Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Alahna Kindred

Russia facing Botox shortage due to sanctions amid claims Vladimir Putin is a fan

Russia is facing a Botox shortage due to global sanctions amid speculation Vladimir Putin receives the treatment.

Between January and March, imports of Botox chemicals to Russia fell three times compared to last year.

Russian clinics are now scrambling to switch to domestic drugs to keep up with demand.

Yulia Frangulova, the co-founder of the National Association of Clinics of Aesthetic Medicine SRO (NAKEM), told Ins.ru : "The dwindling supplies of Botox are already causing alarm in clinics."

There has been speculation since 2011 that Putin has undergone Botox treatments.

Rumours first started when he showed up to a meeting in Kyiv with black eyes.

Putin's face has appeared smooth for a 69-year-old speculating he undergoes Botox treatment (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

The Kremlin boss leader had a nasty-looking blue-and-yellow bruise around his eye, which many concluded was a result of Botox.

There was so much talk that Putin's spokesman was forced to issue a denial, saying: "It's probably just how the light fell. The prime minister is tired."

Since then his face had become even smoother and the wrinkles seem to have disappeared.

Botox imports are down compared to the previous year (Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia's liberal New Times magazine revived the Botox debate the following year in an article titled 'What has happened with Putin's face?'

Four plastic surgeons have previously agreed that it was likely that Putin has undergone Botox on his forehead as well as an eye-lift on his lower lids, and an injection of firming filler into his cheekbones.

It is also speculated that Putin's alleged mistress Alina Kabaev uses the same cosmetic surgeon as Putin.

However, former foreign secretary Lord David Owen said he suspects steroid use due to changes in the shape of Putin's face, which could be caused by muscle-boosting drugs.

Lord Owen told Times Radio: "Look at his face, see how that has changed - he now has an oval face.

"People who said, oh, it's plastic surgery or Botox, I don't believe that at all.

"He's on either anabolic steroids as a bodybuilder - and he's very proud of his muscles and strips to the waist and everything like that - or he's on corticosteroids.

"If you're on these drugs, this gives you this face.

"It reduces your immunity and makes you more vulnerable to Covid.

"This man has been in complete isolation, quite extraordinary, won't see anybody, stays miles away, tremendous pressures.

"Which indicates he's on a steroid and probably, maybe, a combination of both."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.