Injectables are simple, non-surgical treatments that temporarily smooth moderate to severe lines around the eyes, brows, neck and forehead. The injection procedure takes just minutes, with often remarkable results when properly injected by a trained medical professional. The process is safe, virtually painless and side effects are extremely rare.
Botox® may not only provide a nonsurgical face-lift — it may also lift your spirits, new research suggests.
By paralyzing the facial muscles used for frowning, Botulinum Toxin prevents people from physically displaying expressions of negative emotion. Building on previous research that suggests facial expressions not only reflect but influence mood levels, the new study hypothesizes that Botulinum toxin may lighten people's moods by literally wiping the frowns off their faces. (Read "The Year in Medicine 2008: From A to Z.")
The study, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, followed 25 cosmetic-surgery patients, 12 of whom received injections of Botulinum Toxin A or similar neurotoxins, the others receiving fillers, peels or other cosmetic treatments for wrinkles. (Watch a TIME video on Botox.)
Two weeks after the treatments, the patients filled out a Hospital Anxiety and Depression test — a self-screening questionnaire for depression and anxiety. They also rated the success of their treatments.
"The Botox patients scored much lower on measures of depression, anxiety and irritability," explains Michael Lewis, a psychology professor at the University of Cardiff and lead author of the study. "Crucially, there was no significant difference in how much their treatment made them feel attractive from those who had other treatments, suggesting that [the mood boost] wasn't just down to a boost in self-confidence." (See pictures of facial yoga.)
In 2006, Dr. Eric Finzi, a cosmetic surgeon in Maryland, injected Botox into frown lines around the mouth or in the forehead furrows of 10 clinically depressed women. The treatment was found to eliminate depression symptoms in nine of them and to reduce symptoms in the 10th woman. At the time, Finzi explained the results using the facial-feedback hypothesis — a feedback loop in which people frown back at a depressed person, further deepening that person's sense of isolation. He suggested that if a depressed person can't frown because of Botox treatment, then others won't frown back at them, thereby breaking the loop. (See the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2008.)
But Lewis says he favors the theory that facial muscles influence brain activity directly and points to earlier research that suggests such a neurological link. For example, studies have shown that subjects find comedy routines significantly funnier when they hold a pen between their teeth the way a dog holds a bone, a pose that stimulates the muscles used for smiling. Similarly, subjects laugh less when holding a pen between their lips, a pose that mimics frowning.
"I have noted frequently that my patients who receive Botox® seem happier," Joel Schlessinger, then president-elect of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery and president of LovelySkin.com, said in 2006. Source: Times Health.
According to a new study published in Dermatologic Surgery journal, Botox® may also improve quality of life and self-esteem.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Steven H. Dayan conducted the study that had 100 participant treated with either Botox® or a saline placebo for facial wrinkles between the eyebrows, on the forehead and around the eyes. Participants were surveyed on their quality of life before the injections and two weeks and three months after the injections.
Findings showed that Botox® injections result in improvements in quality of life and self-esteem. Those treated with Botox® showed statistically significant improvements in answers to quality of life questions pertaining to many aspects, including:
- Physical health
- Mood
- Overall life satisfaction
- Body satisfaction
- Self-worth
- Appearance
- Attractiveness
- Sense of well-being
“The findings in this study ask us to think much differently about Botox® treatments,” says Dr. Dayan. “We have long known the physically enhancing benefits of Botox® treatments, but to now have data that indicates Botox® also improves one psyche, self-esteem and quality of life is very significant. The question now has to be asked is if getting Botox® makes people feel better about themselves, could this translate into them being more productive in their professional lives and happier in their personal lives?”
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