THREE KEY FACTS Botox is a brand of neurotoxin injected to reduce wrinkles and fine lines by decreasing the muscle’s ability to contract. Cosmetic procedures, including Botox, injectable fillers, facelifts and rhinoplasties, reshape a body’s structure for aesthetic purposes. Globally, the appearance medicine and plastic surgery industry was estimated to be worth US$134 billion last year, 40% of this is from non-invasive procedures.
Sarah Pollok is a Multimedia Journalist at New Zealand’s Herald, specialising in covering stories on travel and tourism. OPINION In the early 2000s, cosmetic surgery was an obvious yet taboo activity exclusive to celebrities and the super-rich; stars such as Joan Rivers or Michael Jackson who could afford to tweak their lips, noses or foreheads but couldn’t afford to admit it. In just a few years, the injectable cosmetics industry has been fine-tuned; so too have a growing number of faces in our friend groups and workplaces.
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