Botox doctor promises sexy legs

Reuters

LEGS ELEVEN: Models on the runway at Dolce&Gabbana Fall/Winter 2010/11 women's show during Milan Fashion Week.

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Women forking out for a killer pair of high heels are also paying for the ultimate accessory - Botox to make their legs look better in stilettos.

An Auckland cosmetic physician has found a demand for his calf-thinning services, in which he uses large amounts of Botox to sculpt women's legs and make calf muscles appear less bulky.

Dr Garsing Wong, of the Sapphire Appearance Medical Clinic, is the only cosmetic practitioner offering the service in New Zealand.

He says the procedure is particularly popular among Asian women wanting their legs to appear slimmer in high heels. It is completed in a single session and, while Wong says patients may not see much reduction in the circumference of their calves, it's all about the shape.

"It's for aesthetic reasons only. If women are doing a lot of running or dancing it is not appropriate."

While the strength of the muscle is not affected, the procedure does counteract building of the muscle, so it is strictly for the non-sporty.

Wong says patients requesting calf- thinning are first given information and grilled to make sure their expectations are realistic before being sent home to think about it.

"I always downplay the potential effect."

The cost varies from about $2000 for a relatively thin pair of legs, to about $7000, depending on the amount of Botox used.

"It's not cheap and it's not for the faint-hearted," says Wong.

But he says it is a far safer option than surgery to achieve the same result, a practice common in Asian countries. Surgery involves removal of the muscle through an incision in the crease behind the knee or, alternatively, destroying the nerve.

"What happens is that they chop the peroneal nerve [running from the knee to the foot] and this can cause permanent foot drop.

"Really our procedure is much safer and better for patients and I would never recommend surgery."

Wong has been offering calf-thinning Botox for about four years and sees at least one patient a month. Patients will require a repeat procedure about every nine months to a year to maintain the look.

Wong is also one of a handful of practitioners offering facial shaping, which is the most popular procedure for Botox in his practice. He is about to publish a paper on a method he has developed which uses large amounts of Botox to sculpt the face to a patient's needs.

For example, he can inject Botox into the chewing muscles to change the shape of the face from a rounded or square shape to more of a V-shape. The lower jowls become more defined and the process can be combined to tighten the skin at the same time. Wong's facial shaping procedures developed from looking at ways to treat teeth-grinding. It can take up to two months to become fully apparent and patients will need regular injections about every nine months to maintain the new shape.

Botox is becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand. New figures show demand for it rose 29% in 2009.

- © Fairfax NZ News