"I Wanted to Show That Facial Expressions Are Linked Not Only to Wrinkles but Also to Anatomy"
A video featuring an American doctor injecting Botox into only one side of her own face and comparing the results with the untreated side?the so-called "half-face experiment"?has gone viral online.
On April 28 (local time), the New York Post reported that Dr. Vita Perel, an American cosmetic medicine specialist, conducted an experiment to demonstrate the effects of Botox injections using her own face, which has become a hot topic on social networking services (SNS).
The original video was uploaded to Instagram in June of last year. It shows her appearance two weeks after injecting Botox only into the right side of her face. To clearly compare the treated and untreated sides, she drew a black line down the center of her face.
Vita Perel, an American cosmetic medicine specialist, is explaining by comparing the right side of her face (left side on screen) where she received Botox and the left side where she did not. Instagram
Dr. Perel moved both sides of her mouth simultaneously. However, only the left side of her face, which did not receive Botox, showed noticeable movement. The right corner of her mouth, which was treated with Botox, only twitched. Perel explained, "Facial muscles typically function to lift the skin upward or pull it downward. When Botox is injected into the muscles that pull downward, it relaxes them, allowing the muscles that lift the center of the face to become dominant and pull the face upward."
Additionally, on her face, the right nasolabial fold is positioned higher and appears shallower than the left. Referring to this, Perel stated, "Botox treatment can help reduce wrinkles," and added, "It can also make the jawline appear sharper and the cheeks look fuller."
Upon closer inspection of her face, the location and definition of the nasolabial folds differ on each side. The right side of her face, which received Botox, shows improvements in the nasolabial fold and frown lines compared to the left. She explained that these effects typically last for about three to four months.
The video has been viewed more than 10.95 million times on Perel's Instagram alone. Viewers left a variety of comments, such as "This is amazing and informative," "There's no way this is safe. Why do women do this to themselves?" and "This is an arrogant and irresponsible video. What if others try to imitate this?"
As the video gained renewed attention, Perel posted a new message sharing her thoughts. She said, "About a year ago, I uploaded a video of myself injecting Botox into only half of my face. My intention was to show how muscle balance creates a natural-looking face and how facial expressions are closely connected not only to wrinkles but also to facial anatomy."
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