Happy Valentine’s Day To Madonna’s Face: Lesson For You In Botox Versus Filler Versus Surgery

Madonna showed up to the Grammy’s this weekend looking ~different~. Swaths took to Twitter to say she looked unrecognizable and – quite mistakenly – criticize the use of “Botox.” 

Everyone, both men and women, want to stay looking fresh and young as long as they can. There are many cosmetic treatments to aid in the “beauty” of one’s face from intensive moisturizing regiments to surgeries. One of the most well known and deeply misunderstood is “Botox” which is often used to describe facial enhancement which have actually been achieved through “filler” and surgery – both of which are quite different from “Botox.” 

So what is “Botox?” Botox is the most recognizable brand name of an injection serum known as Botulinum Toxin. Botox is injected into the customer with a regular sized needle similar to any vaccination. The injection strategically freezes the muscles under certain areas of skin that are prone to wrinkle. The most common location for these injections is the forehead, the corners of the eyes (where “crows feet” develop) and between the brows. These treatments only last between four and six months and have to be routinely tended. It is difficult to tell if someone has botox injections because it simply limits the range of movement in very specific parts of their face. Botox is so discreet, the market is actually growing for male users as well who have a harder time being allowed to seek cosmetic care for their appearance (which is totally unfair). 

What is “filler?” Filler is a term used to describe an injection which actually fills an area under the skin with soft material to change the appearance of the area. Commonly, fillers are injected where wrinkles already exist in order to “fill in” the line. Increasingly, users are injecting fillers to reshape their face. For example, fillers can be used to make cheeks or lips fuller. Most fillers are made from collagen and hyaluronic acid, but there are other kinds. Unlike “Botox,” filler is fairly noticeable if you’re paying attention to someone’s face with any kind of interest. Because of this, it can be more risky for users to seek filler treatments because if they get too much or get it in the wrong places, it can dramatically change the look of their face which is typically not the goal with cosmetic procedures (typically the goal is to enhance what one’s face already looks like). However, filler is temporary and must be maintained just like “Botox” procedures. Depending on the material, fillers can be as temporary as six months or up to three years. 

What is cosmetic surgery? Cosmetic surgery is commonly referred to as “plastic surgery” and there are many different varieties. Each element of the face (and body) can be isolated into individual surgeries to make cosmetic changes from eyes, to nose to chin to hands to breasts to arms. With a scalpel and the skills required, a doctor can nip and tuck skin and muscle into pretty much any position they want to change physical appearance (with some limits). Surgery is the most permanent option for cosmetic procedures and definitely the riskiest. If someone opts for surgery, they are the most likely to end up looking different than they did before and unlike the minimally invasive options like filler and “Botox,” is 100% permanent. Any issues with the results of a surgery would have to be addressed with another surgery. 

So why have you heard that Botox messes up the face? Most of the time, when someone’s face looks really different than it used to, they have received some form of surgical procedure or gone way too heavy on the filler and not simply relied on “Botox.” The issue becomes confusing because for some reason people lie about it a lot. Celebs and average American alike have spent decades boldly lying about the cosmetic procedures they’re receiving. So when people like Kim Kardashian are asked about what surgeries they have received and she says “only Botox and filler” – it unfairly gives Botox and filler the reputation of being able to change the entirety of a face. 

It’s unclear what procedures Madonna has undergone over the years but in guessing it seems like prior to the Grammy’s she added filler to her cheeks (too much), lips (too much), forehead (too much), and the lines around the lips (I call them the parenthesis) which is perhaps the most dangerous place to use filler due to how odd it makes a face appear. In guessing, it seems like she has also received buccal surgery (which removes the flesh of the bottom half of the face to make cheeks look skinnier) and perhaps both eye and chin surgeries. She probably uses Botox too – but that isn’t want people are noticing. 

This has been: What is “Botox?” Now you won’t judge your wives, girlfriends, and friends for seeking the 0 invasion temporary injection which simply prevents wrinkles.