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Men use Botox to keep cool at work

One fifth of those having cosmetic injections are male, and do so to combat sweat and stress

Martin Hodgson,Jonathan Thompson
Sunday 21 May 2006 00:00 BST
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First models used it to roll back the years. Then Botox became a hit on the high street with women of a certain age. Now the ultimate beauty product is being injected by business executives desperate to lose that stressed-out look.

Bankers, lawyers and sales executives are turning to Botox to erase the telltale worry lines and signs of doubt or exhaustion on their faces. Others are even being given underarm injections to stop them sweating during high-pressure negotiations.

Astonishingly, cosmetic surgery specialists such as the Transform Medical Group say that as many as one in five of their clients are now men. And the vast majority of those are City high-fliers looking to gain that crucial advantage at work. "As a group, they are growing much faster than women," said a spokesman for the Botonics clinic in London. Some City banks are even said to be offering staff cut-price treatment.

"They want to give the impression that nothing fazes them," said one plastic surgeon.

A TESTING JOB

Nottingham entrepreneur Michael Killingworth, 45, travels far afield for his company.

The high pressure takes its toll and he has had Botox injections. The smooth forehead look has helped to improve his negotiating skills. "You have to project the right image," he said. "I'm the public face of my business. If I look good, I feel good. If I feel good, the business does well."

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