Sad about signs of ageing in 30s, shall I get Botox?

[Thedivinyls]

I'm sure people are going to tell me, "You're being ridiculous, wait until you're 50/60" and I do get that, but I also don't want my feelings to be invalidated.
I've got faint 11 lines and crows feet which are worsening. I do wear high SPF every day, sunglasses most days, never smoked, don't drink, no sunbeds etc. But I suppose ageing is inevitable in spite of all this.
I've been using tretionin for 2 months and have zero results so far, but I'm told it can take several months to work.
I don't feel I look as fresh as I used to, and my eye area is a bit hollower.
I know it's not the end of the world, but I don't feel as confident as I did in myself 2 or 3 years ago.
A solution would be to get Botox, I've had it before and it worked well. I have an offer where I can get 2 areas for £100.
However there's a constant societal pressure to be 'saving every penny' especially at the minute.
Just this feeling that it's wrong to be spending money on anything that's non essential, and that's wrong in itself, especially with working full time.
My partner says I don't need it and could never justify spending £100 on it, but then I feel like there are always more attractive and younger looking 23 year olds around the corner.
I mean I'm doing it for myself first of all. Should I get it?

Saying you have to keep getting it done is a stupid argument, you can say the exact same thing about tanning, nails, waxing, threading, micro blading. If you don't like it, you don't have to keep getting it done.

Do it OP, I forgo expensive skincare for Botox twice a year since my early thirties - now 41 and it's been the best thing ever.

Also, I had pretty deep lines on my forehead that have completely weakened due to Botox/inactivity. It's amazing.

I'm 52, and I'm lucky enough to have always had really great skin. I've always used spf max facially and never sunbathed. I'm not wrinkly (much 🤭)

Botox in my 11's is marvelous. It does make me look less tired/worried and I've been doing it for 10 years, on and off.

I'm 28 and have some botox in fine lines mainly for prevention of further signs. Speak to an expert for advice

The reason people say fillers/botox etc look terrible is because when it's done terribly it can definitely not only age a person but make them look very weird.

I think the terrible work is compounded by how heavily saturated the market is and the field being unregulated. There’s plenty of “aesthetic practitioners” without medical qualifications and lacking experience just trying to make a quick buck - which is where all the shit work comes from. Cheap clinics are very, very risky, I wouldn’t trust just anyone to inject my face. You have to research who is administering your work as deeply as you would a plastic surgeon. Photos on social media aren’t always accurate.

TBH I’m just as shocked by how many qualified nurses we seem to be losing to the aesthetics industry. Something does need to be done about the manicurists on the loose with injectibles , though, I agree.

I'm mid 30s and look mid 20s, I still get I'd everywhere I go and people are always very surprised at my age.

I haven't had botox yet but if I had 11s I'd go for it. If you don't like it then it disappears after 4 months. Over time the results get better as well as the muscles get weaker. Try it. Its not a lot of money to spend on yourself if it completely changes your self esteem. It also helps prevent wrinkles over time.

Ignore anybody telling you to waituntil you're older. That is terrible old hat information. If you want to look good in your 40s and 50s you need to start now unfortunately, as wrinkles, sundamage and sagging are much harder to reverse than prevent.

Other things you can try that are more budget friendly are agrireline by the ordinary. It's about 6 pounds a bottle and works in a similar way to botox but not as dramatic. It can however erase forehead lines. You need to use it continually though. If you search "argireline results reddit" in Google images you can see a handful of people who use it. This works super well for me and at that price point you would be mad not to try it. I use it daily and don't have so much as a crease.

If you have wrinkles appearing I would heavily suggest tretinoin. You can go through a dermatologist and pay a fortune or you can order from a country like Spain where it is sold over the counter in pharmacies. You need to do research to use it safely and start at a low dose but it's the absolute gold standard for anti aging and nothing will ever work as well is tretinon, not even products which claim to contain retinol as it just isn't at a high enough clinical amount usually. I buy mine from an online pharmacy for 6 pounds a tube but its a good idea to stock up as postage is high. If you go this route stock up om simple good moisturiser you will need it. Its a silver bullet for me. It did everything I wanted and more and imo is the only product worth using. Much cheaper than expensive fave creams.

