Imagine your face paralyzed, unable to exhibit facial expressions such as happiness or even sadness because your brain cannot process simple, ordinary, everyday emotions. Would you book an appointment with a neurosurgeon or internist or would you simply stop making appointments for paralyzing cosmetic injections?

New information has been published describing that certain paralyzing injections (Botox®) not only presents an inability to fully express emotions but now new information details that these injections may impair the ability to fully feel emotions.

These findings are a result of Joshua Davis, a psychologist at Barnard College in New York and colleague Ann Senghas who led a team of researchers experimenting and tracking their subjects who were injected either with Botox or Restylane®. Restylane is a plumping filler that is injected under sagging skin. Restylane was chosen as part of the control because it doesn’t impede or limit muscle movement.

The study subjects were injected first with either Botox or Restylane then, shown emotionally charged videos and then injected again with the plumping fillers and paralyzing toxins. Bottom line – the Botox participants "exhibited an overall significant decrease in the strength of emotional experience." The Botox group reportedly responded less strongly to the videos after they had been injected. This paper was published in the June journal Emotion.

Cosmetic injections that paralyze facial muscles are manufactured by Allergan using an exceptionally powerful neurotoxin called Botulinum A. These injections have been approved to treat the glabellar lines, those vertical lines between the eyebrows; however, there are many off-label uses that physicians administer Botox for such as excessive sweating, lifting small breasts to keep them from sagging, migraine headaches and even downturned mouth corners are injected hoping the toxin will somehow turn that frown upside down.

Not too surprising that the brain cannot process the experience of emotion. The mind/body connection is very powerful and fooling with this mechanism that works so beautifully with substances that may have detrimental side effects after years of use probably upsets Mother Nature.

Using and choosing drugs for beauty purposes has a hollow ring. The results of the paralyzing injections are pretty obvious, especially when you watch high definition television. One daytime tv actress recently sported a new look – she had paralyzing injections in her forehead; she certainly could not frown but the most interesting aspect of her face was that her eyebrows were severely lower than usual. Her makeup artist could not hide this flaw.

A lax and loose forehead will wrinkle easily; yes, those pesky ‘elevens’ between the eyebrows are another dead giveaway that your forehead suffers from atrophy and even the upper eye lid is affected by the downward slide of the forehead muscle.

Do you believe that a paralyzing drug is the only answer to correct your sagging forehead? Are you convinced that a surgical brow lift will stop that large cascading muscle that keeps your eye brows in place?

Surgery and drugs should be the very last resort if you are concerned about sagging facial muscles.

Let’s face it – physicians and surgeons are usually well trained but they are not magicians. They have hits and misses just like a hair stylist. The doctor injecting the above referenced daytime tv star supposedly had only the best intentions and he probably rues his client’s disappointing results. Usually the effects of Botox that caused the drooping eyebrows will begin to wear off in 90 days so hopefully there will not be long lasting damage.

Using specialized facial exercises will keep your face younger looking without resorting to injections and surgical procedures. Just like exercise works for the body to tighten and tone the muscles, facial exercise that uses isometric contractions will immediately go to work to lift those sagging facial muscles up and back into the hairline.

Without any danger or disappointment or big dollars out of pocket you can change the shape and contour of your face using your age erasers – your thumbs and fingers. The movements are so easy and they’re learned in just seconds; once you understand the routine, you can systematically enhance every region of your face and neck in the privacy of your own home.

Facial injections may become a thing of the past when you learn that you can create results that will last indefinitely. Looking younger has never been easier and it’s done without anything harmful or risky. And, the best part is that your face can show and feel your emotions.