mama needed botox
alright guys. time to be real about my face. i think at about age 25, things started changing. my face. my body. just everything. and without going too far into a whole different subject…i hated the way i had physically changed. in my early 20s i would've NEVER considered botox or any other injections. but as time went on…all i could think was "something has to change." looking back and knowing what i know now, that botox is also preventative, i wish i had started sooner. i thought about botox but i was nervous about the cost, the bruising, the outcome, the stigma, and really was just plain ignorant. i didn't want to be too hollywood. i didn't want to look fake or end up on botched. i wanted to look real…. i just wanted to look in the mirror and see the face i had always seen…you know, back when i was using afro sheen instead of sunscreen. IS THAT ASKING TO DAMN MUCH!? after the past 2 years that i've had…. i needed botox more than violet crawley.
so my mom, blogger friend natalie (seeded in the south) and i (plus all 3 kids i might add!) headed to The Skin Wellness Center to give it a try to and see if our problem areas were easily fixable without surgery. i actually started using retinol a couple months ago and have loved the results except it makes your skin really dry and i already have really dry skin. the dry skin i have been treating with cbd oil (cause + medic gateway serum) and its literally like magic. worth every penny and then some, but i definitely needed to go under the needle for some of my deeper wrinkles. chrissy was AMAZING at the injections… if only she could make me look like her! haha! but seriously… go see chrissy.
me
natalie
my mom
soooo what exactly is botox?
its basically poison. i know that sounds terrible, but its actually a purified protein called botulinum toxin type a. it works by temporarily blocking nerve impulses that trigger muscle contractions, therefore softening wrinkles. ALSO…. by doing this its actually also preventative treatment because you aren't making the faces that cause the wrinkles (which was a BIG thing for me.)
where did you go?
i went to the skin wellness center to my friend Chrissy Handly. Chrissy is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside and was amazing at answering my 10 billion questions. i never felt pressured to do anything outside my comfort zone. she talked me through everything she would or wouldn't do if she was me. i told her i wouldn't mind if she made my face into a kardashian's, but she kept me looking like me (for better or for worse!)
what was the appointment like?
they start by having you explain the areas that bother you. then they explain options of treatment. no pressure what so ever. they snapped some "before" photos that i'd love to never see again, BUT they made me feel great when i saw the "after" photos. then they did quick numbing if you wanted/ needed it, then the botox and dysport (for me)
what did you have done?
i ended up doing botox for my forehead and frown lines (between my eyebrows), plus dysport around my crows feet (outside corner of eyes). are you thinking "what the hell is dysport!?" because i know i was when she mentioned it. its a competitor to botox and is also botulinum type a. chrissy explained its like comparing coke to pepsi. she also explained that dysport works better around the eyes (smaller molecules, better spread effect) which is one area of concern i had. just to show how little knowledge i had, i even asked chrissy if she could put some botox on the outer corners of my lips (smile lines) she told me this would make me look like i had a stroke and thats typically a place people use fillers (and my mom did!) botox can be used in other spots around the mouth but not there. y'all… this is a foreign world to me.
my mom did voluma, juvederm, dysport, and botox. voluma is a filler that corrects mid face volume loss and lifts the lower face (it can last up to 2 years!!) i had no idea about face volume loss as you age until our appointment! so chrissy put this around her cheeks. it also gives the look of high and pronounced cheek bones. juvederm is also a filler. chrissy used this in my moms marionette/smile lines (corners of mouth.) Lastly, mom got botox between her brows and dysport at her crows feet.
check out natalie's blog, seeded in the south, to see what she did!
did it hurt?
NO. i feel like this is a big thing for most people. yes i do have a high pain tolerance after all my medical pregnancy history. i used to be so fearful of getting a shot, that i literally didn't get ones i needed for school. i remember being prescribed 2 valiums for a vaccine i had to get in high school and my mom LITERALLY GIVING ME SHOTS OF VODKA before i went in. i have come a LONG WAY. but i can't even compare the pain to a bee sting. like not even a sweat bee. the needles are teeny tiny. chrissy offered my a topical lidocaine numbing cream that i turned down, so that option is there! i feel like with shots, its not the needle that hurts but the medicine. that wasn't the case with the botox. after the needle, i felt nothing.
how much was it?
well i ended up doing dysport (which is $4 a unit) and botox ($12 a unit)…before you're thinking "oh i'll just do dysport since its cheaper" let me explain. about one unit of botox is equal to about 3 units of dysport… aka they cost the same. everyone's face is different and treatments could be made to fit into your budget. but i asked myself over and over "would you pay to feel better about yourself?" of course the answer was YES. to me, this is something worth saving for. its the boost in confidence i needed.
voluma is $700 for your 1st syringe and $500 for each syringe after. juvederm is $575 for the 1st syringe and $400 for each syringe after.
buuuttttt mention "touch of gray blog" at your appointment for 25% off! … thank me later ;)
are there any other ways to get discounts or talk before i commit?
actually YES! we have teamed up with one of our favorite local boutiques, Obligato, and Skin Wellness Center for a beauty event THIS THURSDAY, June 16 from 6-8pm at Obligato. There will be wine/apps and 25% off procedures booked at the event, 20% products, and 25% off all of Obligato!! Natalie and I will be there for everyone to check out our new and improved faces :)
but thats not even the best news… we have some INSANE door prizes (redeemed at later appointment chosen by you):
1st at 6:30pm: botox around eyes, neocutis lumiere eye cream, hydrafacial md ($508 value)
2nd at 7pm: 1 syringe of juvederm, hydrafacial md, neocutis journee ($850 value)
GRAND PRIZE at 7:30pm: 1 syringe of juvederm, botox, latisse, hydrafacial md, neocutis lumber eye cream, biocream and journee ($1891 value!!!!!)
1st prize at 6:30pm: botox around eyes, neocutis lumiere eye cream, hydrafacial md ($508 value)
2nd prize at 7pm: 1 syringe of juvederm, hydrafacial md, neocutis journee ($850 value)
GRAND PRIZE at 7:30pm: 1 syringe of juvederm, botox, latisse, hydrafacial md, neocutis lumber eye cream, biocream and journee ($1891 value!!!!!)
show me the before/after pics:
my frown lines
my crows feet
my forehead wrinkles
mom's crows feet
mom
mom
