SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

My Experience with Botox

We all age...some gracefully (like my mom) and others not so much. I feel like I have taken pretty good care of my skin over the years, but having children while in my 30s has definitely taken its toll on my face. I have bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and more wrinkles around my eyes, on my forehead and in my 11's area (area between your eyebrows).

I get regular facials and chemical peels, but I still want to look more youthful. After talking to so many of my friends (blogging friends especially), I decided to try Botox. I have researched it, talked to my esthetician about it and got my friends accounts of it.

I wanted to have a more youthful look for my sisters wedding, so I thought this was the perfect time to try it out. First time results usually last around 3 months and my sister's wedding is 2 months away. Perfect timing. Plus, it can take up to a couple weeks (usually only a week) to fully see your results.

When you go in for the first time, you have a consultation with your doctor about your wants, fears and expectations. My doctor went over everything in great detail. He told me the differences between Botox and Dysport...how long each of them last, when they take effect, the cost, etc. He also went into what goes into what part of your face. From your eyes up, you get Botox or one of its competitors. From the eyes down, you get fillers. He showed me which muscles are affected and how the process works.

Then he had me do some facial expressions to get a better idea of what I would need. For me, he recommended I get my 11's taken care of (what I had gone in there for) and then recommended a Botox brow lift. What this means, is he injects Botox in certain areas of my forehead so that it pulls my eyebrows upwards to get rid of the drooping eyelids which make me look more tired. When I told my mom this part, she said she has the same thing. But back to the Botox brow lift. He said if my eyebrows raise too much, he can correct that by putting Botox in my upper forehead which will draw them back down a bit. But this doesn't happen to many people.

He said I would come back in after 2 to 3 weeks to see my results and if I needed any adjustments. Then he asked if I wanted to wait and think it over and get it done today. I opted to get mine done that day.

Here is my experience with Botox/Dysport.

I chose to get Dysport because you see the results quicker and it was a favorite in the office and from my friend who recommended that I go to this place.

Here are my lovely before pictures. Please don't pay attention to my awful selfie skills. I was just trying to capture my lines.

Botox Before

Botox Before

I got 20 units of Dysport injected into my 11's area. This is the area that needed the most help in my opinion. I got the total freeze in this area. This means that the muscle will be completely "frozen". It won't move much. Then I got 5 units (each side) near the ends of my eyebrows/temple area to give me a slight Dysport Brow Lift. This will get rid of the hooded, droopy eyelids.

Does it hurt? Not really. The doctor uses a very fine needle. I barely felt the needle enter my skin. What I did feel was the liquid going in my skin. It didn't necessarily hurt, but felt weird and stung just a bit.

How does the doctor determine where to inject? They have you frown and relax, frown and relax, so they can see the muscle movement. Then to do the outer brows, he had me close my eyes shut really tight and relax, tight and relax.

Did I bleed? I did bleed a bit on the upper dots. He applied a bit of pressure using a gauze and it was fine.

Did I bruise? I had one little bruise on the top right eye (left looking at the photo). It was just a small dot bruise and it went away two days later.

When will I see results? With Dysport, you can start to see results in 3 to 4 days, with full effects in a week. My doctor also told me to not freak out if one side of my face starts changing before the other. The other will catch up.

Can I wear make-up to my appointment? Yes you can, but he will remove make up from the area that is being injected. You don't want the bacteria from my make-up entering the small wound holes. They will also use alcohol to sterilize the area.

After care? You can not touch your face for an hour. You don't want to let any bacteria enter the wound. You can not work out or lay down for 4 hours after the injections. Basically, don't sweat or get anything near your injection sites. Once the 4 hours are over, you can clean your face and go about your day as usual.

Botox injection sites

The areas with the black dots are to show you approximately where I got injected. This photo was taken that evening.

3 days after Dysport injections. Again, please forgive the funny faces.

