Imagine losing your bladder control, vision and muscle strength. Your breathing, swallowing and ability to say words and move your face all disappear. Those are just some of the negative effects of using Botox.
Mayo Clinic is the largest non-profit medical group practice in the world. They focus on researching diseases, hoping to turn research into earlier diagnoses and new cures for patients.
Mayo Clinic analyzed Botox, and their research shows that, “The medicine in Botox injections is made from the same toxin that causes a type of food poisoning called botulism.”
Botulinum toxin. That doesn’t sound like something you want in your face. These are just a few of the many reasons you should not get Botox solely to alter your appearance.
Let me start by noting that Botox offers many health benefits. Many people receive treatment to alleviate neck spasms, sweating, a lazy eye, an overactive bladder and to help prevent migraines.
I’m not here to say it’s a bad procedure for those who need it. I’m here to say it’s an unnecessary treatment for those who want to use it for cosmetics.
Using Botox for cosmetic purposes is saddening. Women as young as 18 years old are receiving a treatment that indefinitely changes the DNA makeup of their skin, specifically their face.
Bydrie is a beauty and product review website that conducted a study of nine long-term effects Botox has on your facial skin. The results are exactly what you’d expect.
“It trains your muscles to have less mobility, weakens those muscles, will permanently change your face, make your skin visibly thinner, might result in mild discoloration or texture, lasting effects even when you stop treatment,” according to Bydrie.
Kansas City resident Jade Altierri has been receiving the treatment for about five years, every four months. Altierri is aware of the loss of movement and sometimes has immediate side effects after treatment.
“It fills and plumps your skin up, and then I get a headache after,” Altierri said. “It definitely loses the movement, like lifting your eyebrows. The more you do it, the less movement you have. I only do it every 4 months, so I gain it back, but showing emotion at the beginning feels odd.”
The side effects and health defects are reasons enough not to get the treatment, but another important note is that you were made perfectly and intentionally.
Aging is a blessing. Aging gracefully and naturally is an extra blessing. It’s a gift to live to an older age, and there’s nothing more superficial than removing your naturally made lines.
Knowing the smile lines are from laughing fits with your best friends, the crows’ feet are from smiling so hard on your wedding day and the forehead lines are from making funny expressions with your grandchild, why would you want to remove these purposefully?
These signs of a joyful, meaningful life are purposeful. Over time, we’re supposed to accumulate these lines to show how time and relationships have shaped our lives and our skin. Please don’t change something that shows you were made with intention and beauty. You are perfect the way you are.
Lastly, the cost of Botox is unnecessary and outrageous. For something that removes your facial muscles and movements, and your aging beauty, it’s a discretionary cost.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. They conducted research from insurance companies and Botox customers to see what would be covered, versus out of pocket.
Bottom line? The cost is voluntary and steep.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Most health insurers cover treatments for migraines, urinary incontinence, or other medical conditions. Insurers don’t typically cover Botox injections for cosmetic purposes.”
When paying for Botox, there is no set rate because every customer needs a different service. You only pay for each unit, which targets and temporarily blocks the nerve signals and muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles. A younger woman might need 10-20 units to remove her forehead wrinkles, while a middle-aged woman might need 30-50 units.
In Kansas, the cost of a single unit ranges from $10-14. The minimum number of units required to remove smile lines, crow’s feet or forehead lines ranges between five and 10. With the maximum units required, 15 to 20, for only one area. This means you are spending a minimum of $60. This isn’t a one-time procedure; the muscles, nerves and lines come back after 3 months because that’s when they regain movement. A typical customer receives treatment four times a year, at the cheapest, minimum cost, you are spending $240 a year.
Does spending hundreds of dollars, putting toxins in your face and removing the beauty of aging sound like something you want to partake in? If you are really worried about your lines, try a retinol wrinkle repair cream. They are topical, better for your skin and won’t break the bank.
Please embrace your natural beauty, save money and maintain clean, healthy skin. “Fixing” your body won’t fix your body image. Your lines are proof of a well-lived life. You are beautiful, purposeful and made with intention. You are perfect just the way you are.
