O.K. now they're saying that Botox goes to the brain! LORDY! The botox bunch may have to wake up and smell the coffee.
I think they'll still use it though don't you???

Yes, I do think they will still use it.

I believe it has something to do with children with a specific disease getting massive doses of Botox. We would have heard something long before this since people have been using it cosmetically for many years now.

Well...............I gotta say...........If I had the $$ right now...........I'd probably use it!

A nurse friend loves this stuff. She has me intrigued. She looks FABulous.

Ah, well... it's true. I'm not going to age gracefully... at least, not yet.

I've got a terrible frown line (squinting from the sun) on my brow that makes me look angry. I'd botox it myself if I could, since I'm sort of handy with delicate things. I'm too cheap to pay for it, since it's temporary. But......I'd be a little bit nervous about it. Recently, I've heard about it migrating and paralyzing other parts than it should. Or is that an urban legend?

I believe so. I've had a few hundred dollars worth of Botox at a time across my forehead, and it never migrated.

Why's everybody so down on it?

FTR, I don't think everybody is or it wouldn't be popular. Speaking for myself, I would not use it because the thought of putting foreign matter such as botulism into my body in any form does not appeal. When I watch TV and see announcers or actors, botox lips are so cookie-cutter evident that the initial impression is--Oh, that person's had botox!--and for me the person's face, personality, role or what they are saying or doing is upstaged by the botox.

I'm not sure if it's Botox or something else that causes that "frozen face" syndrome. For a good example, watch Demi Moore in "Half Light." Her face simply doesn't change expression throughout the entire movie. She has to use her body and her voice to convey all emotion. As I say, I have no idea if Botox causes this or if it's something else. But it's weird and off-putting to watch someone shouting and crying while their face is completely immobile.

Someone, I think it was Red?, said that the forehead injections cut down on tension induced headaches. This information alone has me making information seeking appointments with local aesthecians.
Makes complete sense that Botox would cut these at the source.
I wish there was a way to inject touch points on my upper back too. The pain can make me pound walls.
And I am far too impatient for bio feedback, though I know this would likely be successful.

Just thought that I'd add that it can migrate - my mother had botox a while a go, just forehead and eyes and it was done by a reputable doctor.

For some reason it travelled down one side of her face and to her upper lip, which frightened the life out of my step-father who took me aside at Christmas to ask me if I thought that she'd had a stroke or Bell's palsy - got us all very worried until she 'fessed up!

I'm not sure where I stand on it - I'm all for fighting back, but am also very cautious about doing anything even mildly invasive when it is not essential - especially after mum's experience.

I have what is called recurrent Bell's Palsy. The last time Bell's Palsy hit me hard it left the left side of my face with residual paralysis.
My neurologist has suggested treatments with Botox, but he does feel I wouldn't be comfortable with the process because I freak out over the numbness in my face which is already there.

I hate that "numb" feeling and the fact that I can't get the left side of my face to work as the right side does...but I think the doc is right, and that I would be a wreck if I were treated with the Botox.
I get "flare-ups" when I have fever blisters and when I'm really stressed and the paralysis gets a little worse or I feel cold and numb on that side of my face.
Despite the fact that I can't move that side that much...I still have some lines and creases there. Go figure.

I can't imagine electing to purposely paralyze a part of my face...for the sake of vanity.
Ain't gonna happen.
I might consider it if I could get a guarantee that it would help me to move my lips on the affected side of my face...or not have the permanent "lift" over there (it used to droop -- now it looks like that side is "lifted" and the good side droops -- again, go figure!)...but ONLY if there was a guarantee.

I can't fathom just injecting it into me for the sake of not having lines and wrinkles. I actually love the lines I do have...'cause it means that at least some of my face is still working.
Waking up each morning...I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I feel that dead-ish feeling on that side of my face -- and I've been like this for almost fourteen years.
I won't even look in the mirror until I've had my first cup of coffee and I've done some facial exercises.

Yeah, it baffles me that people would want to paralyze parts of their faces...


But...tha's jes me.

Catie, I'm very sorry to hear that - I hope you didn't think that my post was insensitive.

I think they do use Botox for neck and shoulder muscles.

