[Source: Reuters]

The viral trend of “Barbie Botox” that has women as young as in their 20s rush for toxin-based procedures to mimic the looks of the movie’s lead actress Margot Robbie may lead to resistance among them and hinder medical use in future, doctors cautioned.

The procedure, also known as “Trap Tox”, has been widely used by doctors to inject a class of drugs known as botulinum toxins, such as Botox, into the trapezius muscles of the upper back to treat migraines and shoulder pain.

But since the “Barbie” movie was released in July, there has been an uptick in demand for use as a cosmetic procedure. The hashtag BarbieBotox had 11.2 million views on TikTok.

The procedure “supposedly slims the neck and somehow that got attributed to the actress that’s playing Barbie,” Revance Therapeutics (RVNC.O) President Dustin Sjuts told Reuters in an interview.

“They’re not treating wrinkles or lax skin. They want less girth to their neck, a slimmer, more contoured neck,” said Scot Glasberg, president-elect of the Plastic Surgery Foundation, who practices in New York.

The approval of such injections for cosmetic purposes is only limited to procedures involving the face, making the use of the injection in the trapezius “off-label”.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration places the responsibility of “off-label” use on health professionals to judge such procedures as “medically appropriate”.

Meanwhile, Revance and Evolus Inc (EOLS.O), which make similar toxins under the Daxxify and Jeuveau brands, respectively, told Reuters that though “Barbie Botox” has picked up in recent months, they do not see the trend significantly boosting sales.

Botox maker AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) declined to comment.

Historically, people above 40 years would opt for toxin-based injections – a market estimated to be worth over $3 billion in annual sales in the U.S.

However, the doctors said they were concerned about a rise in use among younger women – and six doctors warned that procedures by underqualified staff at some medispas raised the risk of complications.

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