What Is 'Barbie Botox'? Experts Explain The Latest Cosmetic Trend On Social Media

Barbie is literally everywhere you look ¨C from girls of all ages dressing up in pink to see the film, to songs from the movie playing on the radio. But now a new trend has overtook the internet with a concerted effort to emulate ¡°stereotypical Barbie¡± and it is called Barbie Botox.

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What is 'Barbie Botox'?

#BarbieBotox is the latest cosmetic trend sweeping social media following the release of the film, with the hashtag garnering over 4.4 millions views. Users on TikTok have been documenting themselves getting injections in order to ¡°slim down¡± the neck and shoulders.

Trapezius Botox is a procedure that involves injecting botulinum toxin, or Botox, in between the neck and shoulder to partially relax the trapezius muscles and relieve pain, as per experts. However, doctors in US have warned against it.

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How have experts reacted?

Dr. Amy Wechsler, New York City dermatologist and psychiatrist, spoke to PEOPLE about Barbie Botox ¡ª and why following the trend may not be the best idea.

¡°The trapezius muscle is a muscle that's very easily overused in our society for a number of reasons,¡± she tells PEOPLE. ¡°One, when people are really stressed out ¡ª which a lot of us are ¡ª they hunch their shoulders and that's overusing the trap muscle. Two, when people are on their computer screens or if they work with their hands where you're kind of flexing those muscles and hunched over working in front of you, you're overusing the muscle.¡±

¡°So an overused muscle gets bigger than it usually is and it could make the top of the shoulder, at the base of the neck look a little bit overworked and bigger, bulked up kind of,¡± Wechsler continues.

¡°It also hurts. Traps that are overused are painful, they're tender, they're sore. People feel uncomfortable from it.¡±

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Clinics in the UK have also noticed a rise in people wanting 'try out' the emerging trend.

Dr Aamer Khan, who offers the procedure at the Skin Clinic, says he has offered Botox in the traps for many years, and usually only one or two people would enquire every week. But 15 have expressed interest in the procedure in recent weeks. But he warns that not everybody is suitable for treatment ¨C warning that people with 'normal sized traps' are enquiring.

"What they are hoping for is a reduction to a point where you are getting a longer slender neck it may not actually give them that. Their expectations may be unrealistic," Dr Khan said. He also urges people to get the procedure done by experienced practitioners.

He said, "If it is done in the right way you shouldn't have any long-term problems because as soon as you stop doing it the muscle will come back."

"If the Botox is injected into blood vessels it can make people feel a bit feverish, people can get a bit unwell with it, it can cause weakness in the muscle as well."

Experts also warn that the injections can weaken the trap muscles, which are vital for basic movevments, such as turning the head, moving the shoulders up and down and rotating the arms. As a result, they urge people not get too much Botox to the muscle, as they may be left struggling with simple daily tasks.

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Why are people doing it?

Although trapezius Botox is typically done in order to relieve that back and shoulder pain, some patients get it done in order to create the illusion of a longer and slimmer neck. Following the premiere of Barbie, content creators have documented themselves getting #BarbieBotox injections in an attempt to mimic the neck and shoulders of the dolls.

Wechsler warns that this is not a trend people should follow unless medically necessary, noting that Barbie features are unrealistic and the cosmetic procedure won¡¯t have much of a noticeable effect on the appearance of most people.

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