Word: botox
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This spring in the famously youth-obsessed TV business, Botox is out and wrinkles are in. The reason: during last November's sweeps, the networks' triannual efforts to impress advertisers--a Carol Burnett reunion on CBS surprised everyone (not least of all CBS) by drawing 30 million people to watch a reel of bloopers. Now, virtually every TV icon with an AARP card and a pulse has been pressed into service...
...this a problem? Not enough to discourage Botox enthusiasts. In Hollywood, however, the treatments are so popular that some directors complain that their leading actors can no longer convincingly perform a full range of facial expressions. The good news is that even if there's a little accident, Botox wears off after a while (which also means you have to go back every six months, at up to $500 per treatment). Slipups are pretty rare, however, as long as you go to someone who knows what he or she is doing...
That includes knowing when Botox won't be useful at all. Muscles cause some wrinkles, but many result simply from the loss of elasticity that goes naturally with aging (or, less naturally, with smoking and sun exposure), causing the skin to sag and crumple. There are treatments for this sort of wrinkle, but Botox isn't one of them, says Dr. David L. Feldman, director of plastic surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. "I had a patient recently who came in asking for Botox," he says. "It would have done no good at all. In fact, she might...
...Botox isn't a cure-all, and it has some pretty odd side effects. But if you don't mind getting shot up with poison and you don't mind paralyzing parts of your face--well, you've got plenty of company...
...Botox questions? E-mail Michael at michaellemonick@aol.com