Will Botox and fillers blast off in space?
Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Amazon founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, joined pop star Katy Perry, “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King and others on the space tech company’s New Shepard rocket for a historic all-female spaceflight — in full “glam” — on Monday morning.
The New Shepard 31 soared through the Texas sky with the three celebrities and crewmates Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn, who enjoyed just a few minutes in space before returning to Earth as part of a historic 11-minute space tourism flight.
While the mission is making headlines as the first all-female crew to venture into space, some have questioned the necessity of the expensive trip — not to mention how Sánchez’s alleged cosmetic enhancements might react to the extreme conditions.
It is speculated that Sánchez has undergone procedures to receive breast implants, Botox, lip fillers and a facelift, although she has never confirmed the rumors.
Dr. Stanton Gerson, a researcher of deep space effects on human cells, voiced concern over the extreme stresses of rocket launch.
“You go at about 6,000 m.p.h. and that can cause shear stress and may cause something to shift,” Gerson, who researches the impact of deep space on cells, told the Daily Mail.
Shearing stress occurs when forces cause parts of a material to slide past each other, which could be a risk for implanted materials like breast implants or lip fillers.
This concern is not entirely unfounded.
A 2013 study conducted at Yale University found that women with breast implants sometimes experience discomfort while flying at high altitudes, caused by the accumulation of “peri-implant gas.”
The phenomenon occurs due to pressure changes, which may trigger a sensation of tightness or discomfort in augmented breasts. However, modern implants, made with cohesive gels and stronger shells, are less likely to be affected by those issues.
Cosmetic surgeons also expressed mixed views about other procedures. In zero gravity, bodily fluids shift toward the head, which could lead to puffiness or changes in how dermal fillers or Botox appear.
However, experts noted that dermal fillers, typically made of hyaluronic acid, are solid and stable in the skin.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Giselle Prado-Wright explained that fillers integrate into the tissue over time, suggesting no significant changes would occur during the brief spaceflight.
“Dermal fillers are designed to integrate seamlessly into your natural tissue over time. Once healed, they move and behave just like your own soft tissue,” Prado-Wright, a medical director for Florida-based Exert BodySculpt, told the Daily Mail.
“Astronauts in the past haven’t shown changes in facial structure after space travel, and we wouldn’t expect any difference here either.”
As space tourism continues to evolve, it raises intriguing questions about how procedures may fare in extreme conditions as the six went sky-high in full makeup and designer flight suits.
“Space is going to finally be glam,” Perry previously told Elle. “If I could take glam up with me, I would do that. We are going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut.”
Sánchez told the magazine she would glue on her fake lashes to make sure they didn’t fly off during liftoff.
The women’s trip and their pre-takeoff makeup routine drew major criticism by actress Olivia Munn, who questioned the all-female, star-studded Blue Origin crew for traveling to space on an episode of “Today With Jenna and Friends.”
When told that the entire crew would all be “going in glam” –– with their hair and makeup done — Munn looked stunned and quipped, “What? They said this out loud?!”
Munn questioned how the trip would further scientific advancements and improve society.
But perhaps we’ll better understand how cosmetic procedures can handle space.
“This is a curious item, and the truth is that we have no idea what might happen,” Gerson admitted.
