What to Know
Many women stand divided on how they feel about Botox or similar cosmetic enhancements. Some believe that aging “gracefully” is our lot in life, and we shouldn’t try to chase youth by injecting poison into our faces. Others claim that having a face with less visible signs of aging makes them feel better about themselves. Ultimately, only we can decide what’s best for our own bodies. But the effects are undeniable, and it was further proved by a pair of identical twins who were part of a case study. One got regular injections, while the other only did it occasionally. The difference is absolutely visible.
They started the study when the treatment wasn’t as popular as it is now.
Dr. William Binder began the study back in 2006, when the two women, who weren’t named, were in their mid 20s. One twin got injections regularly over the span of nearly 20 years, while her sister only got the injection a handful of times during the same span.
The twin who was regularly treated for wrinkles on her forehead and in between her eyebrows received two to three times a year for 13 years. Later, she was also treated for crow’s feet.
However, her sister was only treated twice — once three years before the study and once seven years before the study. She also was treated on her forehead and in between her eyebrows.
In photos that were taken when the women were 38 years old. In one photo, they are smiling, while in the other photo, their faces are neutral.
It’s clear to see that the twin who had been treated more regularly had less lines and smoother skin.
Dr. Binder spoke about the positive effect of Botox.
According to Binder, the twin who had regular treatment saw better results because the injections work “not only by inhibiting the patient’s ability to contract the target muscle but also perhaps through behavioural modification,” LADBible reported.
“With long-term treatment, the patient may become used to having little, if any, need or ability to contract the target muscle and may eventually ‘learn’ to avoid even trying to contract it,” he said.
Basically, the study showed that treatment over time “can prevent the development of imprinted facial lines that are visible at rest.” Ultimately, the injections “can also reduce crow’s feet.”
There was one more check-in when the women were 44.
The twin who got regular Botox injections had continued to get treatments every four to six months. Her sister had gotten two more treatments in the six years between check-ins.
As of the 2015 check-in, it was reported that both women used SPF-45 sunblock every day, IFL Science reported. Neither woman used retinol or smoked, and they both lived healthy, active lifestyles.
Due to these factors, the doctors concluded that sun exposure didn’t play as large a part in the results. The twin who didn’t get regular injections lives in Munich, Germany, where the average UV index is lower than where her sister lives in Los Angeles.
“The treated twin exhibits virtually no forehead rhytides [fine lines] at rest, whereas static forehead rhytides are visible in the sporadically treated twin. Similarly, the crow’s feet are mild in the treated twin, deeper in the sporadically treated twin,” the twins wrote.
In the end, Binder believed that “repeated treatment continues to diminish the signs of facial aging and delay the appearance of hyperfunctional facial lines.”
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