Though cosmetic procedures like Botox and Dysport are far more accepted today than they were even a few years ago, you'll still find skeptics. Some people argue that older women who opt for injectable medicines to reduce signs of aging on the face are desperately or shallowly clinging to youth. But speak to the women who have received Botox injections, and you'll find the reasons behind their choice are far more complex and thoughtful.

Liz Spikol, writing for the Philadelphia Post's blog, says that women who get Botox aren't trying to reverse the signs of aging and get back their younger looks, but instead are simply trying to appear "familiar." Even if you gain or lose weight as you age, a picture of you at age 18 during your college years will bear a resemblance to a picture of you at age 35. But once you enter middle age, the similarities aren't so strong. It's the changes that come when you're in your 40s, 50s and 60s that cause the most anxiety, Spikol explains.

"Women who start to use Botox in their 40s aren't doing it because they want to return to a younger life," she writes in the article. "No one who's in her 50s wants to be in her 20s again, I assure you. They just want to look like the person they've seen in the mirror every morning for decades. The person who, bizarrely, is disappearing."

She goes on to explain that wrinkles on the face convey experience and wisdom, but they can also make a face look unfamiliar, even to its owner. Spikol says she tried to wipe away horizontal lines on her forehead that appeared seemingly overnight.

Other women who get Botox seem to agree. Jan Upfold, a market researcher in the U.K., discussed with the Daily Mail the reasons she chooses to get regular Botox injections. "I never disliked my face, but I had this deep frown line that always made me look tired or stressed or worried," she told the news outlet. "So I saved up. I wanted to look good at my age, rather than young."

Women who are feeling as though they no longer recognize the face they see in the mirror may want to talk to a board-certified plastic surgeon about cosmetic procedures. There are many options, from Botox and Dysport to facelifts to skin rejuvenation procedures, that can help reduce wrinkles and other blemishes on the face.