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 | March 24, 2003, Page 37
The Big Botox-Athon
"Stars have long zapped crow's feet, frown lines and wrinkles, but now, for the first time, there will be an Oscar Botox Suite at Le Meridien hotel. Those attending the glitzy ceremony can have a treatment (which weakens the muscles and, as a result, relaxes wrinkles) with the minimum of fuss in a hotel suite rather than a surgeon's office.
Still there are Plenty of stars flocking to LA's plastic surgeons to get the $300 treatment in private. 'We're working Saturdays and Sundays with extended hours," says Dr. Garo Kassabian, one of Beverly Hills' most in-demand docs. Though hardly anyone admits it, he says at least 70 percent of the women and 40 percent of the men at the Oscars will have botoxed beforehand.
When they don't fess up, it's tough to tell: Done in small, regular doses, Botox can be flawless. But there is a downside: You may wipe out facial expression as well (a troublesome side effect for an actress). As former Designing Women star Annie Potts discovered, "I had to do a photo session, and the guy said, "Could you lift your eyebrow up a little bit", And I said, "Yeah, sure." He went, "Ok, go ahead." And I was like, "Didn't I? Is it not lifted?" When the botox wore off, she never went back." |