I will remember this day for the rest of my life. I was about to turn 24 years old and I was looking at a photo my boyfriend and I just took. All I could notice were the crow’s feet on the sides of my eyes. I have never had them before and I feel like they just popped up overnight! It is the only thing I can notice on my face. I analyzed this one photo for hours because I am overly critical of myself, just like 98% of women are.
How can a 24 year old already be getting these fine lines already?
How much money on eye cream do I have to spend?
What weird exercises can I do to prevent more lines?
I should probably stop squinting and moisturize.
Should I get Botox?
I am not going to lie to you, I have always wanted Botox. I don’t want to look like the Real Housewives of LA, but I would like to add some dimension to my face that is not very noticeable to others. I am so intrigued that you can inject this gel-like stuff into your chin so you can have a more defined jawline, so that your lips can look bigger and more even, that you can make your nose look smaller, or that you can get rid of wrinkles. It may sound superficial of me, but SIGN ME UP!
Hold on…
Before I inject this unknown gel-like substance called “Botox” into my face and near my eyeballs, I want to know what Botox actually is!
Botox is made from a neurotoxin protein called Botulinum A Toxin. This toxin is derived from the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum, under certain conditions, may grow in foods producing toxins. When you eat toxic-containing foods (bad/old food), spores will form and the cell population increases causing you to get food poisoning, also called botulism.
Although this is the same toxin that causes botulism, Botox is only injected in small, targeted doses. So when Botox is injected into specific muscles, Botulinum A Toxin blocks signals from your nerves to your muscles. This prevents muscle contraction resulting in improved appearance of fine lines and wrinkles!
Our nerves release a chemical messenger called acetylcholine where the nerve endings and muscle cells meet. This chemical messenger attaches to receptors on the muscle cells and causes the muscle cells to contract or shorten.
The injection of Botulinum A prevents the release of acetylcholine, which stops muscle cells from contracting. Botulinum A reduces abnormal muscle contraction, allowing the muscles to become less stiff. Simply have a medical professional inject Botox in your so called “problem” areas and voilà, you have temporarily improved your facial features.
After extensive research and months of contemplating, I am refraining myself from getting Botox. We should all embrace our beauty and save money…it’s expensive to inject a toxin into your body!
Much love,
Alex
thebalanceddonut.com 