Simone Biles Was Refreshingly Honest About Trying Botox (And What Went Wrong)

American gymnast Simone Biles concluded her final event at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, August 5, taking home three gold medals for the vault and both team and individual all-arounds. Biles posted a "GRWM" video on her TikTok account ahead of the gymnastics all-around final in which she shared her honest experience with Botox with her 4.7 million followers. "I have a funny story for you guys," she says in the TikTok video, which currently sits at over 13 million views. "So, for my 27th birthday, I got Botox, like 'baby Botox' just right here in like my T-zone," Biles reveals. "And I did not like it, so I haven't got it again."

The "baby Botox" Biles refers to here is a type of "tweakment" – the latest cosmetic injection trend centered around the idea of preventative treatment, otherwise known as "rejuvenation." In Biles' video, the highly decorated gymnast had a less than satisfactory experience with these skin-smoothing injections and doesn't have any intention of a repeat session due to an unexpected side-effect. "I would be, like, standing at practice and then my eyebrow would be slowly going up like this," she explained. "And then Zoe [Miller] would be like 'Simone, your eyebrow's doing it again!' and I'm like 'I feel it!' and I couldn't get it back down. But it would go back down in, like, 20 seconds and it would randomly do that ... So, not doing that again." Only time will tell if Biles' experience with Botox will dissuade other young adults from experimenting with preventative injections.

The difference between traditional Botox injections and "baby Botox" is that the latter involves injecting smaller doses of Botox into the skin. The reason you only use a tiny amount of Botox compared to the amount used in standard Botox injections is that "baby Botox" is advertised as a preventative approach to fine lines and wrinkles; it is not a corrective treatment.

"Preventative anti-wrinkle injections involve the use of Botox or similar products to prevent the formation of lines and wrinkles, rather than in a corrective way once lines and wrinkles are already established, when treatment is often less successful," Dr. Sophie Shotter told Harper's Bazaar. As such, the people who qualify for this type of cosmetic "tweakment" are not walking into the clinic with deep or prominent wrinkles, which typically require larger doses as part of the corrective treatment. In this way, "baby Botox" appeals to the younger generations, namely millenials and Gen Zers, who are just beginning to show signs of aging and wish to reduce the need for extensive or frequent treatments in the future.

As with all cosmetic procedures, there is always a risk of negative or adverse side effects. In Biles' case, her experience with Botox led to one of her eyebrows going rogue. "Most people think they've had too much Botox when in fact they've had too little in a given area," plastic surgeon Dr. Michelle Yagoda told HuffPost when asked to explain why one eyebrow might rise upward. Therefore, it's possible for the doctor or nurse to administer too much or too little in the target area due to an inaccurate assessment by the professional handling the injections.

Although there's no way to immediately undo the effects of Botox, it does wear off over time. Many people have left their local clinic with positive experiences, but Biles' candid story is a reminder that Botox is not always the best option for people in their 20s. "I really do think that heavy Botox from a young age makes people look older," says Dr. Sophie Shotter to Harper's Bazaar. "An early start and heavy-handed approach can leave a face looking frozen over time." Celebrity facialist and skincare expert Lisa Harris also told the outlet that "[s]tarting at a young age and having them regularly will weaken the muscles of the face. In time the muscles will become atrophic and not be able to hold the skin up adequately. As a result this will age the skin in the long run." Perhaps Biles made a wise decision for the future of her appearance, after all.