If all my friends have botox and I don't....

[DonPablo]

Will I look old an haggard stood next to them? And can anyone recommend me a product to help with lines?

I'm 40. I take reasonable care of my skin. I have some lines, crows feet, normal ageing but nothing severe. My last, non botoxed friend caved last week and had it.

I feel old and ordinary but I'd never have fillers, botox or the likes. I don't even dye my hair! I love makeup and like to look good, but I guess I'm being left behind and I'm worried it'll show. Am I Being Ridiculous?

I think it’s often fillers that make people look odd, plus a heavy hand with Botox.

Bool I have to disagree about Jenifer Anniston, I saw a bit of a recent-ish film of hers the other day and thought she looked strange.

I remember several years ago Denise Van Outen was on TV and I hadn’t seen her for years and she had quite obviously had something done. Couldn’t put my finger on quite what but she was looking a bit feline. Thought the same about JA.

My dentist and dentist hygienist offer it. The former clearly does not have it herself but the hygienist does. The latter looks increasingly weirded, shiny plastic skin (is that Botox or fillers) and inflated lips. On their website there is an old photo of her. She looks completely different now, wrong.

You wouldn't even know if someone's had Botox unless they tell you.
If they have a big amount in a few areas then maybe you can tell but usually you can't.

I have Botox in my frown lines I don't have a huge shiny frozen forehead (as I don't have it in my forehead) and not one person has ever said anything.
I tell people as I'm not embarrassed but you wouldn't know.

I'm 44 and I certainly don't look like I'm 21 but I'm not trying to. I just want the deep lines to go away a bit and stop getting worse.

Agree with @ineedtostopbeingsolazy. If done well it just ‘relaxes’ the frown lines. But each to their own. Just don’t be naive to think people would tell you that they have had it done. Even good mates. It can be a deeply personal thing.

I've had botox in my frown lines. I'm only late 30s but have been cursed with quite prominent 11s and they were making me look permanently pissed off. They've not gone entirely and I can still move my face but they are much much less deep and I look less grumpy and less tired. I have no interest in fillers or botox in any other parts, I hate the weird feline look, I'm not trying to pretend I'm not ageing, I just didn't want to look angry.

I know lots of people who have had similar very subtle botox done, it's so common now. But most of the time you'd never know unless they told you.

I'm 62 and I have never had Botox or fillers, only one of my friends has and she looks slightly odd. If you have lines that make you look unhappy then yes, I can understand it. A big smile, a nice haircut and good makeup have far more effect on how you look.

Most of my friends have had that or lip fillers and some have had other surgery but I'm ok with my face. It's not particularly attractive or unattractive, it's just what I look like. It's the only part of me that I have completely neutral feelings about, weirdly.
I think if I started to get smokers lines around my mouth I'd get those sorted but other than that I'll leave it alone.
To me, it doesn't really matter if I look my age as long as I'm happy with that.

I only know one person who has had Botox and it went wrong .. I think it looks horrible and having lost my best friend to cancer recently I want to live as cleanly as possible and Injecting stuff into my face and therefore my whole system doesn't seem like a great idea ..

I find this fascinating I'm 42 had Botox for 12 years. I work in the beauty sector so also have caci treatments. I do look younger but I am well maintained. It's funny I often speak to people who get no help who say to me their age and claim they look really young, when they don't! I then tell them my age which surprises them. I was speaking to a make up artist last week who is 47 she looked 35 max and beautiful she told me she doesn't use Botox anymore because it made her forehead look like concrete, she does have caci though. It definitely helps to look after yourself and Botox is not a must. However, I have met these woman who do nothing other than wear Nivea and tell people how young they look, they have a deluded idea of how people their age nowadays look if they maintain themselves well. Some women look incredible for their age.

Jesus no, where does it end. Many women already look like weird bots half the time. I’m happy to age alongside my DH, staying clean and tidy like he gets to without all the ‘enhancements’.

I'm 42 & my best friends are aged 34 - 43, none of us have had Botox or fillers.
We all get told we look young for our age.

Colleagues of mine of all ages from 30 to 70 have had Botox & fillers as have women at the gym & I can tell when they've had them.
They don't look any younger, just a bit more 'perfect'.

I know what you're saying. I'm 38 and worried that I'll never keep up. I look after myself but my teeth are slightly wonky and I wouldn't have anything like surgery or fillers etc. However - I am yet to see anyone with their lips done that doesn't make me tilt my head a bit - it doesn't look right to me however 'well' they are done.

There's no shame in looking your age.

Some of my friends have started having botox at 26, it's ridiculous, they'll potentially be having it for 50 years!

OP this is interesting to me because I posted on another thread about the general dilemma of not being interested in looks but literally don't have any friends who don't make a big effort.

I only think one or two are having botox though.

tbh botox would be something I'd never consider though - at the moment it's the very basics of keeping up appearances.

I live in a not-great area and the number of nail salons, clinics etc is amazing.

I think as a whole the industry relies on it become normal and I am starting to feel it takes courage to step away from that "norm".

I have also seen on here about people having "preventative" botox.

if you step away from it all and think, what do I really want, then what's the answer?

.

Your friends will like the effect but continue to have it because they can’t let their faces deflate and then they will get more and more plastic and weird looking whilst you will age naturally and beautifully.

Agree with this. In your 40s maybe you can look a bit smoother with some botox but as time goes on you will just look more and more odd - especially as people tend to lose track of what they would look like naturally and start wanting more and more done. When you're all older you will look much, much better having aged naturally.

I'm nearly 50, I'm happy with my face and I don't want botox. Sleep, drinking enough water, eating salmon and avocados etc, not too much alcohol, doing exercise, and keeping the sun off your face, are all ways to have better skin that won't make you start to look strange.

My friends must be an odd lot, only the one with Botox and all but 2 of us have gone the short hair let it go grey route. I have nice thick longish hair and it looks better coloured, but I may let it go grey later on.

I’ve been surprised at the speed with which it’s been normalised. It won’t affect me - I’m way past the stage of caring about wrinkles - but I do wonder if future generations will feel pressured in the same way women get railroaded now onto the covering up grey treadmill. I guess cost will be a factor.

I’m a bit at all the posts about not wanting to look angry. I do wonder what that’s about and why women are expected to look cheerful all the time. It gives me a most uncomfortable feeling although I can’t quite express why.

As for people not noticing - I’m sure I don’t always spot it, especially not the first few times, but I know a couple of women where it’s really pretty obvious but I wouldn’t dream of saying anything. Maybe they think no-one’s noticed?

I don’t think anyone I know has it (friends and colleagues in their 40s, 50s and 60s.) Of course they might not broadcast it but everybody looks normally aged/wrinkled but perfectly fine.

You'll have the last laugh.

I'm here all week.

I googled caci because I'd never heard of it - reminds me of those slendertone things that used to be a thing (do they still exist?) for toning up your stomach except it's for your face. OP, you could try face yoga.

my manager was matron at a private hospital that did cosmetic work ( and general stuff) she can spot it a mile off.

None of my friends have had it done. We're in our mid 50s and at least a couple of them could afford it. I really think the idea of being injected with nature's strongest poison is a bit odd.

However I luckily have the genes that mean I have fewer lines than people younger than me. So I can't really judge

I know what u mean op. I have looked after myself naturally and i cannot really complain about my looks but if other 49 year olds can afford botox fillers little nips tucks blepheroplasty eye lid lifts jowl lifts, im going to look like their auntie