Smoothing out wrinkles with Botox may ruin your relationship

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Smoothing out wrinkles with Botox may ruin a relationship, according to new research.

It can make it harder to recognize emotions, scientists have warned, as jabs in the forehead alter the way people's brains respond to faces making it more difficult to read expressions.

Botox works by paralyzing muscles. The finding has implications for couples.

Lead author Dr. Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, of the University of South Australia, said: "Normally, when we see expressions, we unconsciously mimic them to help us recognize them."

As our facial muscles copy the other person’s frown or smile, they send signals to brain areas like the amygdala and fusiform gyrus that interpret the emotions, he says.

Because Botox restricts muscle movement, it may disrupt communication between the face and the amygdala and fusiform gyrus.

Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos said: "You might not be able to experience someone else's emotions as intensely or vividly as you would like to."

The international team scanned the brains of 10 women aged 33 to 40 before they had injections of botulinum toxin or Botox, and again two to three weeks later.

Participants ended up being unable to frown or smile with their whole faces, reports New Scientist.

During fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) they looked at photos of angry and happy faces interspersed with neutral images.

After receiving Botox, volunteers had altered activity in a brain area called the amygdala when looking at angry and happy faces, and in the fusiform gyrus when looking at happy ones.

Botox is used to reduce the appearance of frown lines, forehead creases and crow’s feet near the eyes.

Around 900,000 Britons, mostly women, undergo the procedure each year - and almost 4.5 million in the U.S.

Botox was found to hinder the "facial feedback hypothesis," where people instinctively mirror facial expressions in an effort to identify and experience the same emotion.

The findings in Scientific Reports add to evidence that Botox affects a person's emotional and physical processing.

Although most commonly associated with cosmetic procedures, Botox's ability to prevent muscle movement has been used to treat migraines, neck spasms, sweating, overactive bladders, lazy eyes and other muscular conditions.

Previous research has shown that Botox injections may help lessen depression and help men conquer erectile dysfunction.

Nasty side effects can include weakness, vision or breathing problems, trouble speaking or swallowing and loss of bladder control.