Botox and Actresses : Where are the Expressions?

When it comes to Hollywood, it is increasingly a rarity to find an actress (or nowadays an actor) who hasn’t had some sort of procedure, process or plastic surgery to alter their looks or freeze time and prevent the signs of aging.

In fact, actresses are going under the Botox needle earlier and earlier since actresses are perceived to have such a  short “shelf life” in Hollywood. A sad fact, but these are the ridiculous pressures and double standards that these young women have to live up to. I’m sure it’s gotta be extremely depressing to live in such a an oppressive mini-society.

Botox, as you well know by now, is a botulism toxin that is inserted just below the skin, no deeper than the surface muscles, to help freeze muscle control and expressions to a degree so that you do not emote and show – God forbid – wrinkles. These wrinkles include crows feet (my favorite), laugh lines, forehead creases and more.

These wrinkles though, are signs that you have lived, loved and laughed, and they are also visual cues to show others how you are feeling. As Julia Roberts has said in her effort not to get Botox as she ages – she wants her kids to know when she’s happy or pissed!

What I have been noticing, both in television and movies, is that it seems an increasing amount of actresses are showing signs of frozen face. They cannot properly emote on screen due to Botox, and therefore, their acting takes a hit – it looks disingenuous and actually can really impact how their acting skills are perceived.

Actresses who want to be taken seriously should really lay off the Botox. Look at what happened to Nicole Kidman’s career after she started getting too much surgery and Botox – she’s no longer respected as the raw actress she used to be.

Of course there are others as well, but sometimes you can’t put your finger on it, they just don’t look like they are expressing themselves properly.  Remember, Botox comes with a price – you may not be able to express your personality as much!  But then again, you’ll be staving off those bothersome wrinkles.  I guess if you’re not an actress, it’s less of an issue ?

Young Women Getting Surgery/Botox Prematurely?

There was a great article that I recently read about how the age for “youth enhancing” types of procedures, surgery and things like Botox and peels is being pushed lower and lower. The incredible pressure that we feel as women to maintain a youthful, fresh appearance often weighs so heavily. 

I’ve found myself looking at my ever increasing wrinkles in the mirror, which I’ve largely been able to help reverse or at least keep at a standstill for a couple years by using the best anti aging and wrinkle products.  I often think about what they would look like if I had some radical procedure (NEVER would I get a facelift – EVER).

But of course my mind has gone the way of Botox. I’m still really leery of Botox though. I know that thousands of women and men get Botox every year without incident, and no side effects, it’s just that the long term safety of it is what scares me. I do think it’s a great way to freeze wrinkles where they are, but I have serious questions about the safety of injecting a toxin underneath the skin.

A toxin is a toxin.  Period.  And what kinds of other things are in the shot? No doubt preservatives and other delivery type of chemicals.  I just don’t know what all is being injected. Plus there have been studies that Botulism may migrate to the brain and stay there. What are the long term effects of getting this done a couple times a year, built up over the years?

We really don’t know yet. And Botox isn’t something that you just get done once and then you’re done. You don’t maintain your results if you don’t keep getting the injections 2-4 times per year.

The age for women who are getting Botox often now is starting in the twenties!  This is when your skin still looks its best naturally!  Yet some doctors are recommending it this young so that you can have a sort of “preventive” measure against wrinkles. 

In Hollywood, take the pressure that us normal women feel to look young and beautiful and multiply it by a hundred. Women in the entertainment industry are incredibly pressured to look young forever.  It’s unfair, but the media really crucifies women when they start to look old.

Fox News does a segment that’s particularly cruel where they compare two stars of the same age.  Obviously, one looks older and one looks younger. It’s this type of constant comparing that women need to get away from, and yet we’re faced with it, both self imposed and outside-imposed every day!

Glycolic Acid Peels and UV Damage

I love to do the occasional chemical peel on my face. I prefer more natural acids, like fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxies, but those can sometimes aggravate my skin since it is oily, so I will often opt for a lactic acid peel or glycolic acid peel. Lactic acid is a gentle acid peel that is excellent for those with acne or oily skin.  Speaking of acne and oily skin, here is an all natural acne soap you may want to check out.

It’s not as harsh as glycolic, and it doesn’t go as deep below the surface skin cells like glycolic does, so you can definitely not feel the same burning sensation, although you will feel a bit of that tingle that’s signature of the acid peel.

Glycolic acid is a pretty serious peel, and if you are administering it to yourself, you should definitely take precautions and make sure you are not too sensitive that you will have a reaction to it. I would recommend some sort of small patch test before you go ahead and slather this one allover your precious face.

Glycolic acid is superior for aging skin, because rather that physically exfoliating the excess dead skin cells on the outer layer of your facial skin, it actually dissolved them, and then moves on ot the next several layers of the skin and works on those as well. This is why the burning sensation occurs.

You should never leave a higher concentration glycolic peel on your face for more than three minutes. To do so, you are risking over doing it, and actually irritating the skin so bad that you could end up with some swelling and even scabbing. However, glycolic peels are excellent for really rejuvenating the skin and getting the collagen production ramped back up, so I’d recommend them every once in a while if you have aging skin.

Lactic acid and other more gentle fruit based acids may be better for those that are younger and are more or less trying to make their skin look fresher or help keep acne at bay. They are also good for softening acne scarring and helping to smooth out the complexion and make it appear more even toned and colored.

Glycolic is great when mixed with lactic acid. One of my favorite acid peels is the Glycolac (the lac standing for lactic). It is a mix between these two very powerful acid peels, and although my skin may look like hell right after I use it, it looks fabulous in about one to two days.

One Minute Facelift by Former Model Jane Hitchcock

I received this information and thought it very interesting, about a former model (gorgeous at that), who has come out with a new ebook called the one minute facelift. The model’s name is Jane Hitchcock. I’ve put a recent photo of her below, you can see she still looks radiant, lifted and youthful, and she claims she has not had any surgery but instead has relied on a natural method of keeping her face young looking.  Facial exercises can be quite effective as an anti aging weapon.

Super Model  Jane Hitchcock at 57 Unveils Her E-Book…

Super Model Jane Hitchcock One Minute Facelift

‘The One Minute Facelift’  A remarkable program teaching how she maintains her face’s youthful contours.

READ ABOUT AND BUY ‘ The One Minute Facelift’ e-Book here http://www.janehitchcock.com/products/

Jane has not tried fillers, plumpers or Botox. ”I’m happy with the results I’m getting keeping it natural, exercising your face is as effective as exercising your body”.

Being concerned that things can go wrong with surgery  and the long-term health effects of injecting chemicals, Jane has chosen another route. She claims “Other benefits to facial exercising are increased blood flow, cell detoxification and rejuvenated skin”.

A World of Experience in Looking Good

PR Jane_Hitchcock_1970_Feb_Vogue_ItalyPR L Officiele copybazaar 1970

Jane has worked and lived in capitals like New York, LA, London, Paris, Rome and Milan being photographed by world renowned photographers such as Steven
Meisel, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, David Bailey, Barry Lategan, Bert Stern, Neal Barr, Sarah Moon, Irving Penn and Hiro.

Walking the runway for Calvin Klein, Jean Muir and Jasper Conran and appearing on multiple magazine covers, I think she may know a thing or two about aging gracefully. I have tried some facial exercises myself, and have found that they work well for me personally. I’ve gotten away from them a bit, but now I think this has inspired me to get back on the wagon and start working my facial muscles again.

I refuse to undergo surgery, get Botox, or alter my face in any way. But if there is a natural way I can lift my face and keep it youthful looking, you’d better bet I’ll try it!