Happy Monday and happy belated Mother’s Day! I hope you all got spoiled silly. My day started with french toast made by my hubs and girls, followed by a trip to the nursery to start planning for our flowers and pots. And of course there was cake in there, too. Yay.
OK. I’ve been promising for awhile I would share a botox before and after update on here, and I have to tell you: I’ve been dreading it. But, probably not why you think.
You guys. I HATE looking right into the camera. I know. It’s such a hard life for this girl. (It’s not. At all.) I’m pretty sure one of my eyes is bigger than the other and I feel like I always look crosseyed or weird.
Right. Back to Botox. Sorry.
Let me break it down, since it’s been almost a month since I got Botox.
First things first: I actually didn’t even get Botox. I chose to get Dysport. So, what’s the difference? I’m not sure about the science behind each, but here’s what I was told by the nurse:
- Dysport is less expensive and doesn’t last quite as long.
- The plus side is that is starts to work sooner than Botox. I started seeing results around day 4, and Botox usually takes longer to see results.
Honestly, next time I will try Botox. I chose Dysport this time because we were going to the beach 10 days after my appointment, and I wanted to make sure I could make the 7 day follow up appointment in case we needed to do any tweaks.
Why did I want to get Botox in the first place? Because I’m a furrower. I can feel myself furrow pretty much all the time. Even as I’m falling asleep, I’m furrowing. It’s caused the hubs to ask me if I’m ok on more than one occasion, which totally means I have RBF (resting bitch face). So, I wanted those muscles to take a break. They’ve been working overtime.
Does it hurt? Nope. Not at all. My nurse iced the areas first, and I honestly couldn’t feel anything.
Is it expensive? It ain’t cheap. Mine was just under $400. I’m not sure how many units I had, but it was average.
How often will you get it? Since I chose Dysport this time, I’m pretty sure I’ll start seeing those lines creep back in after about 3-4 months. I plan on getting it a couple times a year. so probably every 4-5 months.
Are you happy with the results? Yes! I don’t feel completely frozen and I don’t think it looks fake.
Best piece of advice? Eat something before you go! I didn’t eat much because crazy #momlife and while I didn’t feel nervous or anxious, apparently I was because as soon as she was done injecting me, I went to stand up and felt like I was going to pass out. SO dizzy. Good thing my nurse was prepared and had a lollipop for me, which also means this isn’t a rare event after Botox.
Oh, and one more: make sure to schedule a follow up appointment! Mine was at no charge, and I’m SO glad we did it. She did a couple tweaks that I needed.
Any regrets? Overall, I’m happy with the results. One thing I want to change next time: I feel a little heavy in the eyelid. I don’t think anyone else would notice, but I can tell when I’m putting on my mascara. Before the tweak, my eyebrows were too high (think Jack Nicholson), but now they’re a little too low. BUT. Maybe I’m just high-maintenance? (Breaking news.)
Where did you go? I did a lot of research and decided to go to MAE Plastic Surgery in Northbrook. (NOPE. #notsponsored.) I saw Maureen and I LOVE her! She’s so nice, super knowledgeable and talks you through everything she’s doing.
What’s next? If you’ve seen my Instagram Stories, you know I’m a big NO, NO, NO on the fillers. But, I’m all about some lasers, so that’s what’s up next. Stay tuned…
XO
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My main concerns were the 11’s when I furrow my brow and the lines in my forehead.
Yes, I realize this looks like my mug shot or something. But LOOK! No more 11’s or forehead lines.
THINKING OF TAKING THE PLUNGE? PIN THIS POST FOR LATER! XO
Those results are AMAZING. Totally doing the forehead lines next time I do it.
Good for you! I think it looks great! It’s always amazing when those little things that make such a huge difference to us, impact our daily life in such a huge positive way!
Thanks for sharing your experience! Haven’t stopped by the blog for a while, glad to be back!
Yay! Happy to have you back! Thanks for stopping by, Corina! xo
Looks perfect!
Dysport actually is supposed to last a little longer than botox. They are just different versions of botulinum toxin. Most people report longer lasting effects from dysport but maybe it’s because they are acclimated to botox??
You can ask to have your forehead injected higher if you feel an eyelid droop…although I don’t see one 🙂
Oooh, that’s interesting! Maybe I’ll stick with it, then…. And that’s great to know – thank you! xo
You look great! I’m a furrower too. My husband is always telling me to stop, and I don’t even realize I’m doing it. Thinking I need to take care of my 11’s now!
