63. Botox

The Economics of Everyday Things

Why do millions of people pay to have one of the world’s deadliest toxins injected into their faces? Zachary Crockett looks surprised.

  • SOURCES:
    • Dana Berkowitz, sociologist and author.
    • Jean Carruthers, pioneer of cosmetic Botox, clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia, and owner of Carruthers Cosmetic.
    • Steven Williams, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and owner of Tri Valley Plastic Surgery.
  • RESOURCES:
    • "Botox Is More Affordable Than Ever. Is That A Good Thing?" by Krista Bennett DeMaio (Women's Health, 2024).
    • "Early Development History of Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA)," by Alan B. Scott, Dennis Honeychurch, and Mitchell F. Brin (Medicine, 2023).
    • "How Barely-There Botox Became the Norm," by Jessica Schiffer (The New York Times, 2021).
    • Botox Nation: Changing the Face of America, by Dana Berkowitz (2017).
    • "Billions and Billions for Botox," by Vauhini Vara (The New Yorker, 2014).
    • "Botox is Destroying Hollywood Acting," by Johann Hari (HuffPost, 2011).
    • "The Botox Boom," by David Noonan (Newsweek, 2002).

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