At GLAMOUR, we stand by the mantra ‘your beauty, your rules’, so if you want to seek cosmetic treatments to boost your confidence, you do you. The most important thing is that you’re well educated and informed in exactly what the treatment entails, which is exactly why I visited Mr. Kambiz Golchin, arguably London’s leading Botox doctor.
Ok, so it turns out ‘Resting B**** Face’ is a real thing and I can’t help but notice that I look absolutely furious in every ‘candid’ photo captured of me.
I mention to him my concerns about looking angry in photos – and worries that I am putting people off with an enraged expression that does not reflect my actual mood. “This is a real thing,” he assures me. “I see patients all the time who have the same complaint. As we get older, even in our 30s, like everything else, our faces go with gravity. So, when it comes to Botox and other treatments, you need to consider the bottom of the face just as much as at the top. Everyone worries about lines on their forehead but it’s really the chin and jawline that’s ageing you. And in your case, which is really common, the muscles in the neck are strong and pulling down your chin and jawline making you look angry and sad when in fact you are not.”
He explains that he has come up with a solution. It’s called ‘Upside Down Botox’ and it promises to enhance positive expression and create symmetry.
Forgetting about the forehead for a minute, he applies Botox under my chin and under the jawline to help lift up and buoy my natural muscles into a more relaxed, happy pose.
Trained as a facial plastic surgeon, Golchin is very precise and particular when it comes to application. I try not to show my surprise when he pulls out a protractor in order to measure my face to ensure perfect symmetry. He also takes a series of photographs and draws on my jawline to get it exactly right.
I’m encouraged to learn that getting this done won’t just make me look less angry – there is an actual connection to how I’ll feel. Mr Golchin says: “There is a link between facial expression and how the brain processes negative emotion – in other words if you smile more you will feel a difference in your mood.”
The theory here is if you aren’t creating the motion, you’re not creating the emotion. So, potentially looking happier day to day will help my brain to believe that I am.
Another bonus of ‘Upside Down Botox’ is that no one will know you’ve had it done. There is no chance of a ‘frozen face’ or weirdly raised eyebrows that many associate with Botox jabs. Even when beautifully done, sometimes a smoother forehead is noticeable – but no one will be able to see this handiwork.
The perfect placement of Botox underneath the chin allows the areas we show our emotions to still express themselves – and lift up the muscles pulling us down.
Mr Kambiz Golchin is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and part of the General Medical Council UK and the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery. He is a trained otolaryngology surgeon (ear, nose, and throat along with head neck) and practising as a facial plastic surgeon for 15 years. He founded Beacon Face Dermatology Clinic in Dublin and has a practice at The Rita Rakus Clinic in Knightsbridge. For more info go to www.kambizgolchin.com
