Ho ho faux! Apparently, ’tis the season to be Botoxed. According to Dr Gabrielle Caswell from the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia (CPSA), a significant number of her colleagues say 25 per cent of all anti-wrinkle treatments are performed in November and December as we look to give ourselves a little lift for Christmas.
It’s not that surprising, really. Who doesn’t think ‘another year over, another year older’ or feel a little pressure to pass muster at that annual get together (or is it an annual inspection?). But what is intriguing is how some women feel about others getting a little help from the doctor…
Bh member Sarahjane first raised the big question about Botox in the forum a few weeks ago: do we love it or hate it? Sarahjane said she’s had one shot and is all set for her second, but has been getting “a lot of flak from some women about it”. While other Bh members were supportive in response, Sarahjane’s offline experience isn’t unique. For every girl who says ‘to each her own’, there’s another who’ll rail against ‘pure vanity’: “Why would you put a toxin into your body just to freeze a few wrinkles?” screeched one of my most otherwise open-minded friends when I broached Botox over breakfast.
Such reactions to cosmetic nips, tucks, plumps and boosts aren’t just about being needle/knife-shy. Women can be our own harshest critics. How many times have we seen a celebrity’s botched ‘trout pout’ ridiculed in a girls’ gossip mag as though it’s the price, or even the punishment, of vanity?
The thing that intrigues me most about the vanity case is where the line lies. The blur seems to be between having ‘work done’ to correct a deep-seated confidence issue or in the shallow pursuit of perfection. But who gets to decide when a new nose is necessary? And is taking it more than skin deep really any more vain than wearing a Wonderbra, camouflaging our complexions with make-up, being a bottle blonde or investing in anti-wrinkle creams, lotions and potions in the hope of looking younger? And if it’s about invasiveness, what of tattoos and permanent eyeliner?
These are the questions more of us will be asking ourselves from Christmas to Christmas. Noting that procedures like Botox are becoming more accessible and affordable, Dr Caswell says: “With people becoming more aware of the treatments available and the effectiveness of these treatments, the CPSA expects to see these figures [of people having party season procedures] increase year after year”.
What are your thoughts on purely cosmetic procedures? Is Botox any more deeply superficial than ‘faux-tox’?