Here's the article -- the findings are a little murky, and contradict previous findings, so the jury is still out. But the allegation is that Botox migrates to the brain, not just to other parts of the face. A paralyzing chemical that gets into the central nervous system is a legitimate cause for concern, I would think.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home

Oh it's GREAT if they do it right. I had the glabella done. The frown marks. I had a permanent mad look. To tell you the truth even if I never had botox again it kind of retrained my muscles not to do that automatically. The muscles relearned. I'd go get it right now if I had the extra $$.

Even if you have a "reputable" person who gives it all the time do it.............one little milimeter in the wrong direction can have an affect. I had one eye at half mast for awhile. They can give you an injection over your brow to kind of lift it. I loved it.

Catie (((((HUGS))))
I can relate to everything you said , waking up with dread. I had had mild strange symptoms the previous day , but the full paralysis was only discovered upon waking, imagine ifyou will, being awoken by a neighbour at your door , and said neighbour exclaiming "hey! how come you look like Chretien?". Though I have only had one bout , I never fully recovered mobility to my left side and the paralysis is more emphasized when I am tired, stressed or very ill. If I had a penny for every suggestion of botox that has come my way , I would be retired and living in Bora Bora ! The very notion of putting that in me sends shivers down my spine ( BO -botulism , and tox = TOX !!! yikes).

Oh, no, Leontion!!! Definitely not!
In fact, I'm glad you posted about that because I've been curious as to whether or not it's true about it traveling.
I'm just sorry your mother had that happen. It must have been frightening!

I'm not going to judge what others do to stave off the ravages of time...but that doesn't mean I understand why they do it...or even think it looks better.
I'd probably have a fit if my mother or a close family member ever told me she/he was considering having the injections...for fear of some negative reaction, and I'd probably try to talk her/him out of it, I must admit -- but what other folks decide to pump into their faces and bodies, well, that's their business.
And if they're happy with the results...that's what matters, I suppose.
It's when something really bad happens because of all the vanity injections and/or surgeries and they start racing to get lawyers...I get a bit disgusted.

My hairdresser had this done and he looked like he had a stroke because it affected the drooping of his eye. It not only depends on the skill of the surgeon but your particular anatomy. That's why I'm afraid to do it. Besidees, it doesn't fill in the lines, so I don't see the point. I'd rather have filler.

Oh, I missed your post, Mrs. Veneering. ((((((HUGS)))))) to you, too.
Yep, I hear ya, dear.
I live with fear that I'll awaken one morning and my face will be all fallen, again. Especially after I've had a bad day...
The first time I had B's P it was after I had my son and I had spent two months very ill and had MANY cold sores. Fortunately...it went away after two weeks that time.
The second time I had it so bad...was after major surgery which left me quite ill and with a mouth full of canker sores and lips weighed down with fever blisters (cold sores -- BTW, it's now thought by many experts that the herpes virus - cold sores - can cause B's P)...and that was when I also lost hearing in my left ear and developed terrible neuralgia as well. It took about eight months before I could even twitch my lips on that side, and for that I guess I'm lucky.
It was funny how people tip-toed around me and how I looked. Why, my aunt even gave me a HUGE set of Estee Lauder makeup...because she said I needed to start "fixing my face, again". *rolling eyes*
It wasn't until a dear and frank British friend came to visit me and told me I looked like "rolled o'er sh1te" that I could begin to laugh about it a bit. LOL

Oh good, pleased to hear it. ((((HUGS)))) to both you and Mrs Veneering.

I very much agree with your perspective, I was horrified when I found out what mum had done.

I won't recount the story of my step-mother's facelift here, but between the pair of them they've made me extremely wary of doing anything like this to myself.

Gotta hand to those Brits , they say just the right thing:)
I was engaged to my Brit at the time it happened and he dubbed me his beloved wonky face , that man had me laughing at a time when all others acted very strange , I had one friend who could not bear to see me in that state ( talk about drama , she carried on as though the loss of my cocky eybrow usage was the very end of me ).

I subscribe to a blog and coincidentally, there was a link in this morning's post in regards to Botox and their newest tagline - *Freedom of Expression* Not a heavy duty read, they're just poking some fun at the tagline.

Here's the link:

http://www.heybeus.com/2008/04/03/the-triu...-of-expression/