Your results are amazing! Very natural looking. Botox is pretty great!
Thank you, Marlene! xo
Suzanne,
This was a great post. Thank you for sharing all of that info. I was curious as to why you say “NO NO NO” to fillers. I was interested in them myself and have done some basic research but would love to hear your thoughts. I unfortunately missed the post in which you told why. Thank you!
Hi Cecilia – thanks for stopping by! I think fillers can be tricky. Personally, I haven’t seen any that I totally love and they can tend to make someone look older. BUT, I think if you’ve done research and you find someone who you like (and you see a lot of before and after results that you love), then I say go for it. 🙂
Thank you Suzanne! ❤️
You’re welcome! xo
I love your post. I too enjoyed my first botox! I will be doing it again. You look great.
Thanks, Elisabeth! I will definitely do it again after this baby. 🙂 xo
I get nauseous for a few days from Dysport but love the results!! I consider it preventative aging just like my skin care!
Yes, I totally agree! Def getting it again after baby 🙂 xo
Here’s a great article that you might find useful: https://www.thechic.us/dr-ben-taleis-guide-to-fillers-and-aging-well/
Thanks For Sharing such informative content with us….
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I’ve gotten Botox several times. It seems like now that I’ve stopped getting it, the facial muscles that were temporarily paralyzed have gotten stronger and now those wrinkles are even more pronounced. Like the muscles are fighting to get their strength back.
That’s so interesting! I’ve noticed the opposite – if I stop getting it, my wrinkles are still better than before – like they’re used to NOT being used and have lost their strength…
Luckily, that’s not how it works! It’s more likely that you have just gotten used to not seeing these wrinkles for awhile and now that you’ve stopped Botox, you are perceiving them as coming back with a vengeance. In reality, they’re just returning to normal function. Suzanne’s instinct is correct. B/c the treated muscles have been out of service, it can take them awhile to return to normal – especially when Botox is done regularly over a period of years & years.
Thank you for this article! I know this is an older post so I hope you see this…I had Botox done for the first time on Tuesday. The middle of my forehead looks great and is flat but when I raise my eyebrows, the sides of my forehead still wrinkle and it looks unnatural. Is that what happened to you with the “joker brow” lol. Is this an easy tweak when I go in for my 2 week post appointment?
Hi! I would wait a few days to see if it settles down a bit, and then if you don’t love it make sure to follow up with them! They can def make little tweaks for you 🙂 xo
For myself, I loved that my forehead looked smoother, but I hate that my eyebrows lowered a few mm and I now have hooded eyes. And because I can’t raise my eyebrows, I have to use 2 hands to put on mascara – one to pull my eyebrow up and the other to put on mascara. I did not realize this was a thing. So be sure to ask your injector about this.
I agree with this! You can get that tweaked. It shouldn’t happen.
Hey. I am over 50. Well on my way to 60. Ha. Well, I plunged into the Botox world swearing I would never ever do that.
The frowny face even when smiling had to go. Do I wish I could do something else ? Yes. Do I regret it ? No. I think my furrows were really aging me to a quicker visit to 60. I don’t know if I will do again af it is steep on the pocketbook while also keeping the gray roots away !!!
Most people do fine with botox but please be careful. I just got my 2nd round and used dysport and on day 2 I ended up in the ER. I have been fainting, dizzy, full body convulsions, throwing up, neck and shoulder burning, crippling anxiety attacks, brain zaps, and brain fog like crazy. Sent my thyroid numbers through the roof and caused autoimmune issues. There is a support group on fb called dysport side effects and thousands of women have had the same thing. It is hell and the only thing you can do is be bed bound and wait for month for you body to get rid of it. It’s called systemic botulism toxicity. Please do your research.
I do not want spoil the excitement of who uses botox. I had it 3X within 6 months and it has been 2 and half year and my deep lines between my eye browns dissappeared that long and only now it is gradually returning… however the reason I quit was because I met a lady who had it through many years and last lost her vision on one eye. ?
Wonderful thing about Botox is it not permanent. Anything that makes one feel good about themselves it’s a a go. And if you don’t really like one area after, they can reverse it. I love getting mine.
Hi! Thanks for all the tips on botox. I tried finding the information on fillers but don’t see anything on Instagram. Can you repost your concerns or direct me to the correct place?