Netas at the Botox parlour

Politicians, both male and female, line up at cosmetic surgeons to get pert and pretty for campaign trail

Netas at the Botox parlour

Politicians, both male and female, line up at cosmetic surgeons to get pert and pretty for campaign trail

Beginning September 12, all parties announced their candidates to the Assembly elections.
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In exactly the same period, cosmetic surgeons across the city said they had been flooded with requests for facelifts from politicians.

And the most popular procedure by far was Botox.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Vijay Sharma said that after the candidature announcement, he administered Botox to five hopefuls three women and two men from various political parties, all between 35 and 57.
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"One senior leader, who is 57 year old, wanted a fat auto graft on his face to fill out his hollow cheeks.

The politician then opted for Botox shots, as the effect was immediate and the procedure quick.

"They want to erase crows' feet around the eyes and fill lateral lines around their mouth to make their smiles look better," said Sharma. The surgeon refused to divulge the names of the politicians citing professional ethics.
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Sources added that a female and senior Congress candidate from south Mumbai only recently got a Botox injection to erase wrinkles from her face.

"There are many Congress candidates who are opting for Botox, though other parties are not far behind," said the source. A senior NCP leader from Ahmednagar went in for a fat reduction procedure at a suburban clinic.

In some cases, politicians have been turning to the knife much before the names were announced.
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Abhi Toh Man Jawan Hoon: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (73) admitted to a facelift and hair transplant in 2004.

Said Dr Manjiri Patankar who runs a clinic in Bandra, "Almost eight to 10 politicians have already got themselves treated for body and face sculpting, reduction of abdomen fat, removal of wrinkles and even temporary face packs for glowing skin. "Every politician wants to look young, they don't want to look tired," said Patankar.

The trend is prevalent in New Delhi too. Said Dr Anup Dhir, senior consultant cosmetic surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, "When Parliament is in mid session, politicians visit us looking for treatments like liposuction, fat reduction and chemical peels.

Then, some come after getting elected. Botox is quite popular as it gives them instant results. And those who are on TV regularly are more keen."

However, celebrity dentist Dr Sandesh Mayekar said sometime back, an ungroomed look was popular. "I used to treat Pramod Mahajan.

When he returned from campaigning in Rajasthan, his teeth were in a bad state, but he told me to let them be because it allows the electorate to think you were one of them," he added.

Inputs from Navdeep Kaur Marwah

What's Botox?

Botox is one of the many trade names for the neurotoxic protein called botulinum toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
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In large doses, the protein causes botulism, a rare paralytic illness often linked to food poisoning. It is held to be the most toxic substance known to mankind.

it is used in cosmetic medicine to treat moderate to severe brow furrow, wrinkles, and facial creases by using diluted botulinum toxin to control weakened muscles.

Most popular procedures

Treatment	Cost (Rs)	lasts for
Botox fillers	5,000 to 19,000	6 months
Fat reduction	5,000 to 10,000	Varies from person
Surgeries	Per Sitting	To person
Thread lifts	50,000 to 60,000	2-3 years
Glycolic acid chemical peels	3,000 to 5,000	3 months