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Botox helps depression?
A surprising benefit to a frozen face
A recent article in National Geographic covered an exciting link between Botox and mental health. Typically, people get botulinum toxin A injections as a cosmetic procedure to temporarily paralyze facial muscles, erasing deep frown lines in the forehead. But there’s more. Scientists say that Botox provides a benefit for patients with mental health disorders.
Researchers discovered that 53% of people with depression experienced a significant improvement in their mental health when they received Botox injections in the frown muscles between their eyebrows. A friend of mine not-so-lovingly refers to hers as “the coin slot,” and I chose the image above to highlight the glabellar muscles in the forehead.
A study in Brain and Behavior found that after twelve weeks, Botox is comparable in action to Sertraline, an SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant. Mood improvements started earlier with Botox, with fewer side effects than medication.
Our facial expressions are feedback to the brain. If we’re always scowling, the brain assumes we’re in a bad mood, and keeps a black cloud covering our day, like Eeyore from Winnie The Pooh. You always feel sad when you see him. Same with anxiety and depression. Botox breaks the connection between muscle memory (frowning) and the…