I derma roller and the results are so impressive. I wont lie, it stings a bit. It can be harsh with tret as well and i might need a day of not wesring make up after. I do it as need. If I notice a line starting to pop up I can often disappear it using that in combination with tret.

I've heard good things about frownies which are big stickers you put on your forehead at night to reduce wrinkles. Obviously buy an off brand version, to save cost. I'm unsure if that's a route you want to try but may be worth a shot for the price.

Don't be sad op. You won't look 'done', nobody will be able to tell unless you go crazy and decide to get a ton of lip filler.

I've suggested only a few budget options as you said cost was a factor for botox. None of the things I've suggested will work as well as botox, but may be useful overall and especially New problems can and do pop up haha.

Good luck op

Waiting until you have established lines is too late. You need to do it before they form in the areas like between the brows for example. I get botox and literally, no one has noticed other than my partner who said it has made me look a bit "younger and fresher". Botox is a preventative measure, NOT a fix. 100% go for it, I feel so much more confident in myself and it's a little something that makes me happy.

Botox done well is in no way obvious, but make sure go somewhere reputable!

@HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd
It’s a shame but good for those nurses! They’re overworked and underpaid & so I understand why administering injectables appeal to them.

You’re right about beauticians. In comparison at least nurses understand where blood vessels lie, hygiene practices and general duty of care towards patients

I felt the same as you and started getting Botox in my mid 30s. It does actually help prevent further wrinkles so if you're going to do it that some point then I figure you're better to start it as a preventative (there have been twin studies comparing the effect of botox vs without over time). I'm 41 now and haven't looked back. None of my family have said anything so it can't be noticeable (some of them aren't the kind who would hold back from saying something if they noticed!)

I've worn spf 50 on my face neck and décolleté every day of my adult life yet still have been subject to extremely deep 11s. Its to do with facial movement and things like frowning and squeezing your eyes as you focus on something being a tendency (not due to eyesight in this case). I waited until I was 35 until I first had a little botox in there ensuring it was by a cosmetic surgeon, not an aesthetician, not a dentist, not a nurse but someone really versed in not only medical knowledge but the creative outcome. This soundss silly, but you can make people look completely different depending on exactly where its put and fractional differences in dose. i was fully informed that there is the possibility of side effects and things that can go wrong. (I told a good friend i had had it done and she decided to pop into a local dentist with a snazzy sign and special offers on botox and fillers. It went very wrong!) Overall, Very few people knew unless I specifically told them. Everyone told me how well I looked. My botox lasts a year or a year and a half but then I don't care if the lines get bad. However over time they have got weaker. I've been told it's because the muscles loose their ability to do perform the function.
Out of interest I've also had three cosmetic surgeons who specialise in injectable refuse nose fillers as they say the are too dangerous in terms of blindness risks has this been fully discussed with you @Thedivinyls ?
I am in a happy marriage and comfortable with life. I have no concerns in any respect. I definitely never worried about a younger replacement coming along. I always looked stressed and tired when I wasn't and people always said I looked tired. When I saw a photograph of myself I realised why which was what prompted me to gave my first dose. Are you scrutinising your appearance? Maybe only you only notice the lines so far and it's insecurity promting this?

If you can afford it and it'll make you feel better, go for it.

I think most people who've had botox themselves are able to identify who has had botox, but that doesn't necessarily mean they look bad. It's mostly the badly done cases that people notice and comment on.

The ageing process, to me, is about growing in wisdom. You might consider some people to be "more attractive", but not everyone has the same taste. So what if someone considers another to be "more attractive"? Are they kind? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they intelligent? Do they have a special talent - sport, art, music, etc...? I heard this proverb recently: “When an Elder dies, a library burns to the ground.” That brings home the loss of knowledge acquired over a lifetime. Don't forget that some of the "more attractive" younger ones will be looking over their shoulders at those younger than them... and so it goes on. The important thing is to be content in your own skin, with who you are, not in comparison to others. Outer beauty is fleeting; inner beauty lasts a lifetime.

