Botulinum Toxin has been classified as a major bioterrorism threat due to its extreme potency and lethality. So why on earth would over a million Americans want to inject it into faces? Because Botox, as it is called commercially, can help erase wrinkles. The procedures are expensive, require follow-up treatments every couple of months, and, if not performed correctly, could create unsightly results, such as uneven eyebrows or a face unable to express the full range of emotions. But despite all of this, Botox is set to receive FDA approval and analysts expect Botox treatment to become a mainstream part of American medicine. “Plastic surgery is not something restricted to a small group of people who are seen as merely vain,” Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a psychologist at the Harvard Medical School, told the New York Times. “Because, really, we are all vain now.” This hour, we examine what’s behind the Botox craze. Why are even mainstream Americans willing to do anything to avoid aging?

Guests:

Dr. Jeffrey Dover, Dermatologist

Director of Skin Care Professionals in Chestnut Hill, MA

Gregg Gilbert, Specialty Pharmaceutical Analyst at Merrill Lynch

Jacqueline Jackson, Executive Producer of “The Body Project”