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THE NARRATIVE ARC
I Got Botox Injections Live on Television
Back then it wasn’t as routine as it is today
It was 2008 and I was in my late forties, starting to realize that all the moisturizer in the world wasn’t going to prevent more wrinkles from highlighting how old I was getting.
That year I was the senior producer of several information talk shows on Toronto’s local 24-hour news station. One of the perks of the job as a producer was that I had a lot of latitude with the topics covered.
The health show was hosted by our 6 o’clock news anchor. She had a strong background in all aspects of health and medicine and we were always looking for the latest medical developments and health trends for our focus on the hour-long show.
Anne had a particular interest in cosmetic procedures, from injectibles to body sculpting to surgery. If there wasn’t a lot of equipment required, the guests demonstrated some of those procedures on the air, live. It was always an audience favorite.
One of the dermatologists we had on the show a few times offered to do a live Botox injection on a staff member who was willing to sign a release. As producer of the show, I had first dibs. I felt uneasy about asking someone I worked with to undergo a medical procedure. What if…