Botox treatments today are a billion-dollar global trend. It is the most common aesthetic treatment in the world, and tens of millions of Botox procedures are done every year. But Botox also has plenty of bad press, from images of frozen faces to unrecognisable celebrities.
I met with Dr Voss, a Harley Street Aesthetic Practitioner, to learn more about the history and application of Botox. Dr Voss’ eye for detail and passion for his job has earned him a prodigious amount of respect amongst industry colleagues and on social media.
After studying Aesthetics in Beverly Hills, the motherland of aesthetic treatments, where American Association of Aesthetics Medicine and Surgery certified him, Dr Voss decided to bring his aesthetic philosophy to the UK.
Now almost a year later, the clinic is attracting new patients daily without any paid advertising, mostly through word of mouth. “The word goes out,” says Dr Voss, “when people find a good doctor they are happy with they stick with that doctor”.
Building a good and trustworthy reputation is something he strives to achieve. “There is a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding out there about aesthetic treatments,” he explains. “It raises concerns about the training and techniques of high street ‘practitioners’ injecting Botox”.
A German food scientist, Dr Kerner, first discovered the Botulinum toxin in the 1820s during his research into spoiled sausages. In the 1950s, researchers discovered that injecting small doses of the Botulinum toxin type A had a relaxing effect on hyperactive muscles. In 1987 two Canadian doctors, the husband and wife team Dr Jean and Alastair Carruthers accidentally discovered that the toxin also had cosmetic properties.
After that, Botox treatments spread like wildfire. In the beginning the treatment was only available to the richest Hollywood stars, but as the procedure became cheaper, it swiftly grew in popularity, and in 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the treatment.
Dr Voss is vocal about his belief that there needs to be more public education and awareness around aesthetic treatments. He has been interviewed by the BBC on the subject, and has voiced his opinions about the ‘formula’ needed for optimal results.
For Dr Voss, the three components of a good aesthetic treatment are a good doctor, clear management of client expectations, and appropriate material and equipment. Most of the media horror stories about Botox are cases where this ‘formula’ has not been adhered.
“It is like going to the gym, where you get a personal trainer. You need the right person to train you, for him or her to manage your expectations, and finally you need appropriate equipment,” Dr Voss explains.
The same applies to lip augmentation. The terrible images we see daily of “duck lips” and “sausage lips” are a result of the three-point formula not being followed.
“We need to respect the natural anatomy of the lips and the ratio of the upper and lower lip, which is 1:1:6,” Dr Voss says. “This means that in general the lower lip is fuller and bigger than the upper lip. In the case of augmentation this ratio has to be followed in order to have fuller and more defined lips, whilst still looking natural.”
I asked Dr Voss which celebrity lips are most coveted; he told me that the number one requests are Angelina Jolie and, more recently, Kylie Jenner.
In the aesthetic industry, the ‘ideal’ look is ever changing and different cultures have different views on what is attractive. “It is important that aesthetic practitioners update their skills and knowledge to deliver the constant changes with what society defines as beautiful”, explained Dr Voss.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” says Dr Voss. “Different cultures find different things attractive. It just so happens that Western women favour youthful looks”.
The obsession with a wrinkle-free face can be traced back to the 1400s, when ladies at the Court of Louis XI ate mostly soups as they believed chewing gave them wrinkles. Today, in countries such as Ethiopia, mature women are considered significantly more attractive.
Dr Voss comes from a family with high regard for education. However, his good looks have also allowed him to explore other areas of the beauty industry. As a former male model, fitness contestant and beauty pageant judge, he has a passion and an artistic eye for aesthetics. That combination is what his clients appreciate about him most.
Despite the occasional side effects and numerous poker-faced celebrities, Botox is a remarkable discovery. With London’s Harley Street at the cutting edge of aesthetic procedures and revered as an international destination for the treatment, this beauty trend that started with a spoiled sausage is only set to rise.
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