Once upon a time, a beauty product became a whole lot more… and not in a good way.
We often hear how people seem to care less about others, are less empathetic, how things were better “back then,” how impersonal people are today. We know of people who move to small towns because the people are nicer than in the big cities. But then I came across a little tidbit in my magazine. A popular beauty product could be contributing to this?? “Botox not only dampens your ability to show emotion, but can also keep you from reading others’ faces, new research shows. Part of how we interpret feelings is by the mimicking of expressions, which the injections inhibit.” (Good Housekeeping, Aug. 2011). I knew that people who receive Botox injections often have “frozen” faces and lack the ability to properly emote to others, but that they then cannot read the emotions of others was surprising.
Being the researcher-type that I am, of course I had to do a little digging around. It wasn’t that difficult. I came across an article entitled “Botox Kills Empathy” (Forbes, online, 6/22/11). Author Carol Kinsey Goman reviews the original research article out of USC and Duke University. She sums up the research in this way: “Because Botox injections freeze the muscles of the face, they also inhibit our ability to mimic the facial expressions of others. And without this automatic mimicry, we greatly reduce our ability to recreate the observed emotion within ourselves — which is the basis of our capacity to emotionally connect and to empathize with one another.” She then goes on to state that as a coach, she asks herself if her client is “too perfect to empathize.” Coming from an autism background, that we are creating generations of people who cannot properly emote and cannot correctly read the emotions of others, is disturbing to me. We work hard at teaching individuals with autism to look for facial expressions of others, knowing that facial recognition is lacking in many people with autism. I wonder how this may effect that line of therapy as Botox is becoming more common place. Heck, it even showed up on one of my TV shows last night.
If you like watching train wrecks, record an episode of “Dance Moms.” Wow. Just wow. I was watching last night and one of the moms turned 40… so they went to get Botox injections. First of all, I didn’t think she needed it. Second, watching them actually do the injections pretty much solidified that I will NEVER, EVER do this to myself. Have I mentioned that needles terrify me?
I will agree that Botox is great for migraines, hyperhydrosis, and other medical conditions. For me, I choose not to ever inject botulinum toxin into my body, especially to get rid of a wrinkle or two. There are many reasons for why I choose this route. That does not, however, mean I’m going to gracefully accept every wrinkle that marches across my face. I have a different weapon… one that research shows provides similar results without paralyzing the nerves in my face and making me lose some of my subtle facial expressions. I joined Rodan + Fields Dermatologists prior to the release of the AMP MD System and was thrilled when it launched right around the time I noticed my first wrinkle. The research results were outstanding and we’ve had some great reviews. I saw this posted today by one of my business partners, and though it fitting that I saw it the same day I saw the little blurb about Botox and then witnessed an actual session, so I wanted to share it with all of you.
In the September issue of “In Style” Magazine, they ask: “Does it really work?” Our clients tell us the AMP MD “works better than Botox” and the expert dermatologist in the article agrees, “it gets the ingredients beneath the surface” where they do the most good! Originally designed for burn victims to help repair and build the skin up, the micro-needle roller causes you to produce your own collagen. Tighten and refinish the skin (including acne scarring and stretch marks) and diminish wrinkles all from home using proven medical technologies. I’m terrified of needles, but this is nothing. I know what you’re thinking and I felt the same way. Roll needles on my face? You’re nuts! Right?? Wrong. It doesn’t hurt at all, but it does feel a bit strange at first. Try the AMP MD risk-free with our Anti-Age Special and get 10% off, free shipping, 60 day results guarantee, and help support the Susan G. Komen foundation for Breast Cancer (more coming in the next post). It’s the perfect post-summer Rx for your skin!
What do you think about Botox? Is it on your wish list? What do you think about society becoming “colder” than it used to be? Could something like Botox be contributing to it?