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Dr. Rieder asked me to look surprised, and my eyebrows jumped into my hairline.
Anastasia Mihaylova/Stocksy
Its for a story about whether or not Botox can treat depression, I told her.
Oh, she replied.
Well, how do you feel?
Jamie Grill Atlas/Stocksy
I guess I feel OK?
I always feel happier after getting Botox.
The results disappointedsome experts.
Allergan was inspired enough to move forward with Phase III clinical trials, but postponed them in 2019.
If research has slowed, the notion that these injections can positively influence mood has nevertheless persisted.
A number of patient studies have since been published, though often their authors disclose relevant conflicts of interest.
For some of us, promising is all we need.
I have Major Depressive Disorder, diagnosed by a licensed clinical psychologist.
Ive taken a mezze dose of an SNRI (Effexor-brand venlafaxine) for the past eight years.
In flush times, Ive indulged in weekly talk therapy and biweekly acupuncture.
I have floated in asensory deprivation tank.
I have convection-cooked my body using infrared therapy on both coasts of the United States.
Even if these treatments didnt work, I told myself, they would give me anecdotes for days.
But depression doesnt work in this way.
Even the pills, which I am very grateful for, fail sometimes.
), and are therefore more likely to feel happy.
A few days after my first Botox injections, the neurotoxin calcified, rendering my forehead useless.
I didnt feel bad, but I didnt feel fantastic, either.
To strangers, I looked like I was either feeling happy or nothing at all.
There are many physical neurological connections between the brain and the skin, and theyre bidirectional.
I just dont think that people focused on it for a long time.
The term psychodermatology was coined as early as the 70s (in Dutch and French medical literature).
Atopic dermatitis is the most common bang out of eczema, afflicting about 30 million Americans.
Since 2019, scholarship on psycho-dermatologic topics, from alopecia to eczema, has more than doubled.
Despite all of this, there are still far fewer psychodermatologists than UFOlogists or chemtrail conspiracy theorists.
Wear tights when running.
Dont scratch your legs, even if they are begging to be scratched.)
They also want to be understood.
Could Botox improve my mood because it makes me more attractive?
(He believes most baseline self-esteem levels develop in early childhood through adolescence.)
It doesnt happen overnight, but with positive self- care, through healthy relationships, self-image can be improved.
But if treating your skin brings you joy, excellentthats one-fifth of the puzzle.
There is also room for weird stress-relief treatments.
For example, on my third visit, Dr. Rieder asks if I am open to beinghypnotized.
Hypnosis, according to Dr. Rieder, is a lost medical art: the arcane magic of suggestion.
It replaces negative stimuli with positive stimuli, embedded into a calming meditative practice.
She had been hypnotized to feel nothing.
Yes, I would be down to try this.
(Im told that Im a great candidate for this, too.)
With the doctors instruction, I roll my eyes back slowly while closing them.
He tells me I am floating.
He asks me to project my stresses and insecurities onto a blank screen, then to part with them.
Next I am supposed to come back to earth.
How did I look?
(That was my first and thus far last experience with Botox.)
Read more about neurotoxins like Botox:
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