Advice please for 11 lines on forehead

[Fandango52]

Hi all,

I’m looking for advice please on my glabellar lines (11 lines) on my forehead.

I’m 33, and although I haven’t been brilliant at looking after my skin and health in the past, I eat well (aim to have a couple of portions of veg and fruit daily, some sort of wholegrain, chicken/fish/pulses, and yogurt/milk/cheese and pickled/fermented foods), have never smoked and rarely drink - maybe a cocktail or a glass of wine once a week. I have a couple of black espressos in the morning.

My sleep could be better too. I am a bit addicted to my phone, so often don’t go to sleep till past midnight - I know, I know! Recently though, I’ve been going to the gym after work around three times a week - around 6/7pm. I have found this has tired me out and helped me go to sleep earlier, around 11ish.

I’ve only recently started taking proper care of my skin. I know I should’ve done this years ago, but a combination of laziness, lack of interest and not knowing much about what would suit my skin stopped me.

I now know my skin is really sensitive, so I keep things quite basic. I use the LRP cleanser and No7 serum (or No 7 line corrector) in the morning and evening, followed by either a REN day cream or Avene hydrance cream in the morning or the LRP dermallergo night cream in the evening, and sometimes a REN overnight mask. I also wear sunscreen when I go out - just a mini Soltan one that doesn’t irritate my skin.

Just wondering what is the best way to deal with my 11 lines? They are fairly faint, but have been annoying me ever since I started noticing them a couple of years ago.

I’m really wary of getting Botox, as I don’t know what the side effects of that would be and I think I’d have to get top up doses every so often for it to be effective. I’ve also looked a bit into retinols/retinals/vitamin A, but am also nervous of that, as my skin is so sensitive and reactive, and I’ve heard stories of it reacting really badly with people’s skin, so I’d rather avoid spending money on it for it to react badly with my skin and potentially to then have no positive effect at all.

I’m wondering if it’s worth me going to see a dermatologist to ask for advice? Thanks!

Would definitely recommend a dermatologist :) I also have sensitive skin which I haven’t looked after in the past and have struggled to find products that don’t irritate it. It was in a really bad way a couple of years ago to the point that I couldn’t leave the house without make-up. My dermatologist recommended Alumier MD and it’s been fantastic. Depending on how deep the lines are, Botox might be your only option. In my experience creams will do very little to get rid of lines and are more of a preventative. I was really wary of Botox before I had it but I’ve really loved the results. You’d potentially need to get it at least every 6 months to address the lines so I guess it depends on your expendable income etc as it can be expensive to maintain. Also as an aside, I made sure I found a medical professional to do it rather than a beauty salon, which took away a lot of the anxiety. It’s scary how little regulation there can be around this sort of stuff. I found mine through glowday (I think they’re all registered nurses etc)

Thanks very much @greenfingers22 😊 and glad Alumier MD is working well for you!

Just wait til you hit menopause - one day you wake up and they're there! Lol. Sorry to be a downer. Get a fringe.

Number 11s are hard to deal with. Botox is the best option because it will then prevent the lines deepening further. The muscles there are so strong, I envy people with faces which don’t seem to frown. As you destroy the muscle you will be able to go longer between treatments.

The other option is Frownies. Or yes a fringe.

Thanks all. Luckily they’re not particularly pronounced at the moment, and I’m hoping I can reduce their appearance with things like making sure I sleep enough and I drink enough water. I’ve also started consistently using sunscreen daily, so I’m hoping that helps avoid deepening them further.

I’ve noticed I tend to frown when sneezing - which is probably the same for everyone haha - and I’m wondering if this is an issue and if I can do anything about that?

Being completely honest, I’m very nervous about getting Botox. I’m worried about several things: putting chemicals inside my skin (especially as it’s so sensitive), the long-term effects and the need to maintain it for it to be effective. If I did go ahead with it, I’d want to find someone medically trained who I trust completely to get it done. And another pretty major consideration is I earn a very average salary, so would need to save up for a good while to afford it!

Is Botox the only answer here??

I’ve just ordered some retinol (the LRP rederm). I’m hoping that, along with daily moisturising and sunscreen, drinking water and getting earlier nights, will help make a positive difference.

I’m a little nervous about the rederm, as I have very sensitive skin, so I’ll have to use it carefully.

My initial plan is to ‘sandwich’ it by applying a layer of moisturiser, then the rederm then another layer of moisturiser, and only using it once a week to begin with, and being even more diligent about using sunscreen daily!

I have this problem as well

I’ve tried Frownies and Wrinkles Schminkles. Both were crap

I’ve done Botox and Filler which initially worked until it suddenly stopped and I seem to have developed resistance to it.

Like you I use LRP cleanser, but I got a sample of the (sadly rather expensive) Esteè Lauder Advanced Night Repair which I really like and Pixi Retinol Moisturiser. I feel like I’ve seen reduction, I might be kidding myself

As other posters have mentioned I have indeed cut a fringe in which has helped. I feel your pain, basically!

Another who says botox. Honestly the other stuff just costs money to maybe help the skin's appearance. It is the muscles underneath that you need to target.

I was nervous the first time I got it. But it takes only 5 minutes and you notice the results fairly quickly.

11s fillers then Botox to stop them coming back it’s the only way. I had fillers 5 years ago for mine, had Botox regularly since have never had to get the fillers there topped up.

Thanks @Yatzydog and @jeaux90! Good to hear you seem to have had positive experiences with Botox!

Botox.

Just get the 11s done, don't let them upsell you to other areas.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can start researching Botox for 11 lines please?

I don’t mean to sound lazy - I’m asking more because I’d never really considered Botox for them before, for all the reasons I mention in my posts above.

I really want to make sure I’ve taken into account everything I should when deciding if to get Botox, and if I do decide, I’m keen to have a positive experience with it.

Thanks!

Just embrace them. Who cares! I love my wrinkles. Couldn't give a fuck about looking older. What's wrong with getting old?

@Fandango52 Start with your local area and get names then go and look at their sites, socials and recommendations from real people on the likes of Instagram

@Fandango52 Do not scrimp as you want a really good practitioner so make sure you research well. Some GPs have a side hussle for this, ex nurses etc Some private dentists also offer it. What you want is to go to someone who does this day in and day out. What area are you in?

I agree that there’s nothing wrong with getting old, and I think anyone who gets older is lucky to, because there are people who never manage to. I just don’t like my 11 lines and would like to do something about them.