Baby Botox Instead of Face Yoga: A Gamble?

I was finishing up teaching a yin yoga class the other night ( candles! chimes! bliss!) when a pretty young woman came up to thank me. We started chatting about all kinds of topics: her move to New York City from the midwest to attend college, her decision to stay in NYC to build a business, and the excitement, fashion, and passion of being a young entrepeneur in New York City: Sex in the CIty 3.0? I told her I could relate, as I became an unlikely entrepeneur when I first created face yoga and it had instantly gone viral.

Then the converstaion took a different turn. She mentioned somewhat self- consciously that her lip filler was migrating. Indeed, I could see from her facial appearance that she did look puffy and a bit off balance. Unnatural.

"It's the baby Botox," She told me. "When I first came to the city, I went to a med spa and they put me on their marketing list. I started getting questions texted to me like, ' If you could change one thing about your face, what would it be?' As a college freshman, I naturally felt insecure, so when I responded that I wished my lips were fuller, I instantly got a text coupon for 20% off. "

For a freshman in the big city, the temptation to match the beauty ideal is considerable.

"Just cut down your graocery budget to get Botox," she told me when I asked how she could afford the treatments.

We discussed the difficulties and pressure of aging "normally" in this brave new world where eighteen- year -olds think they need Botox to "prevent" wrinkles.

I told her I could teach her face yoga instead.

The truth is, face yoga is a great way to keep the face toned, neutral and smooth. This helps stop wrinkles before they appear much more effectively and healthfully. When coupled with the mindfulness tools yoga offers, such as meditation, breathing and self- acceptance, anyone can have a smoother, brighter face they love, naturally and beautifully.

We still don't know what the long- term effects of using Botox will be.

Remarkably little research is out there on the downside of Botox . Studies are promoted and funded by the makers themselves, and are therefore inherently favorable. Paralyzing facial muscles over a lifetime might render smoother faces , but at what cost? And can the loss of facial individuality and character inevitably caused by injections and fillers justify the benefits, in a world where everyone looks the same age and has the same swollen features?

This new generation will be the first to start Botox as teenagers. They may never get a chance to see their natural faces evolve and blossom. I hope babies aren't next.

Annelise Hagen is the originator of the Yoga Face, the world's first face yoga system.