The palace swears Kate hasn’t had it, but what is baby botox anyway?

In a somewhat unusual move, last week Kensington Palace issued a statement to "categorically" deny that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, a 37-year-old mother of three in a very high profile job, has had a little work done.

Specifically, some "baby botox".

Kensington Palace issued a statement refuting claims the Duchess of Cambridge had had baby botox.Credit:AP

The claim was made by plastic surgeon Munir Somji, the chief medical officer of London's DrMediSpa clinic in a since deleted Instagram post showing supposed "before and after" photos of the Duchess.

The rumours are "categorically not true", a palace representative said in a statement to The New York Post.

"The Royal Family never endorse commercial activity," the statement continued.

Tina Brown, media mogul and author of Princess Diana biography The Diana Chronicles, once said that the palace only bothers denying things when they're true. But, even if we take the palace's statement as accurate, if the Duchess was having botulinum toxin (botox) injections, she certainly wouldn't be alone.

According to the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery Australians spend about $1 billion on cosmetic treatments each year. US data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, shows botulinum toxin procedures have increased 28 per cent since 2010 amongst 20 to 29-year-olds.

That last statistic is particularly pertinent because it speaks to the idea of baby botox.

Some might call it "preventative botox", that is, botox procedures undertaken by people in their 20s and 30s to prevent wrinkles. A procedure that does, as Lauren Valenti and Chloe Atkins point out in US Vogue, work.

To a point.

In the article dermatologist Dr Patricia Wexler says that preventative botox can help to minimise the signs of ageing ("if you start [getting Botox] early enough and it's done properly, you're not going to need [as much] in the future"), but if you use it too much (botox only lasts three to six months), or it's not injected properly, it can weaken the muscles and you might end up using other facial muscles to compensate.

Technically, baby botox specifically refers to ultra-targeted micro injections of botox into certain areas, sometimes as a preventative measure, but also for people who don't want that infamous botox "frozen" look.

Or as Sydney dermatologist Dr Natasha Cook from Darlinghurst Dermatology puts it, it's a great new buzzword for something that's been around for years.

"Baby botox is literally 'baby' amounts or mini amounts of Botox to get a softer look," she says.

"It’s [a] little bit of a marketing term as many dermatologists have been doing 'micro' amounts or 'baby' doses for over a decade."

Dr Cook says baby botox is particularly popular among professional and high flying types who want a more natural, less frozen look, and those who are looking to prevent the signs of ageing. Its popularity, she says, has been an education process around botox not looking "weird".

If you're looking to get micro-doses of botox, you'd still need several injections a year, arguably more as a lower dose may wear off quickly.

Dr Cook strongly cautions doing your research in finding a qualified provider and being clear about what you're hoping to get from the procedure.

"Communication is really important to make sure the best results are achieved," she says.

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