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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think about botox

127 replies

TaylorBrown · 27/06/2024 06:00

How common is botox and how haggard does it make you look when your older?
I've been thinking of getting a bit as I have a deep line on my forehead but partner said i will regret it when I'm older. I am 32 just now. I would obviously only be getting a few top ups a year. I know people can look terrible after but they are the people who get loads but does a few top ups a year really make you look that bad when your older ? I would maybe get some around my eyes too to hide the wrinkles lol

OP posts:
Unexpectedlysinglemum · 20/08/2024 06:52

Go for a consultation and they can answer all your questions!
But basically if you have it and then stop it doesn't make you loon different to if you hadn't had it other than you'd have 3 months less aging

Littlemisscapable · 20/08/2024 07:28

HangingOver · 27/06/2024 07:07

I love Botox lol I'm 36 and started getting it before the lines really took hold. It's expensive though, it wears of quick.

This. Its great but I can't get it to last more than 10 weeks. Even after treatment I won't really see any difference until about 10 days after. Does anyone else have this problem ? It's so expensive for basically 8 weeks for me..have tried different practitioners (nurses).

Scorchio84 · 20/08/2024 11:08

@Littlemisscapable that's awful that it only lasts for 8 weeks, have you gone back to the practitioner or even tried a different one or a doctor rather than a nurse if that makes a difference? I like that it gradually begins to work, way more discreet unlike fillers (which I've also had) which are immediate but I also love that too 😆

IOnlyNeedTheSilence · 20/08/2024 12:03

Some people metabolise it reallly quickly: I can get 5/6 months but my friend gave up as hers didn't last more than about 4-6 weeks.

LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife · 20/08/2024 12:18

It is so sad that women are supporting an industry that preys on and profits by the insecurity of women.
It does not look natural. At all. Your natural face is what looks natural. When we look in the mirror we do not see our faces as others do, we focus on one are at a time and scrutinise it.

The whole Botox/filler's appearance is a spectrum from the 'little bit' to the distorted face and what it creates is a 'look'. No matter how little or how much you have you have the 'look' to some degree or other.

It is not a natural, fresh look, it's a look that makes you look like every other person that has it done. The sad thing is that it is women driving this. Someone once send 'Trends are for the anxious' and they were spot on.

charitynamechange · 20/08/2024 12:26

@LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife I tend to agree. But you will get lots of replies from posters saying theirs looks natural and their friends have just commented that they look 'well' or 'rested' or 'fresh'. The problem with this is that friends by their very nature are polite and kind and aren't going to blurt out 'gosh have you had some work done?'

MartyFunkhouser · 20/08/2024 12:38

Mine looks natural, I just don’t look cross.

If friends tell me my skin looks great, or ask me what skincare I use, I tell them but always include that I have Botox.

At least 10 of my friends and colleagues now see my practitioner (which means I get a discount 😄). So they are all insecure. Or maybe, like me, they are really vain and want to look as good as they can.

People being somehow offended by others’ choice to have it puzzle me.

Anotherparkingthread · 20/08/2024 13:38

faffadoodledo · 19/08/2024 21:32

And in their 20s! My daughter is 26 and says friends of hers get it done. I look at her face and skin and think it's flawless. I can't see why they'd do it.

It's flawless because of the Botox though lol. Botox does more then elevate wrinkles, it prevents the formation of dynamic wrinkles which we get as we age from using certain muscles like forehead lines from raising eyebrows. I have had lip flip in the past, when I laugh my lip turns under making my smile gummy When I laugh or smile really hard. When I have the lip flip my lip doesn't lift so my smile looks better as my lip stays more relaxed, it looks more natural and makes photos where I'm laughing look a million times better. Some people have jaw Botox to slim their jawline down if the muscles are very pronounced there, or because the jaw clenching causes tooth pain or headaches.

It's really misunderstood, people often think that Botox is just for againg but it can do all kinds of things. The same as most people think filler = duck lips. It's just not the truth.

ZanyFox · 20/08/2024 13:41

I had my frown lines done again the morning. I've also had some in the area just below my lip corners, so I don't have that miserable downturn that seems to have crept in in the last few years. Love it.

Bohomovies · 20/08/2024 15:22

LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife · 20/08/2024 12:18

It is so sad that women are supporting an industry that preys on and profits by the insecurity of women.
It does not look natural. At all. Your natural face is what looks natural. When we look in the mirror we do not see our faces as others do, we focus on one are at a time and scrutinise it.

The whole Botox/filler's appearance is a spectrum from the 'little bit' to the distorted face and what it creates is a 'look'. No matter how little or how much you have you have the 'look' to some degree or other.

It is not a natural, fresh look, it's a look that makes you look like every other person that has it done. The sad thing is that it is women driving this. Someone once send 'Trends are for the anxious' and they were spot on.

Ugh, this is so condescending. I hate it when people use the word “sad” in this way. It’s so passive-aggressive and it’s a way of putting women down.
Botox and fillers are a choice. Just as having a perm or having hair dyed or nails done is a choice.

MartyFunkhouser · 20/08/2024 15:27

ZanyFox · 20/08/2024 13:41

I had my frown lines done again the morning. I've also had some in the area just below my lip corners, so I don't have that miserable downturn that seems to have crept in in the last few years. Love it.

