Botox - Once More Without Feeling
We’ve all heard the horror stories, the poor doctor’s guinea pig whose 3 month expression will run the spectrum from numb to catatonic, the aging party girl whose cosmos dribble unnoticed from the corners of her mouth, the Botox patient who emerges looking like a stroke victim…
Botox should be a cosmetic condiment. It just takes a little here and there to spruce and freshen things up. If applied too liberally, it will rob the patient of his or her natural expression. This is “carpet bombing with Botox”, which is completely unnecessary and counterproductive. Given that many people want a cosmetic improvement because they believe the passage of time is somehow obscuring who they are, removing expression would just further that process.
All the jokes about the ‘Stepford Wife’ effects of Botox probably spring from the fact that, initially at least, it wasn’t applied with a lot of finesse. Like all cosmetic treatments, refinement comes with time. Injection patterns used to take in a wider swath – now practitioners target smaller areas. It just takes a little, between the brows and around the eyes, to stop the main contractions that emphasize lines, and yet still allow enough movement to convey emotion.
It’s also a myth that Botox stops all movement. There are some muscles for instance, that you absolutely do not want to inject with Botox because doing so can lead to the aforementioned stroke-like effects. The result could be a pulling down of the brow (which can sometimes be countered by a correcting re-injection or by daily administering eyedrops). These muscles – further out along the brow – will continue to move the area, so don’t be surprised if after your injection you can still form a light scowl.
As Botox works to paralyze some muscles, others relax or jump in to compensate. This is why Botox can impart a mini brow lift – the forehead muscles pull up and out. While most patients would be thrilled with the results, it can go a bit too far, and the brows get stuck between ‘somewhat surprised’ and Joan Crawford. Again, re-injection can bring them back to the right level.
An area that seems to be problematic for Botox is the mouth area. Some people who have it done love it – it will soften ‘smokers lines’ – but most patients are so-so about the results and I’ve heard a fair number of complaints about numbness, the inability to use a straw, etc. It just takes a tiny amount of Botox to have an effect in this area, so make sure you’re very comfortable with your doctor or practitioner before you give the green light.
When I say 90% of people love Botox who try it, of the 10% left, all but one will be happy with a touch up. That one in a hundred won’t like something about it – a subtle change to his or her looks that just, for some reason, is disconcerting. If it turns out you’re one-in-a-hundred, then what most people bemoan will actually work in your favor: it only lasts three months.
