If you’re reading this wondering if you should get botox or not, then Im afraid you are going to be getting a biased opinion. I am a big botox fan. I started using it the minute I turned 30. Why?
Well for a few reasons. When I looked in the mirror I was starting to see fine lines appearing, especially around my eyes. I am a party girl at heart and I am in my element when there’s loud music playing, a load of friends around me and a G&T in my hand. I am also an ex-smoker and weight has been up and down over the years. But all those late nights and sinful excesses have laid their mark and it was starting to show in my face. I started to be concerned that I was looking older than my friends.
The lines on your face also say a lot about which muscles you use most. Im an eye smiler – when I smile, my eyes squinch and I get lots of laughter lines around them. I quite like that, but I dont like the fine lines that remain on my face afterwards. Some people are more expressive with their frown area or with their forehead, so that’s where they have prominent lines.
There was also an element of curiosity. I had done my botox training, I saw how much my clients loved it, so when I had some left over botox in the fridge I one day thought, “Why not?!”
Temptation got the better of me. First time I was really nervous. I kept thinking that I was injecting the world’s most toxic substance into myself and what if I died (despite knowing that even if I injected the dose straight into my veins it would not be enough to kill me). I was also worried about side effects. What if I got a droopy eye? I was also injecting myself for the first time which is a rather unpleasant thing to do. But I bit the bullet and did it. I used small doses around my eyes, my frown and my forehead. Then, I waited.
3 days later I started to see the results happening. I would get up in the morning and the fine lines that had previously been there had now disappeared! I loved it. One of the best descriptors of the botox look, is “Fresh”. You don’t change dramatically, you just look revived and less tired. The signs are subtle. I loved the compliments afterwards – “You’re looking really well”, “You’ve got such lovely skin”.
My eyes would still squinch, but no lines would appear. I didnt have much of a frown anyway, but now it was even less. And my forehead was permanently smooth. For me I felt that I looked better and it makes me feel more confident about myself.
And when I tell people I use botox they say, “Why, you dont need it.” But they are looking at a botoxed face. There is a difference when I’m not botoxed.
It’s not all roses though. Since then I have played around with the dosing and sometimes gone a bit overboard. When I have used too much of it I have given myself a plastic, frozen appearance which I don’t like. I notice it most when I see myself in photos, it makes my smile look strange. The beauty is though that this appearance does not last too long. The frozeness starts to melt after around a month, then you get the ‘fresh’ look. That lasts for another couple of months until its time for the top up. Consequently, I don’t use big doses on me, I prefer small more frequent top ups.
Would I recommend botox to others? Well, as I said, I am biased. So yes I would. If you look better, you feel more confident and botox is one of those little tools in the box to help with this. If its not for you, it will wear off. And if you like it, then getting your top ups will become as much a part of your routine, like getting your hair cut.
