Botox and Depression | Botox Clinics Christchurch | Facevalue

By Philip Frost

17th of July, 2014

Botox as a Cure for Depression

What comes to your mind first when you think of the word ‘Botox’? Perhaps you think about what you’ve seen in the media: people like Kate Hudson who has recently spoken out about the benefits of its use. Maybe you think it’s simply a popular cosmetic procedure that women use to alter their appearance. Did you ever once consider how Botox could be used as a possible cure for depression?! How could the most popular cosmetic procedure worldwide be a potential cure for depression? Furthermore, why are more and more specialists turning to Botox as an option to help people with severe depression, people who haven’t responded well to traditional methods and approaches?

Scientific Truths

Recently, according to the Journal of Psychiatric Research, it was found that people with depression saw a 47 percent reduction in their symptoms six weeks after one Botox treatment. Researchers have stated that the procedure is exactly the same as the cosmetic treatment of frown lines: it’s simply one injection in the muscle located between the brows or near the eyes.

In a case study of 30 people, half were treated with Botox and the other with a saline based placebo. Much to the surprise of the scientists involved, the patients who received Botox reported an increased improvement of depression symptoms. This study indicated that positive effects on emotional well-being have been acknowledged in patients who received Botox. More importantly, patients with crippling depression, who have struggled with traditional methods of anti-depressants, showed a dramatic reduction in symptoms.

If You’re Happy and You Know It…

Perhaps we should take a look at depression in depth to try to understand how Botox can help ease its symptoms.

Depression is a complex condition that varies in severity from person to person. It can be triggered by many things but what I want to focus on is how depression affects your mental health in regards to confidence and self-esteem.

Depression and low self-esteem are very intimately intertwined. It’s a vicious circle: Low self-esteem leaves you vulnerable to depression and as a result, your depression destroys your self-esteem. When you’re depressed, your normal way of thinking becomes distorted. When you suffer from depression, it’s like your entire world shifts. You begin to feel insecure. You don’t like yourself anymore. Suddenly, your outlook on life is pessimistic and negative.

Clinical studies have proven that high self-esteem is associated with a positive belief system. If you have thoughts such as ‘I’m a good person’ or ‘I’m attractive’, your self-esteem is in good shape. However, people with depression have negative thoughts like ‘I’m worthless’ and ‘I’m ugly’. How can Botox help you with changing these deeply rooted self-esteem issues?

You’re Worth It, Baby

If you have low self-esteem there are many ways you can chip away at the layers of self-loathing. Why not engage in a daily activity that improves your self-esteem? Below, I’ve come up with some ideas on how to strengthen your self-esteem. With a few simple changes of lifestyle, you can set yourself on a journey towards a successful life. I encourage you try out these healthy living tips!

1. Be Positive.  Depression is a corrosive. When you’re feeling low, your judgement and thinking styles are altered. These negative thoughts are destructive and can make you susceptible to poor decision making and bad situations. Try to start your day with a positive thought. Have a look in the mirror and focus on all of your wonderful attributes. Ask yourself how you feel. If self-doubts and negative thoughts arise, address them directly. Ask yourself: Why do I feel this way? Does feeling this way about myself make me feel good? Try replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones. Focus on your strengths. Create meaningful self-statements. People with a healthy level of self-esteem are able to see the both the positives and negatives within themselves. They appreciate both sides and they do not judge themselves too harshly. They understand that having faults is a part of human nature. People with self-esteem take pride in their abilities and accomplishments.

2. Eat Healthy. Good health starts from within. If you’re putting garbage in your body, it’s going to affect your mood. People with depression tend to make bad choices when it comes to eating. They often binge on unhealthy, fatty snacks as these are the foods that stimulate endorphins that make us feel so good. But it’s an easy fix that often results in obesity. If you eat healthy food, you feel healthier. Feeling better on the inside will help to alter your moods. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine sums it up perfectly for me: 'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.' When you feed your body properly, you feed your mind and soul.

3. Take care. First, I think we need to talk about what ‘taking care means’. Taking good care of yourself means making time for you. Whether that means going on a long hike or a swim at the beach, you have to make special time for yourself. If you’re tight for time, schedule it into your diary. Even if it’s just a half an hour a day, this time alone, doing something you love will greatly alter your mood. I personally choose to do exercise with my ‘me-time’. I go for a run or a swim and I feel healthier which then makes me feel better about myself. When I look good, people notice me. And who doesn’t love a good compliment?!

Strengthening your self-esteem isn’t easy. But these three pointers can guide you in starting the process.

Botox, You Beauty!

A common worry about Botox is that people will have difficulty displaying all emotions on their faces. It’s a common misconception. When Botox is properly administered, your face doesn’t get frozen with a perma-smile! You end up looking more relaxed, less stressed and younger. Your frown lines disappear, making you look happier which can make you feel happier. These Botox injections paralyze the small, wrinkle-producing muscles around the eyes and forehead. The procedure makes the face look smoother, and in doing so, it can also smooth out our emotions, essentially.

Think of your face as reflecting your internal emotions. How you feel inside is displayed on the billboard of your face. But what if we were to turn the tables, so to speak?  Can we change our emotional state by altering our facial expression? Studies have shown that putting a smile on your face, even if it’s fake, improves your mood and reduces stress. But how?

Fake It Til You Make It

If you look back into the decades of research done on human psychology, you’ll discover a basic truth: mood is altered by facial expression. When you smile, even for a short period of time, your mood is elevated and your stress levels can be reduced. Even better is that the smile you’re shining doesn’t have to be based on any real emotion – faking it works just as effectively as if it was a genuine smile. I’m not recommending that being fake is the answer to your problems. But what I’m saying is that the relaxing effect of Botox on your tensed up muscles in your face could quite possibly help to alter your mood. Looking younger and more revitalised is going to cause a natural mood change in you. Consider this Buddhist quote:

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”

Botox can be a cost-effective tool in helping you alter your perception of yourself which in turn can help with any depressing emotions you may have. It’s simply mind over matter, with a dose of a little help.

The Science of Your Smile

With every smile, it’s like your brain is having a little dance party. Smiling stimulates the neural messaging in your brain and this will benefit your health.

Smiling is known to activate the release of neuropeptides that work toward fighting off stress. Neuropeptides are molecules that allow neurons to communicate and facilitate messaging to the whole body when we are in various emotive states such as happy, sad, depressed, excited or angry. Positive neurotransmitters like dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are all released when you flash a smile. So now you’re looking relaxed and feeling it too!

Botox: Miracle Cure?

Research is still being conducted on exactly how Botox works as a cure for depression. Could a lack of wrinkles and frown lines really result in a change of emotion? According to some scientists, the answer is a resounding yes!

At the end of the day, your frown is the physical manifestation of your negative emotional state. The muscles that contract between the eyebrows result in a negative signal back to your brain which uses this as a reference point for your emotional state.

Botox injections relax the muscles that send these negative signals to our brains. This lack of negativity alters your brain’s assessment of your emotional well-being. It’s worth a try!