Brazil’s first couple are big fans of Botox. Cued in by first lady Marisa LetÀcia Lula da Silva who experienced the procedure first, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the lathe operator and union leader turned president, has already had Botox three times since early 2004, the latest one two weeks ago.
The revelation appears in this week’s cover story of Veja, Brazil’s most circulated and influential news magazine. According to the publication, the secret to Lula’s smoother, firmer and younger face is the continuous use of Botox by Denise Steiner, a dermatologist from São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city.
The president’s botoxing has been a shot on the arm for Steiner’s clinic where clients are shown pictures of the younger-looking Lula (he will be 61 on October 27) as an example of mature and illustrious man who has adopted a modern yet sometimes controversial cosmetic procedure.
Again according to Veja, Steiner always traveled to Brazilian capital Brasília on a Friday to inject the president with Botulinum Toxin Type A, the protein complex present in Botox. Nobody knows, however, who paid for the treatment or the trip even though Dr. Steiner is well known for her professionalism and high prices.
She charges 390 reais (US$ 182) just for a consultation. A single injection of Botox in her clinic doesn’t cost less than 1,350 reais (US$ 630).
The first lady had experimented Botox at the end of 2003 after hearing raving reports about the product from another fan of the procedure: sexologist and former mayor of São Paulo, Marta Suplicy. Apparently Marisa Letícia liked the results so much that she didn’t rest until she convinced the president to do the same.
