USA may still be the top spot for plastic surgery and cosmetic nips and tucks, but the Botox capital of the world is Westport, a small tourist town in County Mayo, Ireland.
USA may still be the top spot for plastic surgery and cosmetic nips and tucks, but the Botox capital of the world is Westport, a small tourist town in County Mayo, Ireland. With a meager population of 5,500, this town is home to Allergan – the only producer of the celebrity world’s favourite magic eraser. Botox (or Botulinum toxin) is a preparation that contains tiny amounts of highly purified neurotoxin from the bacteria clostridium botulinum which, when injected intra-dermally, reduces the appearance of wrinkles by paralysing facial muscles. A favourite of stars and A-listers world-wide, this chemical has placed Westport on the world’s cosmetic surgery map. Speaking to The Mirror, town councillor Keith Martin says, “Many of the smiles you see on TV have been made in Westport thanks to Botox. But nobody here has it — you can’t get it in town.” Not only can it make you look younger, but this heavily priced wonder-toxin is also used to treat spasms, dystonias and even chronic migraines. Foreseeing its great potential, the US based Allergan set up a factory in Westport way back in 1977. From a small company with just a handful of employees, they’ve come a long way with their projected net sales of Botox for 2013 being between $1,900 and $2,000 million. With some families having up to three generations of Allergan-employees, everyone in Westport is cheering on the Botox boom. True to its purpose, Botox is wiping the wrinkles of recession off this town’s economy, creating jobs for hundreds. Botox remains the most popular cosmetic procedure. Popularly known as a ‘lunchtime’ surgical procedure, over 3 million injections have already been administered globally.
