Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research, Aventura, FL, USA.
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020 Sep;19(9):2154-2160. doi: 10.1111/jocd.13569. Epub 2020 Jul 12.
The globally devastating effects of COVID-19 breach not only the realm of public health, but of psychosocial interaction and communication as well, particularly with the advent of mask-wearing.
A review of the literature and understanding of facial anatomy and expressions as well as the effect of botulinum toxin on emotions and nonverbal communication.
Today, the mask has become a semi-permanent accessory to the face, blocking our ability to express and perceive each other's facial expressions by dividing it into a visible top half and invisible bottom half. This significantly restricts our ability to accurately interpret emotions based on facial expressions and strengthens our perceptions of negative emotions produced by frowning. The addition of botulinum toxin (BTX)-induced facial muscle paralysis to target the muscles of the top (visible) half of the face, especially the corrugator and procerus muscles, may act as a therapeutic solution by its suppression of glabellar lines and our ability to frown. The treatment of the glabella complex not only has been shown to inhibit the negative emotions of the treated individual but also can reduce the negative emotions in those who come in contact with the treated individual.
Mask-wearing in the wake of COVID-19 brings new challenges to our ability to communicate and perceive emotion through full facial expression, our most effective and universally shared form of communication, and BTX may offer a positive solution to decrease negative emotions and promote well-being for both the mask-wearer and all who come in contact with that individual.
COVID-19 的全球性破坏性影响不仅突破了公共卫生领域，还突破了社会心理互动和交流领域，尤其是随着戴口罩的出现。
对文献进行回顾，了解面部解剖结构和表情，以及肉毒毒素对情绪和非言语交流的影响。
如今，口罩已成为面部的半永久性配饰，将我们的面部表情表达和感知能力一分为二，分为可见的上半部分和不可见的下半部分。这极大地限制了我们根据面部表情准确解读情绪的能力，并强化了我们对皱眉产生的负面情绪的感知。肉毒毒素（BTX）诱导的面部肌肉麻痹作用于上半部分（可见）的面部肌肉，特别是皱眉肌和降眉间肌，可以作为一种治疗方法，通过抑制眉间纹和我们皱眉的能力来实现。治疗眉间复合体不仅可以抑制治疗个体的负面情绪，还可以减少与治疗个体接触的人的负面情绪。
COVID-19 之后戴口罩给我们通过充分的面部表情进行交流和感知情绪的能力带来了新的挑战，面部表情是我们最有效和普遍共享的交流形式，而 BTX 可能为减少负面情绪和促进口罩佩戴者和所有与该个体接触者的幸福感提供积极的解决方案。
