YOU MAY THINK non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as Botox, peels and lasers are just for Hollywood stars, socialites and people worried about ageing. But there’s more to these increasingly sophisticated technologies than turning back the clock on your looks. They’re being used to treat a host of health issues, ranging from hair loss and acne to incontinence.
Indeed, many beauty treatments were originally developed for medical use. Botox was first approved for relieving spasms around the eyes more than 25 years ago. It works by temporarily paralysing the nerve signals that tell muscles to contract, and has now been officially approved for more than a dozen purely medical uses.