Given a choice, would you rather be beautiful but brain-damaged, or average-looking but living with full mental capacity? Not surprising, scientists are finding out that Botox, that oh-too-popular wrinkle treatment, can potentially travel into the brain, at least in lab animals:

One of the deadliest poisons in nature and a possible bioterrorism agent, this neurotoxin reached the market, in very dilute doses, starting in 1989 as Botox. A big reason Botox and its cousins, such as Myobloc, were OK'd was that preclinical testing showed that after being injected, they did not travel along the body's highways—nerve cells—to the brain and spinal cord. Yes, there was some evidence the toxin slipped into the bloodstream or the lymph system, but Botox in the bloodstream cannot enter the brain, says its manufacturer.

by Stephanie Brail

How far are you willing to go for beauty? Would you be willing to gamble your life? Because that's what women are doing when they choose to receive Botox injections, based on analysis by Ralph Nadar's watchdog group, Public Citizen. With 16 recorded deaths from the popular form of plastic surgery, Public Citizen is calling on the FDA to put a "black box" warning on the Botox label.

As I near the big 4-0, I do get a bit obsessed sometimes with my forehead. Even though I try not to be vain, my forehead wrinkles bug me. Furrows are growing...they will become prominent some day, I suspect. Argh.

Botox is not an option for me. Even though I live in Los Angeles surrounded by women with stretched faces, I just could not do it. I already know the health issues that can arise from Botox (paralysis, anyone?). It also just seems so...fake.

I recently changed my hair back to having bangs (something I have not had since college). Voila! Not only are they cheaper than Botox, they are healthier too.