You need to accept you’re living. Let’s face it, the alternative is worse.

You say yourself that you don’t earn enough to sustain the process. Why not spend the money on improving your education, skills and knowledge, and developing a much fuller life, so that what you look like is far less important.

The thing about Botox is. You need to get it BEFORE the wrinkles set in. So yes do it. You won’t regret it. It just holds everything back and stops those anger and worry lines progressing. If you wait it will be too late

Personally OP I think Botox is a bad idea and a waste of money because women look so beautiful as they age. It's natural, and elegant, but only if you really embrace it. There's nothing worse than wanting to cling on to youth. If you get Botox now it'll just be the start of wanting more stuff done. Spend that £100 on something that'll bring your Joie de Vivre back and remind you that you're beautiful just as you are!

I think the money Would be better aren't on a therapist and working on your self esteem.

But it's natural to have lines, everyone does. There's nothing negative or ugly about it.

I started having Botox at 38, just for my number elevens. I get it every 4 months. It's great, I feel so much better about myself. Expensive though.

I just take a look at any number of celebrities and it puts me off ever having anything done, Jennifer Aniston, Simon Cowell, Renee zellweger....

Just it may look better for a while, so you are hooked, but eventually you look weird expressionless and eventually grotesque.

I'm aging gracefully me. I've earned every wrinkle

The main thing I see wrong with your post is £100 for 2 areas.
Botox is a drug and there are certain legal processes that need to be followed. £100 for 2 areas is too cheap and shouts alarm bells.

In your 30s is an ideal time to start Botox. Waiting until 50s (as you mention in your post) is actually too late.
Botox is a preventative. It relaxed the muscles and stops you from frowning, so stops future wrinkles.
It sounds like it will be effective on your lines as they are not too deep.

Tretinoin will take you 6months before you start seeing results. However it won’t work on the 11s as they are being caused by muscle action. It will help with fine lines and overall skin quality. So definitely keep this up (along with sunscreen too!)

P.s ensure you see a medical professional. There are many non medical people injecting peoples faces. (Nuts isn’t it. Some of these people are using illegally bought Botox from abroad and not following the legal pathways, or prescription and pharmacy)

@Icedlatteplease
yes the celebrities who presumably have access to the very best surgeons and still look really weird put me off too!
I do think though that a small amount of Botox for very deep lines like 11s can work well though. However it seems to be difficult to get it right as I see a lot of people who when they raise their eyebrows have a large shiny static patch where the 11s were and lines everywhere else and that just looks very obvious.

The 'it always looks bad and you can always tell' brigade don't make sense-- you can only tell if you can tell.

The random person on the high street might not be able to tell but your friends, family and work colleagues will immediately notice straight away. If you stroll into the office on a Monday after treatment over the weekend people will assume that you have had botox, not that you are just 'well rested', 'fresh' or 'the best version of you' or any of the other twee descriptions used to minimise the fact that you have had an invasive cosmetic procedure. Even if the procedure looks shit most people are too polite to say it to your face, they will just chat about it behind your back, conversations I have had numerous times.

Botox only works well on people under 45 I think. Once the neck ages it's pointless trying to remove wrinkles as the effect looks ridiculous and jarring with an ageing neck. The neck never lies.

You're doing it for the wrong reasons. To keep a man you're worried is going to stray because of a younger looking woman. If he's that pathetic, you're better off without him.

Also, the more you have, the more you're going to look like you've been stung by a thousand bees when you're older. It might be 'hidden' right now, but people can tell already. You go from one day having wrinkles to the next having none of fewer, doesn't take a genius to work it out. And it will just look worse and worse the longer you have it, and you'll need more and more, costing you more money.

All to keep a man who isn't worth it if he buggers off anyway.