My mid-40s Botox experience (good!)

[Thingsarel00kingup]

Just posting to say, if you're my sort of age and undecided, do it!

I'd 'ummmed' and 'aaahed' about it for ages and kept persevering with different serums, moisturisers etc, hoping for the magic elixir!

Cost put me off and the worry of it going wrong, or looking silly. I finally had it for the first time last week. Saw a highly recommended local aesthetician who was very knowledgeable, went through all my concerns etc and even suggested I DIDN'T have my laughter lines done as it wouldn't suit.

The full results show in two weeks, but already I can see an amazing transformation. I look as happy as I am, rather than the slightly cross look my 11s gave. It looks natural, there's still movement, it just all looks a lot less creased! Like a nicely ironed pillow case

[MistyMinge2]

I've been thinking of having my 11 lines done for a while now and this is making me think I'll go for it. They're so prominent. I don't care about the rest of my face, but the 11 lines are starting to get to me. I quite often get people ask me if I'm OK. I swear I wake up frowning, it seems to be be totally involuntary.

[TheDogsMother]

@Wondersense I understand your response but this person a respected expert in his field (I've checked) with a very successful practice so I'm pretty confident he knows his stuff. I do still have plenty of facial expression and none of the frozen look. The difference is subtle but a little fresher looking. Each to their own.

[Wondersense]

Also, God forbid that women have facial expressions, eh?

Frown lines??? Quick!! Burn her!!!

[Wondersense]

@TheDogsMother

Mine is done by my dentist ! Quite a few do this now as their knowledge of facial anatomy is very advanced.

Hahahahahaha. 😆 If I ever meet the reconstructive dentist I saw at my hospital again one day, I'll tell him this.

Dentists get shit loads of money for doing cosmetic procedures, and some on dubious certifications. Some of them get away with not being trained properly in implant surgery, so I imagine it's even easier with botox. I wouldn't trust them just because they're a dentist if I were you!

[Wondersense]

I'd caution women here on getting Botox or fillers in terms of the positive comments you get. I had a work colleague who got her lips done every now and again. Other colleagues fawned on her, and were thinking of getting the same thing doing one day. I cannot fathom why. She clearly had that tell tale ridiculous duck-lip look from the side. Part of the reason why she got to that duck stage is people kept telling her she looked natural, which made her think she could put more in without noticing. Does no one care about that anymore or are people blind?

[TheDogsMother]

Mine is done by my dentist ! Quite a few do this now as their knowledge of facial anatomy is very advanced.

[Obviouslynotallthere]

Me too at 54. More a softening of the hardening frown lines making me look tired and pissed off. Actually nobody has noticed but I'm wearing less makeup and look like myself. It took me a very long time to decide though I'm glad I did.

[wishing3]

I had my frown lines done too, with a recommended person who a friend had used. She was keen to not do anything extreme which is when I think it looks shit. I loved it! Glad you’re happy with yours OP!

[ThePawtriarchy]

[quote SummerSummerSummertime]@Ineedflour "Because she wanted to and she's pleased with it."

Oh that's FINE then 🙄🤷‍♀️[/quote]
Yes, it is.

[keepingbees]

@mutinyonthebunty I'm not in your area unfortunately, but thank you. It's a shame as he sounds really good!

[FaffingForEngland]

What's an aesthetician? And what knowledge of facial anatomy do they have? Those would be my first two questions.

[mutinyonthebunty]

@Cooltalkin I was terrified so it took me a while to work up to booking it but I didn't feel it at all and it was over really quickly, and I had no adverse affects. I'll definitely keep it up now!

[Cooltalkin]

@mutinyonthebunty
Thank you I haven’t had it done and I’m nervous . Someone fully qualified makes me feel in safer hands thanks again

[mutinyonthebunty]

@Cooltalkin I can't seem to send messages but it's Dr McKeating at Rejuvamed (clinics in Chorley and Clitheroe) www.rejuvamed.co.uk

[Cooltalkin]

@mutinyonthebunty
I would be interested in your practitioner details if you wouldn’t mind sending me the info thanks

[mutinyonthebunty]

@keepingbees thanks! I'm exactly the same, rest of face fine but deep 11's thanks to light sensitivity and working on a laptop. My practitioner is an NHS anaesthetist with 25 years experience and his own aesthetic clinics, he only charges £135 for one area (north west of England) because he hates seeing unlicensed practitioners doing a bad job and people using them because they are cheap! Can pass details if you are nearby.

[Delatron]

I haven’t had any for about a year now.

Desperate to get my 11s done but need a new practitioner. Last one I had slight eyebrow spocking. One before I had slight eyebrow droop. So annoying.

My worry is atrophy of muscled so I leave a big gap and allow it to wear off fully. I also use a Nuface to try and work the muscles (but not in a frowny way)

I have read somewhere that once you get to 60ish Botox doesn’t look that great as the rest of your face doesn’t match if you see what I mean? Saggy face plus smoothish forehead looks a bit off.

I’m terrified of filler but I like the idea of a bit in the temples. I think there has been a move away from filling the lines/ cheeks to adding structure and support to the face. This I guess stops that hamster/ over filled pillow face look that looks awful.

[keepingbees]

@mutinyonthebunty you look great!

I really want my 11's doing. I don't care about the rest of my face but these bother me. Mine are hereditary made worse by a mix of chronic pain, years of stress and astigmatic extremely light sensitive eyes.

What is an average cost for a decent practitioner?

[SoManyActivities]

I think it can be preventative in that the muscle is frozen so no more damage can be done.

Ah yes, that's true, so frown lines etc might not get worse as such a fast rate because you are not creasing the skin over and over? It would still be susceptible to collagen loss due to age, sun damage and all that though I guess?

[TableNiner]

I think it can be preventative in that the muscle is frozen so no more damage can be done.

I wonder about not using the muscle at all and it atrophying (not sure if that’s the right word), as you don’t hear if people who have done it for say thirty years.

There will be plenty of people who use it over a lifetime in the future, given the rise of twenty somethings using it as prevention.

[mutinyonthebunty]

@userxx yes I'm really pleased, very thin needle so no bruising at all and it looks very natural. I had a 'heavy' feeling for a couple of weeks but it feels completely normal now. I did read about muscle atrophy if you have too much, where the muscle eventually stops working properly from lack of use, but I think as long as you have some movement and you aren't completely frozen then it's fine.

[yecannyshoveyergranny]

@mutinyonthebunty you look great

[SoManyActivities]

This has got me thinking now though - if you have regular botox from 40 to say 60, if you then stop, does your skin and wrinkles just revert to what it would be at 60 if you had never had botox? Wouldn't that be quite a stark change if you had been having botox all that time?! It doesn't freeze time, so you wouldnt be leaving off from where you were at 40, you would be getting your natural 60 year old wrinkles? That's why I was thinking you would have to do it forever. I guess you can 'wean off' it? And I suppose it's extra important to keep up with skincare like SPF etc.

I don't know, I don't know anything about botox to be honest but it does strike me as something that will need to be maintained. A bit like if you always have lash extensions maintained, then if for whatever reason you stop, you will look totally different!

[userxx]

@SoManyActivities You can't stop whenever you like. I don't think I'll be having it when I hit 70, I'll leave everything to nature then.

[SoManyActivities]

Surely once you start with botox you have to do it forever though, really? Otherwise it's kind of pointless in the first place?