Simon Cowell is gearing up for his ninth season as the curmudgeonly judge on American Idol, yet he appears immune to the ravages of time. His secret? Regular Botox injections, Cowell says, admitting it’s an important part of his beauty regimen.

American Idol’s Mr. Nasty has a new pop culture phenomenon to promote, but this time it’s not a boy band, girl group, or hot new diva. The object of his affection? Botox.

Yes, the ever-snarky Simon Cowell has proclaimed his love for the wrinkle removing injections.

According to a recent report on Contactmusic.com, Botox is an important part of the music mogul’s beauty regimen. Said Cowell, “To me, Botox is no more unusual than toothpaste. It works, you do it once a year – who cares?” Simon also noted that it was very common among his friends and others in the entertainment arena.

However, his comment about going under the needle only once in a year has raised some eyebrows. For one, the manufacturer of Botox recommends patients receive injections every four months to reduce moderate to severe frown lines. In addition, recently rumors have circulated that Cowell may be spending too much time in the doctor’s office.

Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell’s costar on Britain’s Got Talent, was quoted as saying his castmate “should be dead” considering his way too frequent use of the product.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest also has an opinion about Simon’s Botox habits. “You wouldn’t know (if he’s angry) because of all the shots. The angry face is the same as the happy face,” Seacrest recently said on the Ellen DeGenres show.

But Simon adamantly denies any overuse of the wrinkle relaxer. This past spring, Cowell told the Daily Mail, “I have not had cosmetic surgery. Yes, I’ve had Botox, but not in an obsessive way.”

The newest gossip making the rounds is that Simon Cowell is recommending the treatment to his famous friends. In July, The Plastic Surgery Channel reported that Cowell had suggested the neurotoxin to another famous reality show menace, Chef Gordon Ramsay. Sources reported that Cowell told the maniacal TV personality and Hell’s Kitchen star that he “had to do something about that” chin. Ramsay decided to give the advice a try, and soon he, too, climbed on board the Botox bandwagon.

If he continues down this path, Simon Cowell soon may be joining the ranks of Janice Dickinson, Joan Rivers, and other celebs who become overly obsessed with cosmetic surgery. Let us hope not. We’d like to see a few frown lines for those “bloody awful” Idol contestants.