Accordion foreheads run in my family. Although music - thankfully - does not bellow when I scrunch my brows, as I hit my late twenties, I couldn't help but notice that the long, horizontal lines and crevices above my eyes were pencil worthy. As in, I knew I could carry a six-pack of number twos across a crowded room without the use of my hands. Worse yet, I'm pretty certain the wrinkles on my sixty-year-old father's forehead could transport people, if not trees. When a simple palm-rub to the area stopped proving an effective eraser, at around thirty, I turned to lotions, potions and peels. They provided the temporary relief of a carwash to a filthy car on a rainy day: very short term.

I was first introduced to Botox when my identical twin sister returned home from New York City, with a perfectly smooth and wrinkle free face. It was, dare I admit, an angel-worthy awakening. Okay, sure, so as my dermatologist likes to point out, Botox ("a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium") is the most expensive product per ounce. Personally, however, I like to think of it as a very wise investment that just happens to liquidate, without prompt, every four to six months.

To answer a few of the most common questions, Botox injections are far less painful than a routine teeth cleaning or trip to the chiropractor. It is, in short, a temporary discomfort well worth the result. If you're having it done for a specific event, do it the week before in case of minor bruising or redness. It also may take a few days, if not weeks, for maximum effect. Temporary eyelid droop, headaches, and nausea are also listed as possible side effects, although I have never experienced any of the above.

FDA approved and in use since 1991, Botox essentially works by relaxing/temporarily paralyzing the muscles in your face that, with age, produce wrinkles. Botox horror stories - and we've all heard them - are almost always a result of people trying to save money, who end up on a table in back room somewhere, with a doctor who really isn't a doctor at all, using a product that, well, isn't Botox. It's an expensive procedure, and you should expect to spend between $300.00 and $1000.00 dollars a visit, depending on the number of areas you're targeting. I would encourage anyone interested in more information, to locate a member of the Botox Cosmetics Physician's Network, and, more importantly, talk to friends about their doctors and their experiences with the procedure.