The hottest cosmetic trend on TikTok these days is ‘Barbie Botox’, a procedure in which botox is injected into the trapezius muscles in order to make the neck look longer and more slender.

The Barbie Botox procedure was originally devised as a way to relax the severely overworked trapezius muscles which could cause painful neck tension and even migraines, but one of its side effects was purely cosmetic. When the neurotoxin is injected into each trapezius muscle at the bottom of the neck, it cuts the connection to the nerve, temporarily paralyzing the muscle. Over time, this causes the trapezius to shrink, which makes the person’s neck look longer, and more slender, kind of like that of a plastic doll, hence the name…

Photo: Isabelle Lux/Instagram

“It came from the idea that you would look more like a Barbie when you get it done, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” TikTok influencer Isabelle Lux,, who had the procedure done for a wedding, told CNN. “It elongates the neck, slims the shoulders, and creates a very delicate physique when it’s done properly.”

A 1-month reveal photo posted by Lux went viral a while ago, kickstarting a Barbie Botox trend on TikTok, and while the difference is definitely visible, the influencer clarifies that the procedure is not without risk, so people shouldn’t just rush into it. She had to deal with pain and stiffness in her back and shoulders and the visual effect of the procedure doesn’t occur overnight. Apparently, it takes two weeks to see noticeable results and two months for the full effects to be visible.

“I was actually quite scared,” Lux said. “Once (Botox) is in, there’s nothing you can do to reverse it. I think that you need to go to a surgeon or a medical doctor. If you’re not able to get it done at the right place, I would say it’s honestly not worth it.”

The amount of botox injected into the trapezius muscles depends on the size of the muscles, but it usually varies between 40 and 75 units of neurotoxin. The effects usually last between four and six months. The cost of the procedure depends on the amount of botox required by the patient, with prices starting at around $200 for 20 units of neurotoxin. In Isabelle Lux’s case, the treatment cost a reported $1,200.

 

This is only the latest cosmetic procedure to achieve trend status. We recently wrote about the increasingly popular cosmetic voice surgery trend, Russia’s wavy lips fad, and the disturbing Snapchat dysmorphia.