Botox and motherhood.. Does a mother lose her ability to communicate with her child? | family

Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including Botox and filler injections. In addition to the aesthetic benefits for which these procedures are marketed, many questions have arisen about the impact of these interventions on facial expressions among maternal women in particular, with regard to their children’s ability to read their features realistically to communicate their mutual emotional connection correctly.. Can Botox and filler injections actually threaten the maternal bond between a woman and her child?

The importance of facial expressions

Facial expressions are not limited to being a mirror of our inner feelings, but rather they have the ability to shape and influence those feelings, determining whether we are more inclined to be happy, calm, sad, or angry.

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Psychology studies show that smiling repeatedly not only reflects joy, but actually enhances it, as a person feels happier when this expression is repeated. The opposite is also true: frequent frowning may fuel negative feelings. This phenomenon is known as the “Facial Feedback Hypothesis,” which posits that the face not only responds to emotion, but also participates in creating it.

This relationship gains special importance in the stage of motherhood and communication with children, where facial expressions play a pivotal role in conveying emotion and building psychological bonding. Therefore, any cosmetic interventions that change or reduce the ability to express – such as Botox or filler injections – may unintentionally neutralize or weaken feelings, which is reflected in personal traits and emotional communication, especially in sensitive relationships such as the relationship of a mother with her child.

The effect of Botox and fillers on the face and expressions

Botox (or botulinum toxin) works by temporarily weakening or paralyzing specific muscles in the face to reduce wrinkles caused by facial movements, such as when frowning or smiling.

Filler is often used to fill wrinkles or restore volume to hide sagging skin. In some cases, excessive use may limit the movement of facial tissues or change expression lines. Thus, the result may become a “partial freeze of facial movement” or a change in the dynamics of smiling and frowning, which raises a question about the effect of this freezing on non-verbal communication, especially the emotional communication of features between the mother and the infant in order to understand a wide range of emotions.

A scientific experiment conducted in 2018 on women who underwent several injections and non-surgical facial modifications, and published by the journal (PubMed), proved that these women had lost many muscle movements in their faces, which weakened their range of negative expressions such as frowning or anger, and thus their ability to express the intensity of negative emotions was weakened.

Botox impairs maternal empathy

Scientific studies indicate that repeated Botox injections not only affect appearance, but also impair positive emotions and the ability to empathize and understand others.

By freezing the facial muscles, a person loses his ability to imitate the expressions of those in front of him, which is an essential process for emotional communication. Neuroimaging research shows that inactivating the forehead muscles changes the activity of areas of the brain responsible for emotion, impairing the perception of emotions in others.

These effects are more serious in the mother’s relationship with her child, as the infant relies on his mother’s facial features to understand her feelings. So, an expressionless face – even if it looks perfect – may mean less warm emotional communication.

Botox may weaken the most important means of communication between a mother and her child

Facial expressions are one of the most important tools for emotional and cognitive communication between a mother and her child, as they contribute to the development of language, emotion regulation, and social learning. Children learn to understand the world through their mothers’ facial features, while mothers rely on their children’s expressions to understand their needs and responses.

This mutual emotional interaction is the basis for the child’s healthy emotional development. This is clearly demonstrated in the famous psychology experiment “Still Face Experiment” conducted by Edward Tronick in the 1970s.

In the experiment, the mother was asked to keep her face expressionless for a few minutes while interacting with her infant, and the child quickly began to show signs of confusion, distress, and crying in an attempt to regain her interaction.

Experience shows that the emotional response through facial expressions is necessary for the child’s sense of security and belonging, and that its absence – even temporarily or partially due to cosmetic interventions such as Botox – may negatively affect emotional communication and the child’s psychological and social development.

Is it worth it?

Although Botox and filler injections are extremely safe and one of the quickest and easiest cosmetic procedures that women resort to to enhance their beauty, there is another side to the equation for mothers in particular.

If the mother’s features are rigid or expressive in an inconsistent or limited manner due to injections and fillers, her child may undoubtedly be exposed to the “experience of the frozen face” that we mentioned earlier, which will negatively affect his social and emotional communication.

Therefore, it may be important to think carefully before making any decisions to undergo these cosmetic procedures, especially in your child’s early years, as he follows you and learns from you about himself and the world with every head tilt, smile, or stare, and ask yourself a question: Is it really worth this risk?