Breasts getting quick Botox lift

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Once you could recognise a Botox user by the immobile expression on her face - but now you may have to discreetly drop your gaze.

Instead of expensive surgery, women wanting to give their boobs a boost are using Botox.

In the past, a woman wanting a breast lift had to go under the knife, meaning several weeks in recovery and an average $15,000 bill.

Now, breast Botox is taking off here, sometimes combined with an injection of filler into the tissue.

The filler achieves results similar to surgery and Botox injections help to iron out any wrinkles.

The treatments promise instant results and no recovery time. Local anaesthetic is injected into the tissue, followed by the filler to give the breast shape and volume.

"It is a cheaper alternative to surgery, but it's not as long-lasting as surgery - about nine to 12 months," said appearance medicine doctor Joanna Romanowska.

The procedure takes about half an hour for each breast and costs $4000 to $5000.

Anyone wanting to soften nearby wrinkles can opt for Botox injections to ease the muscles, at a cost of $800 to $1000. First, a local anaesthetic cream is applied to numb the skin, then Botox is injected around the breasts. "They may have lines and a crepeyness and injecting the muscle would smooth it out," said Romanowska.

The results were instant and lasted for four to six month.

However, consultant plastic surgeon Tristan de Chalain advised those with "fairly droopy" breasts to opt for surgery.

Implants were a "warranty for life", he said, but injections were only a short-term fix.