Fill'er up

Wednesday morning, I woke up a new woman. Not in the way I would hope though, I woke up with crows feet. I don’t mean I woke up with those deep sleep wrinkles that go away in an hour or so, I mean “oh, hello old age!” type wrinkles. At 28, I knew this day would come but I thought I had a good few years left in me. I know, I am dramatic - we established this in my last post - it’s part of my charm. I feel like it was life playing a joke on me though, as I had already scheduled my routine Botox appointment for that afternoon. Funny joke, huh? Hilarious. I had only gotten Botox in my forehead at that point. I have a love-hate relationship with Botox. I love that it gets rid of my fine lines, but I hate that I “need” it. So, I guess you could say that I actually have a love-hate relationship with my skin and I’m in a thriving, committed relationship with Botox. I have been getting Botox for 6 years, every 4-6 months which is longer than any real relationship I’ve had so you could say that I’m optimistic about our future together.
What is Botox you ask? Well, welcome out from under your rock! But in all seriousness, it’s a toxin. BOTULINUM TOXINA is a neuromuscular blocker. It can be used to treat severe muscle spasms and help with excessive perspiration, but I feel like it’s more commonly known to treat frown lines or lines between the eyebrows on the face. For those of you saying, “OMG why would you want to inject yourself with a toxin?!” my response is, first and foremost – vanity. I work in the beauty industry and it's scientifically proven (probably not) that makeup looks WAY better on smooth skin. Secondly, do you eat conventional meat? Toxic. Do you smoke? Toxic. Do you drink in abundance? Toxic. Do you live in a city? Toxic. Try to go a day without encountering a toxic environment/substance. If you can do that for even one day, feel free to judge away! Literally though, judge AWAY, we don’t need that negativity around here.
In order for our muscles to contract, our nerves release a chemical messenger – acetylcholine - at the junction where the nerve endings meet muscle cells. Acetylcholine attaches to receptors on the muscle cells and causes the muscle cells to contract or shorten. Botox prevents the release of acetylcholine, preventing contraction of the muscle cells. Botox is administered by diluting the powder in saline and injecting it directly into neuromuscular tissue. It takes 24-72 hours for botulinum toxin to take effect - so if you’re planning to get Botox for a big event, let’s say your wedding, my suggestion would be to get at least 7 days prior. The results last anywhere from 2-6 months and this depends on your metabolism. So if you’ve got that beautiful hourglass figure (I hate you), you may have to schedule more appointments throughout the year than someone with a slower metabolism. I would consider myself as someone with a fast metabolism and I start to notice the effects wearing off at about 3.5 months.
Botox injections are generally well tolerated and there are few side effects. I personally, have had it administered by 4 different doctors in the last 6 years and I have definitely noticed different styles of how they administer the solution – which may result in different side effects. Luckily, the most severe reaction I have seen is headache and/or bruising. (One time I did pass out but that is because it was an early appointment with no food in my stomach and I don’t like needles, so maybe do as I say and not as I do?) The injection needle is small and about the size of an insulin needle so the bruising is very minimal, if at all. I would love to tell you it doesn’t hurt but I’m a big baby so it hurts me but it’s tolerable and very quick – results are totally worth it.
This is a short post but I thought why not give you guys a little knowledge and maybe a little laugh, at my expense. I just want to put out there that I 100% support anyone doing anything that makes them feel better about themselves (that doesn’t directly harm another person) and Botox is no exception, but I have also talked a lot of people out of Botox because they truly didn’t need it. I guess none of us really need Botox, but you get what I mean. If having smooth skin makes your days worth living, then I support you and your skincare addiction. We have meetings on Wednesdays, bring a snack to pass.