Way less 11 lines. This is me trying to frown and squint as much as I can.

My left eyebrow starting to raise up a bit.

On day 4, Rory noticed my eyebrows lifted a lot more and said the hooded/drooping look was going away!
 Day 5 (eyebrows more lifted)

Trying to squint and frown so you can see that the lines are practically gone.

24 comments :

  1. WOW!! Being in my 40's, I have really started to wonder about it. You look great and have me really thinking about it, especially if something special is coming up. Pretty girl!

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    1. Thank you so much. I felt like my 11's had gotten really deep in the last two years, so I went in for that and got a little extra that was recommended.

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  2. OMG I am so doing this! I have horrible crows feet and 11s.

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  3. Wow you look great!! I so need to get some botox. I did go for a consultation but the doctor said my wrinkles were barely noticeable (but I can see them!!) and it would be a waste of my money. He would do it if I wanted it but he felt it was too soon. I have to go back in a year to see. Maybe then!

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  4. I've definitely thought about Botox before. Eric used to work for the company that makes it and I should have taken advantage of it back then lol. My crows feet are my problem areas but I've had them since I was like 15. Sierra~Beautifully Candid

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  5. Great results! I’ve thought about it. Was it expensive?

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  6. Wow! I love that this is an option if you're feeling like you need/want it. THanks for going into detail--it's something that I've thought about here and there. I wonder about the cost too?

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  7. I am probably going to be in the market for Botox before long. I have the deep 11 too, probably all my WTF facial expressions over the years hahahaha! I think you have good results!

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    1. That is where I get my 11's from too. That and dealing with toddlers. Ha. And thank you. I am very happy so far with my results.

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  8. LOVE! You look fab - I've got a larger forehead and have been considering this for awhile. Thanks for sharing all of this info!

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  9. Great post! I've been curious about it too. The "11s" area is the worst for me -- I don't mind the thought of wrinkles, but I have looking angry all the time, especially at only 30 years old and when I'm mostly happy haha. Do you mind sharing (privately even) how costly it was?

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  10. Oh my goodness. that is amazing!!! I am so super impressed!!! The wrinkles on my face are getting a tad out of control. I just know if I get any injections, i'm going to end up with a swollen face or some sort of allergic reaction. I just know my luck

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  11. I am so glad you had a good experience! I suggest arnacare (you get it from the drugstore) in case you bruise, it takes it away faster. Your results are amazing! I am glad you shared this and decided to take the plunge!

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  12. HOLY MOLY! That is a huge difference! If I ever decide to do this down the road I'm coming to you with all of my questions!

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  13. Oh wow, that is a big difference! You really can't see the lines in the middle anymore at all - that's cool it was a good experience and that you didn't have much bruising or bleeding.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  14. Wow! That's amazing. (You always looked great, though!) I almost got Botox injections to help with my migraines. This makes me a little less scared if I ever need to!

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    1. Thank you. You are beyond sweet. I heard that helps out too. My co-worker almost had to do that.

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  15. I am fascinated by this! Thank you for sharing your experience. I've only had Botox injections for my armpits because I sweat (gross) but have thought about it for preventative reasons on my face! I love the photos too - so I appreciate you sharing those :)

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  16. You look amazing girlie! I had no idea about the 4 hour rule afterwards, very good to know!
    Green Fashionista

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  17. Wow it turned out great!!!! SO glad you had a good experience.

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  18. My 11s could use some work. Thank you for sharing.

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  19. Thank you for sharing for your Botox experience. You are lucky to get Botox, but you are beautiful. I also got Botox to get rid of some fine lines on my face. In my young age, wrinkles on the face have appeared and made me not confident. But Botox saved me for a better face, became more confident. amstelzijdekliniek.nl

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  20. Wow! Your botox experience is very interesting. It looks like the results you get are also very maximum. Thank you for sharing your experience. I am very happy that you can share your experience and knowledge. dutchclinic.com

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