Botox can ruin your face for good

She might be the first lady of fashion, but even Donatella Versace can have a bad day in the image department, especially when it's a Botox job gone wrong. The 59-year-old cuts a rather disturbing picture with her latest facial treatment. The haute fashion legend looked nothing like the freshfaced woman who took over her brother's empire in her early forties. That time, Donatella who was all of 42, had naturally smooth skin, pouty lips and looked younger than her years.

Today, not only does her face show signs of aging, but also obvious abuse of too much Botox, laser resurfacing and also maybe bone loss. Closer home, actress Koena Mitra had an unfortunate nose job-gone-wrong.

Even actresses Nargis Fakhri and Anushka Sharma have undergone some flack for their respective trout-pouts. It is rumoured that most Bollywood celebrities, male and female, have had some cosmetic treatment or the other.

Gone are the days when au natural was the way to go and home remedies were used to battle signs of aging, wrinkles and spots. Today, women embrace beauty treatments, both the invasive and surface variety, and opt for clinical measures to improve their body and skin; and why not? With science and technology on one's side there is absolutely no reason not to, and if done correctly can make a world of a difference to your looks, skin and body. This also helps to boost your image and self-confidence. It's not just women, even men are willing to experiment in order to look best. There are a plethora of treatments that can "enhance" or "rectify" what one views as problematic areas.

However, tempting it is, one should think twice before doing something artificial to themselves if not under the proper care and supervision of a trained expert. Before you join the plastic tribe or Botox beauties, it's best to be well informed and go about it right. I caught up with renowned cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Deepali Bhardwaj and got the low-down of how to go about a procedure - invasive or surface, and what are the precautions one must take. "First and foremost, it is of prime importance that one picks an expert who is medically trained and certified in this field and has a wealth of experience. There is absolutely no harm in opting for various treatments if the post-care routine is followed to the T," adds Dr Bhardwaj.

As far as Deepali is concerned, Botox is ideal for the top one-third of your face while fillers are better for the remaining two-thirds. Botox should be a done a minimum of two weeks to a month before a social event. If not administered by a trained professional, it can lead to a drooping lip, lid and eyebrow and even a lopsided smile. Sometimes even skin TB gets passed on through injections administered in hospitals where infections are commonplace. When it comes to the lower face, she recommends opting for fillers to correct things like laughter lines, pouts, sunken cheeks or to create a jaw line. According to her, liposuction must be done at least six months prior to any event. Firstly, one sees absolutely no result for the first three months and moreover, due to the swelling, one will actually look bloated and bigger than the before. She recommends Cool Sculpting over Lipo, which is a non-invasive treatment with no side effects. People who think that waxing and shaving are quickest solutions for hair removal are in for a surprise. Waxing can result in skin irritations, rashes and allergies, especially if one is stressed. A trend which, according to Dr. Bhardwaj, is extremely harmful and disturbing is the use of skin whitening injections. She is of the firm belief that they have no results and one should be happy with their skin tone, stating, "your real skin tone is the colour that you see behind your ear. One shouldn't dream of changing their colour. What makes it worse is that these injections are available online to anybody and everybody."

Chemical body peels are perfectly fine 3-4 weeks before an occasion and result in glowing body and rejuvenated skin. Except a little redness right after the treatment, which lasts a day or so, there is no side effect. It helps treat dark elbows, hips and knees and brides-to-be should get at least two or three treatments before their big day. Last but certainly not the least, plastic surgery for breast implants, six-pack abs or three-pack abs are common. However, one should be careful if a swelling or inflammation is induced during the time of the procedure since it can be painful or the body can reject the implant. Same with ab-procedures where one shortens the muscle fibers, in the later years it might in some cases result in hernia. While I'm all in for taking the easy route to perfection, even with scientific procedures, slow and steady is the way to go.