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Would you consider post-break-up Botox?

Women are turning to cosmetic surgery to deal with emotional pain

Author: Louise Ryan November 6 2011

There's usually few worse times in a person's life than the post-break-up period. Whether you've been dumped or you were the person who ended the relationship, it can be pretty awful all round, and even the most hard-faced person can need a little pick-me-up.

A few nights in front of weepie flicks with a tub of ice-cream are a given. Drinks with the girls are definitely going to be on the menu. And you're also likely to be hitting the hairdressers and the high street in search of a new look. However, what if you went a stage further and altered your appearance permanently?

This is something more and more women are doing with so-called vengeance surgery and non-cosmetic treatments – and many are happy to speak to the media about what they've had done. One such case is Emma Hill, a columnist who wrote for She magazine about her post-break-up experience. The 40-year-old said that she had Botox in a "rash fit of defiance" after a "particularly upsetting" split.

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She openly admitted that she didn't ever think she'd have the age-defying injections, but that her view changed once she found herself on her own. After some initial trepidation and the jitters common among many first timers, she soon got over her fears. In fact, once she left the clinic, she says she felt "fantastic". 

"Slipping out on to the street, I felt elated and my smile definitely came with a twinkle. It was like wearing impossibly sexy knickers, or sneaking a Brazilian in midwinter and no one knows but you. This was my guilty secret," she recalled.

It's this last comment that's perhaps the most interesting of all, as it ties in with another trend for subtle cosmetic surgery. The British Association of Aesthetic Cosmetic Surgeons has reported a 10% rise in barely-there boob jobs – breast implants that are so small and subtle that people can barely tell you've even been under the knife.

Does this mean that the cosmetic surgery industry is ushering in a new age – the age of understatement? It's perhaps a natural progression – as going under the knife becomes more mainstream, it's understandable that treatments are becoming more diluted and palatable to the mass market. Having a boob job or Botox is no longer about instigating a huge image change – it's more about refining what you've got and giving yourself a little lift. Given the extremes certain sections of the industry have gone to, for many this could be a welcome shift.

Related Articles:

• Plastic surgeons issue medi-spa Botox warning
• Is Botox really right for you?

About the Author

Louise is a fashion and beauty blogger from Manchester, UK.

Louise's homepage: Cosmetic Surgery Guru