Some people age so gracefully, others less so, and some people appear not to age at all. Ageing is almost a dirty word as we struggle to keep our youthful looks, our sex appeal and our general health.
I once heard Dame Maggy Smith comment that she believes that English actors often get great parts for older women because many female actresses do not want to be viewed as 'an older woman'. One of the greatest compliments you can pay a woman is to tell her that she looks younger than her age.
A face lift is a big operation but there are now other options with the ability to make us look younger 'during our lunch break'. Go to work looking older and go home looking younger. One of these 'lunch hour' treatments is Botox. A poison that stops our muscles from working. In our face this causes our wrinkles to be smoothed out, making us look younger and fresher.
A friend of mine who once tried it said that it felt like the needle had gone as deep as her brain, however we know that this is not what happens. So how could it affect our brains?
When we make a facial expression it causes chemical changes in our brain. It has been demonstrated that by smiling at yourself in a mirror for 20 minutes a day for several weeks can reduce depression and improve your mood. Physiology creates psychology. When we slump our breathing becomes more shallow and we have more negative feelings. When we sit up and look up it gives our lungs more room to breath and as we look up we begin to feel better. It is the same with our face. When we smile we can feel happier even if we weren't happy to begin with. When we frown we can begin to feel worried.
When we have Botox our faces are unable to form any expression so our brains are unable to get the same messages. Botox has been shown to affect people's mood.
We also read other people's expressions to let us know how they feel and what they are thinking. Consider someone close to you. When you look at them you probably know what they are feeling. You know their 'bored' look, their 'happy' look and their 'fear' look. We show our love for people through our expressions. We can share a joke without saying anything. For some friends, one shared look can cause hilarity.
Botox has been shown to cause relationship issues because delaying an expression in response to a question can cause concern. Consider asking your 'significant other' if they loved you and they looked unmoved and expressionless for even 1/10th of a second. You may start to doubt their affection for you.
Botox has some wonderful medical uses, and for some people it is worth the cost, the physical pain and any other emotional side effects. When we make a decision we need all the facts. If you are considering Botox as a form of cosmetic treatment you might like to consider ALL the facts and not just the desired outcomes.
warmest wishes
Sarah
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