Should you start having Botox?

It’s no surprise that women have low self confidence when it comes to looks. We constantly surrounded by perfect images jumping at us from magazines and billboards. These picture perfect bodies and faces look at us every day, photoshopped so much, that it would be probably difficult to recognise the original.

Despite great campaigns such as Dove’s self- esteem, there is still a lot of pressure  on women to look good or shall I say “picture perfect”.

I’d like to think about myself as a person who is open minded, forward thinking and tolerant. Despite growing up surrounded by the entertainment industry and as a teenager running from school to fashion shows, I still was rather shocked when in the March issue of Bazaar, I read an article titled “The end of the face lift?” I was expecting an article about some innovative skincare, certainly not a guide telling me when to start having Botox and laser treatments! I do want to look good though, don’t get me wrong. It was almost as if they see Botox and intensive pulse light  treatment as one of your five a day.

I was shocked to see this sort of advice, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I found myself thinking “this is absurd”. I’m in my thirties and I don’t have a single line! You can’t just say to start having Botox at a pre-decided time. We hear all the time about woman who overuse it or have it done when they really don’t need it.

I tried to look at it a different way, through someone else’s eyes while they are reading the article, “maybe my perception is wrong and I actually could do with some Botox, maybe I just don’t see that I need it when actually I do…Noooooo! This is just going too far”, I thought to myself. This is my point, it’s so easy to influence people. Probably even easier if they don’t feel confident or happy about themselves.

I started writing this blog, because I wanted to offer the other side of the spectrum. There are lots of other alternatives and although we get these Botox recommendations in everything we read, it doesn’t mean that it’s right or we have to do it. I’d rather have a fruit smoothy, a good laugh with my best friend on a relaxing SPA trip and try to keep my skin smooth from lines by moisturising daily.

We women already carry out a constant battle with our minds, trying to convince ourselves that ageing is actually a natural process and people do have pores on they skin. We know that most pictures we look at are photoshopped, nevertheless, we still try to look just like the picture on the cover of a magazine. Smooth, with beautifully blow dried hair, sparkling white teeth, a perfectly shaped toned body and of course, a perfectly happy life too.

Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that some people need these things and it does change their life for the better. I have friends who have had Botox or laser treatment and it has been great for some. I’m just saying that society shouldn’t influence woman to start trying to find faults in their own bodies, faces or skin. Faults that don’t really exist. Do I sound here like some old conservative weirdo? Perhaps I just found Bazaar’s guide of when to get anti ageing treatments done, a bit too much. Botox? Who knows maybe in 10 years time I’ll consider it, but for now no thank you! What do you think about it ladies?

Here is a video, which I found on YouTube relevant to the subject. I think it’s worth having a look at.