichael

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Nine months after its nationwide roll-out, Botox is making headlines again--and this time the news ain't pretty. Sure, Botox gets rid of those lines between your brows. But patients say new wrinkles show up in other places. It's more than a matter of contrast: according to a recent paper in Cosmetic Dermatology, Botoxed beauties may work previously unused muscle areas while trying to frown, unwittingly giving themselves new wrinkles. The article's author, David Becker, avoids the new lines in his patients by using a lighter dose to weaken, not freeze, the muscles. "But most patients don't want that," says dermatologist Lisa Donofrio. Unless those new wrinkles are low on the brow--the one area most doctors find too risky to treat--you can always plop down cash for more injections. So don't expect Botox use to go down any time soon--it may actually go up.

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