According to Sue Woodall from the Dundrum Laser & Skincare clinic in Dublin, the use of Botox is rapidly becoming more acceptable in Irish society, leading to a notable increase in people opting for the procedure.

"Definitely in the last year the Botox business has just exploded, " she said. "I would say we've seen a 55% rise in business, and a lot of that is coming from younger women. People are seeing programmes like The Swan and 10 Years Younger, and Botox is just becoming more acceptable to them" Woodall said that women were now using Botox - a layman's term for Botulinum Toxin - as a preventative measure as well as a way to treat wrinkles and frown lines. The treatment works by reducing the contractions of the muscle, thus preventing muscle movement. When the muscle doesn't move, wrinkles and frown lines aren't formed.

The Advanced Cosmetic Surgery clinic has also noted an increase in the number of women using Botox as prevention rather than a cure.

"We're actually doing less face-lifts because women have been using Dysport (another form of Botox) and they don't need surgery, " said the clinic's Halina Ashdown-Shiels.

She said that there had also been a surprising increase in the number of men asking for Botox, with 20% of the treatments being performed on males.

"It's a lot of older men who have separated or gone through a divorce and they're coming in to us to just spruce themselves up, " she said.