Frown Lines No More
Treadmill, Stairmaster, Repeat. Treadmill, Stairmaster, Repeat. Oh, all the time spent going to the gym to keep myself in shape… What a shame that years later the only muscles that remain strong are the ones in my face. “Well, isn’t that a good thing?” you may be thinking. “Strong muscles keep your face young and toned.” Sure, but they also wrinkle my skin and eat up a lot of Botox. Thank goodness I have an “in” with Dr. Z. Otherwise, it would be costing me a small fortune relax these strong face muscles to keep this face wrinkle-free.
I was in my late 20’s the first time I got Botox. Dr. Z. and I had just started dating. It was probably by the third date or so that he mentioned to me doing something about the crow’s feet that were just starting to show. The word “Botox” flowed so freely from his lips that I just couldn’t say no. Before I knew it, my tiny crow’s feet were gone, my eyes looked bigger, and my eyebrows were even lifted. I loved it. Nobody even knew I did anything. (Well, now apparently the cat's out of the bag as I am writing this for the world to see...)
Everyone has the same facial muscles, but they behave differently. Some of us have deep crows feet, others don’t. Some of us have “11’s” between our eyebrows, others have just “1’s” or “111’s.” I have come to appreciate that Botox injections are more than just following a cookbook. It is about understanding an individual face. In my case, after years trial and error with different placement and different amounts, we have mastered the perfect pattern of my shots so that the muscles are relaxed in just the right way. (I say “we” but I suppose I should say “he,” but I’ll just take half the credit.)
Now back to my strong face muscles. Apparently the muscles around my eyes are so strong that I need more Botox than the average person. I am lucky because my body has not gotten used to the product. Can your body really get used it? Can it lose its effectiveness? Actually, the answer is yes. I won’t get into those details here, but check out this article for more about it.
So are you thinking about getting Botox yourself? Here are some basic tips…
1. Don’t do it for the first time before an important event. When you relax some muscles, the opposing muscles kick into action. You need to make sure you like the way it looks, and you may need touch-ups.
2. It takes about 1-2 weeks to start kicking in, so don’t expect an immediate change when you walk out of the office.
3. While you may hate those horizontal forehead lines, if you knock out your forehead, it can drop your eyebrows. Remember, your forehead muscles LIFT your eyebrows! Sometimes less is more. You want to get the Botox, but not look like you have it.
4. The risk of a droopy eyelid. If you’ve googled “Botox risks” you probably have seen this already. If a little of the Botox spreads to the muscles of your eyelid themselves, it can lead to a droop. It is not common, and from what I know, is short lived. Plus, there are eyedrops that can be used to help open the eye a little.
5. Get your blow out, your work out, and your massage before your Botox. You need to keep your head up for 4 hours after you get it done.
6. Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt all that much. It feels like a few bee stings in the skin, and I don’t even use any numbing cream first.
7. Don't wait for the lines to get too deep before you treat them. The earlier you catch them the better. Preventing them is easier than getting rid of them once they have set in!
So I guess even though I strive to have relaxed face muscles, there no excuse for relaxed muscles in other places, huh? Back to the treadmill for me…. Oh, and as for fillers, that's a whole other story. #CoriConfesses
#QuoteoftheDay: "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain
Well, that was before #Botox was invented.