One twin used Botox regularly and the other did not – how is she doing today, years later?

Two women, identical twins, were involved in a horrific experiment. One had been using Botox for 20 years and the other had not. Which one looks better?

One twin was constantly getting Botox, two to three times a year, while the other was only getting the magic injections occasionally, letting nature take its course.

They are photographed at ages 38 and 44 years old.

This unique study of identical twins provides one of the clearest examples of how injections can change the appearance of someone's face.

The Beverly Hills doctor took it upon himself to record the changes in their faces and compare the differences between them over different periods of time.

They were first photographed in 2006 at the age of 38. At the time, one twin had received at least 26 Botox injections over the past 13 years, while the other had only received a few.

The twin who was receiving Botox regularly had noticeably smoother skin, with more superficial wrinkles on her face.

Meanwhile, her sister had deeper wrinkles in her forehead and more visible signs of aging in her eyes when she smiled compared to her twin who was injected with Botox.

They were then photographed again in 2012 at the age of 44. One of them has now been having Botox for 19 years.

By then, the Botox-free twin had a visibly puffier face and a wider jawline – although it's unclear whether this was related to the Botox she didn't have.

In 2012, the twins said they constantly used sunscreen, ruling out the possibility that the wrinkles were caused by long-term exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Neither of them used retinol for wrinkles and lived mostly healthy lives.

Naturally, they lived on different sides of the world with vastly different levels of solar radiation.

The twin who did not use Botox and who had the most wrinkles lived in Munich, where the average UV index is lower compared to Los Angeles, where the twin who used Botox lived.

Dr. William Bender said it's possible that chronic use of Botox not only prevents muscles from contracting, but also changes the mechanism involved.

“With long-term treatment, the patient may become accustomed to having little, if any, need or ability to contract the muscles, and may eventually learn to avoid even trying to contract them,” he said. The skin self-renewal method can also be preferred.

Wrinkles form when facial muscles contract. At the same time, the production of collagen and elastin, proteins that provide structure and elasticity to the skin, decreases with age.

The skin becomes thinner, drier and less able to maintain its shape, leading to the formation of wrinkles.

Disadvantages of Botox

The injection may cause bruising, swelling, and redness where the needle was injected. The face can take on a frozen appearance, and the eyebrows or eyelids may also droop.

More serious reactions to Botox include anaphylaxis, shortness of breath, headache, and even flu-like symptoms.