I had my lip corners done last time and it is transformative!

LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife · 20/08/2024 15:35

@Bohomovies

It's IS sad. It's depressing and it's neither passive aggressive nor putting women down.

You choose it fine but why?

Bohomovies · 20/08/2024 15:47

@LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife

First of all, I haven’t chosen it. I’ve never had Botox or fillers in my life. But it I do choose it, why does that depress you? Would it depress you if I subjected myself to strong chemicals at a hair salon or nail bar? Why do you judge other people like that?

ZanyFox · 20/08/2024 16:20

What's natural? Frown lines caused by years of worry? Lip lines caused by smoking? Forehead lines exacerbated by sun damage?

Grapewrath · 20/08/2024 16:32

I’ve had Botox for years but sometimes with gaps and in the gaps I just look like I did before if that makes sense?
Most people are shocked when I tell them I have Botox as it’s very light touch- on MN everyone thinks people who have it are walking around with frozen faces and shiny heads but not everyone has the same amountor practitioner
I really like it- I just look fresher

xsquared · 20/08/2024 17:12

LastNightMyPJsSavedMyLife · 20/08/2024 12:18

It is so sad that women are supporting an industry that preys on and profits by the insecurity of women.
It does not look natural. At all. Your natural face is what looks natural. When we look in the mirror we do not see our faces as others do, we focus on one are at a time and scrutinise it.

The whole Botox/filler's appearance is a spectrum from the 'little bit' to the distorted face and what it creates is a 'look'. No matter how little or how much you have you have the 'look' to some degree or other.

It is not a natural, fresh look, it's a look that makes you look like every other person that has it done. The sad thing is that it is women driving this. Someone once send 'Trends are for the anxious' and they were spot on.

Do you know ow anyone in real life who has had Botox?

Until fairly recently, I didn't think anyone I knew did, but I was surprised to discover 4 women in my department who did, and merrily chatting Botox during a rare department lunch together.

My not knowing may have something to do with Botox not being obvious if it's done well. The oldest one im her 50s just looks more polished and her skin does look smoother and fresher. One of the younger ones in her 30s, I'm afraid to say I can tell she did something to her face when she came back from Mat leave, as it looked tight and shiny, and her eyes seem to have got smaller. I thought it was rapid weight loss to begin with.

faffadoodledo · 20/08/2024 19:15

@Anotherparkingthread you misunderstood, or I expressed badly. DD's skin is flawless without Botox. I'm quite sure the skin of her 26 year old friends is perfectly fine without it too. It seems such a waste of money and angst.

Newbie8918 · 20/08/2024 23:00

@Littlemisscapable you maybe need to switch up the product that your practitioner uses. For example Botox (the brand) isn't great for me and wears off quickly. Azzalure lasts almost 6 months. It has a wider dispersal rate and the dose used is lower.

My injector is a plastic surgery nurse too and is amazing. When Botox (the brand) wasn't working for me, we tried a few different brands until we got it right.

Newbie8918 · 20/08/2024 23:08

@xsquared exactly this. There is good Botox and bad Botox.

Critics tend to be those who have never had it and don't understand what they are looking at/for. A work colleague was mid rant about 'Botox' and I asked her to give me examples of people we knew who looked bad. She gave me a list of celebs who all had, had excessive filler. This is a totally different product. Only one example was of bad Botox which was a deliberate unnatural look (eye lift) which can be completely avoided.
She nearly fell off her chair when I told her that I'd been having Botox for 15 years. When done properly it really shouldn't be too noticeable.

IOnlyNeedTheSilence · 20/08/2024 23:22

My mum was moaning to me about people who have Botox, when I told her I'd had it the previous month.

She still moans but for judgy reasons not aesthetic ones.

You really can't always tell...

MidnightMeltdown · 20/08/2024 23:39

I'm in my 30s and no way would I have that shit injected into my body.

When I'm in my 50s I might change my mind. I think if your face is dropping anyway, then it matters less if there are adverse effects - but I wouldn't do it in my 30s or 40s.

IOnlyNeedTheSilence · 21/08/2024 06:32

Ok @MidnightMeltdown 😁

FWIW I never thought I'd get it at all; then I turned 43...

MooFroo · 21/08/2024 07:26

Know someone in late 20s who’s been having it for years - she’s stunning anyway and can’t tell any difference but apparently that’s the point now - do it young enough so that you never get the lines anyway?!

i think it’s crazy at that age. At almost 50, it’s a different story!!

sweetlittleshiba22 · 01/11/2024 12:25

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5128gap · 01/11/2024 12:33

I've had botox in my 11s for 25 years. I'm 55 now and can say without arrogance or delusion, I don't look even slightly 'haggered'. The things that result in that unfortunate description tend to be related to sag and deep lines. Botox has no effect either way on sag, and has a preventative effect on the formation of deep lines. This is because it prevents you making the repetitive movements that over the years crease the skin. Even when my botox has worn off completely I have only very slight 11s as I've bypassed a lot of frowning over the years. I'm fact I only tend to bother ever 18 months or so now for my migraines.