It’s no longer just celebrities who get Botox. Is the stigma around getting it fading like frown lines? Sarah Lang ‘looks’ into it.
I never imagined I’d ever get Botox. But as my 30s abandoned me carelessly, I had the substance injected into my ‘crows’ feet’: the lines around my outer eyes.
I expected the small needle to hurt a little. But there was only a tiny sting, and the procedure took only around five minutes. You’re meant to see results four to six days afterwards, which I did. The effect can last between four to six months, which it did. There was a big difference in my before-and-after photos.
As a feminist, am I a traitor to the sisterhood for getting Botox?
Because that went well, I recently got Botox again in my crows’ feet (that word sounds witchy, so let’s call them ‘laugh lines’). I also got Botox in my forehead frown lines. And in my glabellar lines: the crevasses between and just above your eyebrows that come from frowning.
You can also get Botox in other areas: including lines above the lip, chin creases, droopy-mouth corners, ‘bunny’ lines (nose wrinkles), drooping eyebrow areas, and neck jowls – but I’m not going there yet, if ever.
How does Botox work? The tiny injections block signals from the nerves that make muscles contract. In other words, Botox temporarily stops the relevant muscles from moving, thus reducing wrinkles and fine lines. (It’s different from dermal fillers, which literally ‘fill’ in parts of the face including wrinkles and lips.)
So why did I, once a semi-hippy, get Botox? I confess I wrote recently about how women don’t always need to strive to look more attractive. But I’m a woman of contradictions – happy to wear trackpants one week, and another week wanting to look good for a family wedding.
Also, my seven-year-old niece had blithely told me about a conversation between my younger and older sister – about which of us three has the worst crows’ feet. It was me. I was surprised, but when I looked in the mirror and smiled widely, my crows’ feet were very pronounced. It made me very aware that my 30s had expired.
There’s also what’s called ‘The Zoom Effect’. Because many of us have worked from home (and some still do), we’ve been Zoomed in quite a lot. When I look in a mirror, I don’t tend to grin or grimace, but on Zoom calls, I can see my facial features and expressions as others do. (I’m actually so technologically incompetent that I sometimes end up looking at only my own face for the entire call.)
“The Zoom effect is real, and has definitely been a catalyst for increased interest in cosmetic dermatology treatments,” said Amy Shecter, CEO of international cosmetic dermatology start-up Ever/Body, in an ABC News article. More women in their 20s and 30s – not just those 40-plus – are getting Botox, she said.
We’re not saying if that’s a bad thing, or a good thing, just that it’s a thing.
Botox was long considered the domain of so-called appearance-obsessed celebrities, who often get asked if they get cosmetic treatments. Who’s ‘admitted’ to having Botox? For starters, Julia Roberts, Kim Kardashian, Jenny McCarthy, Olivia Colman (The Crown), Robin Wright (House of Cards).
Still, I feel a bit embarrassed about getting it – and even about writing this – because it seems like it’s a ‘ladies who lunch’ thing.
Globally, it’s estimated that Botox sales will continue to climb, to about US$4.6 billion (NZ $3 billion) by 2024. Around 1.5 million injections are administered per year in the U.S. And even in New Zealand, Botox has become a bit more mainstream.
Still, I feel a bit embarrassed about getting it – and even about writing this – because it seems like it’s a ‘ladies who lunch’ thing. Friends and family members I told seemed surprised. Someone called it “a bit bourgeois”. Someone said “I’ve never thought of you as a vain person”. Someone warned me not to go too far, because “your face starts looking weird and frozen, right? And is it safe?”
Yes, I did my research first. A high-quality published paper, ‘The whole truth about botulinum toxin – a review,’ says “the cosmetic use of Botox is safe even in cases of repeated injections”.
As for taking it too far, there are certainly cautionary tales out there, like actress Courteney Cox (though she got fillers too). However, you’re unlikely to overdo Botox if you have good sense, good vision, a good mirror, and good before-and-after photos. It’s not beneficial to your cosmetologist (yep, that’s an actual word) to overdo it, or else you’d stop coming. Your cosmetologist (many offer free initial consultations) will explain any potential or rare side effects or risks.
Could Botox trigger any permanent changes in facial expressions if used over a long period? Possibly, but not for quite a few years, if at all. However, I’m definitely not an expert, and there’s conflicting information out there, so do your own research first.
Botox is actually the brand name for the most common anti-wrinkle injectable substance. However, the term is usually used for any treatment of its kind (a bit like Hoover became shorthand for a vacuum). The scientific name for Botox is onabotulinumtoxinA (no wonder that got shortened). It’s technically a toxin, but safe in small amounts. And, as a vegetarian, I checked it doesn’t include animal products.
As a feminist, am I a traitor to the sisterhood for getting Botox? Maybe. But many of us spend quite a bit of time and money on looking good in other ways: for starters, hairdresser appointments, skincare products, going to the gym.
A few women have ‘admitted’ to me that they’ve had Botox too, but that they don’t bring it up in case they seem vain, or anti-feminist, or look like they’re bragging about their disposable income. Yes, I’m privileged to afford Botox, which, should I get all three areas done, will cost $400 every six months. (It comes off my clothing allowance.)
Are men getting Botox? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 265,000 botox treatments were administered to American men in 2020. Yes, Kiwi men are probably less ‘appearance focused’ than their U.S counterparts. But, as Nelson Appearance Medicine says on its website, “More men are using Botox (and dermal fillers!) and the industry lovingly refers to this as ‘Brotox’.” Gotta love the term.
There’s definitely a stigma about ‘Brotox’, even as male grooming products and kits have become a thing. My male friend, who has massively-indented ‘glabella’ lines, would never get Botox – partly because he doesn’t care if he looks his age or older, partly because it’s a ‘woman thing’, and partly because he’d rather spend that money on a holiday. Fair.
Past president of the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine Dr Teresa Cattin has said Brotox patients are mainly businessmen unhappy with lines that make them look “irritable”. “The way people respond to us, especially in a position of authority, is very much influenced by what we look like.”
Does that mean I can claim Botox as a business expense for this story? Hmmm, IRD probably wouldn’t be impressed – and btw this article isn’t an ad. It’s just where I’m at, line-wise – and I’m happy with the results. But I definitely don’t regret the fun I had forming my ‘laugh lines’.
