Disappointed with Self Magazine

I am a huge fan of fitness magazines and subscribe to several. Even though the topics are often recycled and the same exercises are used over and over, every once in a while there will be a good story.

This month, Self Magazine has disappointed me. They feature an article that is several pages long giving all of the favorable details about cosmetic procedures. "Your Guide to Cutting-Edge Skin Treatments" gives the cost, down time and benefits of Botox, fillers, cortisone shots and peels, among other treatments.

While I realize that many people may be interested in reading about these procedures, I find it disappointing that a magazine that claims to be all about making women look and feel better through exercise and healthier eating would feature an article that says "If you begin using Botox or other freezers as soon as you notice subtle expression lines and continue as you age, you can absolutely prevent certain wrinkles from forming," says Dennis Gross, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York City.
"Even in your 30s, you usually end up with 100 percent smoothing," says Patricia Wexler, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Oh, lucky me, even when I'm as old as my 30s, I can get results. Um, do they prefer people to get this done in their teens or early 20s? Should we all be doing this as prevention? It sure sounds that way. By the way, did you see you must continue these procedures as maintenance once you start them?

I'm 29 years old and I have very fine smile lines around my eyes. Am I old? I don't think so. But I do think that these subtle expression lines are what creates and enhances facial expression. I pride myself on being able to tell whether a smile is fake or genuine based on whether it travels to the eyes. I've noticed that when some celebrities smile, it never looks genuine because their face shows little expression from Botox, fillers and other procedures.

Sure, we all want to look good as we age, but do we want to be seen as fake because no one can ever read our emotions? I think it changes the way we "read" each other and communicate. If nonverbal language accounts for 70-90% of our communication, aren't we harming our relationships with others by taking some of the nonverbal communication out?

I can see both sides of the coin on this issue, but I guess the most disturbing part of the article was that it was surrounded by advertisements. I'm guessing the staff at the magazine wasn't just doing the readers a favor by writing about the procedures to satisfy curious minds. Given the overly favorable nature of the article and the extensive advertisements, I'm sure there was a LOT of money involved.

It makes me sad that we are constantly bombarded with things to make us feel worse about ourselves, followed by the products and procedures that promise to fix it all fast and easy...for a price. I know too many girls and women with low self-esteem and confidence that they are affected by these things that try to make them feel worse.

I encourage you to give at least one random compliment to a woman today. It can be a friend, family member or complete stranger but just maybe we can counteract the negativity from the media just a little bit, without Botox. It's sure worth a try!

If you want to read the full article, here's the link:
http://www.self.com/beauty/2011/04/skin-treatments-guide?currentPage=1