Botox Effectively Treats Depression By Making You Frown Less

So what's this cool new way to treat chronic sadness? The answer is a wildly popular toxin that is used to tighten wrinkly skin. If you guessed Botox, you're right!

Originally known as a neurotoxin, Botox has been popularly used for cosmetics in the past decades to help straighten out wrinkles and fine lines. The result is younger looking skin but also, hilariously, a mildly awkward expression.

Depression is a serious mental problem that reduces your capability to feel happiness. People with depression persistently give off a gloomy sense of being. It's safe to say they rarely ever smile. With Botox, you can imagine that they'll lose the frown lines, and report feeling less sad as reported by Yahoo.   

This is supported by an interesting new study by dermatologist Dr. Jason S. Reichenberg and his wife, psychiatrist Michelle Magid. They have found a surprising correlation between Botox and depression.

In their experiments, depression scores of patients who underwent Botox injection dropped 42 percent compared to only 18 percent of those who received placebo. They concluded that Botox is as good as anti-depressants. They stated that even though Botox hinders you from giving a genuine looking smile, it also stops you from frowning.

So how exactly does Botox works in treating depression?

Botulinum-A, the active component in Botox, works by relaxing the nerves in the muscles between the eyebrows. This effectively reduces frown lines. Surprisingly, frowning stimulates part of the brain that are overactive in depression. By using Botox, frown lines are ironed out and feelings of depression are effectively relieved (Marieclaire).

This finding is great news to those diagnosed with depression. Currently, popular medications for the condition are riddled with a variety of unpleasant side effects such as nausea, constipation, loss of libido, fatigue, and drowsiness. Furthermore, as many as a third of the patients don't respond to the medications as reported by Telegraph.

Having a new kind of Depression treatment that doesn't involve a host of other complications, and is tested more effective than traditional treatments, can definitely light up your face.

Would you try Botox to have a more positive view on life? Express your views on the comment section below.