It must be hard work for big screen siren Nicole Kidman, looking this good at 40. Well, maybe not hard work - but work nonetheless.
For years, the once fragile and freckly skinned actress has been the subject of cosmetic surgery rumours, particularly her alleged penchant for the wrinkle reducing wonder drug Botox.
Now once again in the spotlight, preening for the public and paparazzi at the premiere of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia, leading cosmetic surgeon and Botox extraordinaire, Dr Mary Dingley confirms the rumours.
And our Nicole's liking for techniques that go well beyond old fashioned beauty sleep, haven't always had the desired effect.
Labelled frozen-faced, called a bat and described by Sharon Osbourne, the wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne as, controversially said "Nicole Kidman's forehead looks like a flat screen TV."
"Having Botox means that you are going to probably look better, like a china doll. So if you want to be put on the mantelpiece like a china doll then sure this is the way to go" says Dr Mark Williams.
For years, the once fragile and freckly skinned actress has been the subject of cosmetic surgery rumours, particularly her alleged penchant for the wrinkle reducing wonder drug Botox.
Now once again in the spotlight, preening for the public and paparazzi at the premiere of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia, leading cosmetic surgeon and Botox extraordinaire, Dr Mary Dingley confirms the rumours.
And our Nicole's liking for techniques that go well beyond old fashioned beauty sleep, haven't always had the desired effect.
Labelled frozen-faced, called a bat and described by Sharon Osbourne, the wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne as, controversially said "Nicole Kidman's forehead looks like a flat screen TV."
"Having Botox means that you are going to probably look better, like a china doll. So if you want to be put on the mantelpiece like a china doll then sure this is the way to go" says Dr Mark Williams.
Botox has blossomed into a $300 million a year industry fuelled by Australian women and men, chasing renewed confidence.
But new research published in the esteemed Discover Magazine attacks the long term effect Botox has, saying when it freezes facial expressions it freezes emotions.
"They're going to probably develop things like depression, social anxiety disorders things that are really going to affect their health in the long term" says Dr Mark Williams.
Humans and many animals rely intrinsically on facial expressions to understand each other and experience emotion.
"When you actually take away the ability to make a facial expression then you are not going to be able to portray that to others so others aren't going to be able to understand if you are sad or if you are happy" says Dr Williams.
Macquarie University cognitive neuroscientist Mark Williams says Botox users don't have the same highs and lows of emotions and can't recognise them in others.
According to the theory...it works like this. When a person smiles at us we smile back - it's automatic. We literally mimic them, even if it's only for a split second.
"There's a lot of evidence that what we do is mimic what the other person is doing and we get the same physiological response that they get, so we are yeah you are happy because I'm feeling happy or you are sad because I'm feeling sad" says Dr Williams.
The act of smiling or frowning or grimacing literally triggers a response in our brains you can see.
The theory was first pushed in 1872 by Charles Darwin who claimed facial expressions were a crucial means of survival allowing us to tell our enemies from our friends - even before we could speak.
In 2008 Dr Williams uses state of the art technology to scan the brain. He shows his subjects pictures of different facial expressions then reads their neurological reaction.
"There are seven basic emotions that we talk about and those are happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, angry, fearful and neutral faces and they occur in any society from the highlands of Papua New Guinea all the way to Sydney Australia, New Zealand wherever" adds Dr Williams.
He says Botox will reduce emotion across the board.
"They won't be able to smile so therefore they wont get all those endorphins released so therefore they wont get that rush of enjoyment that we all get. Also from the point of view they are not going to get the interaction with others that they are looking for so others aren't going to understand how they are feeling."
Paralyse your expression...paralyse your relationships.
"No-one wants to talk to you because you are not showing the normal signals an individual shows when they are interacting and enjoying it."
"I've had three botox injections around my eye...I've had three in between my nose, I've had three on the other side and two on my chin." Sonya is an avid botox user. She says it has improved her relationships, not dulled them.
"Not at all... I mean botox has helped me. Really, its made me feel more confident. I don't think its hindered me at all, it's been a great thing for me."
Her doctor, also a regular botox patient, agrees.
Dr Mary Dingley from the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery says treatment can actually improve a person's wellbeing and help with depression, particularly in people who have deep frown lines.
"Look I think the reverse is true. it actually allows people to interact with people better so they are not going to be isolated," Dr Dingley said.
"So if you're walking around like a thundercloud all the time, people will think that you are very cranky even if you're not. So a lot people with botox can relax that frown and people find you more approachable," says Dr Dingley.
And the smile remains untouched.
"Certainly we are not doing anything with the smile muscles, you can still smile perfectly naturally. And you can still show surprise, you can still show affection, all of those sorts of things," adds Dr Dingley.
(Source: Today Tonight)
没有评论:
发表评论