DIY Botox

Hello Internet,

Yesterday I was having a conversation with the good old 'rents about an article that was apparently on the television concerning so-called "Do-it-yourself Botox."

This is, according to Dad, a method by which you can personally inject your face with a syringe that can be ordered online and sent directly to your door.

What the hell has the world come to?! Women are actually injecting themselves in the face?! This is complete lunacy! I am so angry that these things have not been banned, it's completely disgusting!

(OK, end of rant, I will now resume my more subdued writing style...)

I have three significant objections to the concept of DIY Botox.

1) Older women are feeling increasingly pressurised to remain young. This implies that being old, having wrinkles and showing maturity is a bad thing. Beauty products offering the illusion of youth are worrying enough as it is, without the addition of Botox for home-use. Personally, I think older women can look stunning. As with younger women, there are those who are especially beautiful. I really think it's time people changed their perceptions so that there is no such thing as being "past-it." Humph.

2) This is extremely dangerous. Botox freezes your face, so imagine if you were to overdose on it! Syringes in general aren't the safest of things. I think injecting yourself with this stuff is as bad as injecting yourself with drugs. Your mind will be twisted in a similar way, and you will become completely self-obsessed and feel delusional about your wrinkles.

3) The wider availability of such treatments as Botox potentially opens up the market for other DIY products. What will it be next? The beauty industry is so destructive now. There was once a time where everyday beauty was about impeccable make-up and walking with good posture, which were more than achievable for your average girl-next-door. Today everyone wants to look like a Hollywood star, and Hollywood stars are generally skeletal, Botoxed creatures of doom. If Botox starts becoming a casual treatment, like having a manicure, then it becomes acceptable, and if it becomes acceptable it becomes increasingly difficult to challenge. That frightens me.

I hope I'm not the only one who finds the whole concept hideous!

J
xxx