I'll add a question: does your face lose sensation in the areas where you get it? Do you have a "pins and needles" feeling or anything that resembles the feeling of dental Novocaine injections? I'm not considering getting it now, but I suspect down the line I will be interested. Odd sensations in my face freak me out, and I don't think I could deal if the injection caused them.
I wholeheartedly agree-there is a huge difference-I have been using it for about 3 years and my treatments are stretched to every six months now. You can use numbing cream to alleviate the pain of the shots.
gingembre - age doesn't really matter when it comes to botox - if you have a furrow in your forehead and you're 22, botox will work for you. It all depends on how your individual skin ages. Sun exposure, smoking, fair skin, and thin skin may need it before a person with thicker olive skin who has never smoked.
kitty - I get it every time I feel I need it. Maybe every 4-6 months. KE is right - the longer you do it, the longer the results and the better you look. It takes time to erase the furrows completely. I pay around $350 each time I get it done. It depends on how many areas you have done. I get it done on my forehead, around my eyes, my "bunny line" as my anestitician likes to call it (crinkle at the bridge of my nose), and the creases that extend from my nose to corners of my mouth (very little there, it's just to relax it a bit.) I do not have a glabella problem (the vertical line between my eyebrows) so I save a little by not needing it there. I go to a plastic surgery office to get it done, and an RN performs the procedure. I have had it done by a plastic surgeon before, and he had a very heavy hand and both of my eyelids drooped (I never went back to him!) Try to have a woman do it -- they're more sensitive to what needs to be done and how to do it well because they are probably giving it to themselves also.
bastet - I do not have numbness. however, my nurse and I experimented a bit and I did get some odd sensations, but not pins and needles - the sensations went away as the botox faded. we played around with injections on the sides of my chin to relax my frown and I didn't like it, so we don't do that anymore. it's not like novocaine - there's no numbing of the face or pins and needles like it went to sleep. I cannot crinkle my forehead. I also do not think anyone would be any the wiser unless I told them I had botox. It's not like my face is frozen by any means.
ILC - the numbing cream helps a lot. I am nervous in general so I typically hold on to a squishy ball or something while I'm there. Lately my nurse has been leaving the cream on for a long time, and I haven't felt anything. There is a little "crunching" as the needle penetrates the muscle.
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
Thanks! I actually made an appointment for a consultation yesterday. I decided to go with a woman for the same reasons D mentioned.
I kind of just want to relax my face (especially the place between my brows) and maybe a little around the eye. I think if anything it's going to be more of a preventative measure.
I'm wondering what else I should/could do to prevent aging.
I get it about every 5 months or so and love it. I look much more awake but not frozen. I also get restlyn in my laugh lines because they bother me. I think it's worth every penny!
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I'm thinking balls are to men what purses are to women. It's just a little bag, but we feel naked in public without it.
Carrie Bradshaw
How much is the restylane, Collette? And does anyone go to a dermatologist for this rather than to a plastic surgeon? I'm considering a little filler around my eyes. I like that the restylane is supposed to stimulate collagen production as well, and I'd prefer to be able to plump up lines as opposed to freezing them out, if possible.
Thanks! I actually made an appointment for a consultation yesterday. I decided to go with a woman for the same reasons D mentioned.
I kind of just want to relax my face (especially the place between my brows) and maybe a little around the eye. I think if anything it's going to be more of a preventative measure.
I'm wondering what else I should/could do to prevent aging.
the place between your brows is called a glabella. you're doing the right thing by starting early because it will decrease the depth that your wrinkles would become if you didn't do it and it would be harder to reverse later.
trust me, if you ask, they will tell you all the non-invasive procedures you can do to prevent aging. just be careful to not get too addicted to trying new procedeures which can lead to drastic surgeries you probably don't need -- you don't want to end up looking like her:
eek!
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
How much is the restylane, Collette? And does anyone go to a dermatologist for this rather than to a plastic surgeon? I'm considering a little filler around my eyes. I like that the restylane is supposed to stimulate collagen production as well, and I'd prefer to be able to plump up lines as opposed to freezing them out, if possible.
not Collette, but be careful about fillers, especially under thin skin around the eyes because you can run the risk of lumps appearing, especially as your skin thins from age. also, with botox you are simply relaxing muscles that cause lines to appear on your skin -- you're not really freezing anything on your skin.
-- Edited by D at 17:23, 2008-10-08
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
My husband got laser re-surfacing and it made his skin look so good..kind of tempted me, but I don't think I'm to that point yet.
I actually think my skin/face is pretty good, and I'm mostly just concerned with keeping it that way.
I would love to try resurfacing, but when I have had any kind of a procedure like that it irritates the hell out of my skin and I have horrible breakouts.
I was teasing about the cat lady! I know your skin and face is good and that you want to do preventative things - I'm in the same boat. I'm just warning you that it can be tempting to get more and more things done. It's kind of like a gateway thing, and many women have gotten caught up in it and take it too far spending tons of money and getting caught up in striving for perfection. You'll know what I'm talking about after you get a couple of things done...
__________________
"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
How much is the restylane, Collette? And does anyone go to a dermatologist for this rather than to a plastic surgeon? I'm considering a little filler around my eyes. I like that the restylane is supposed to stimulate collagen production as well, and I'd prefer to be able to plump up lines as opposed to freezing them out, if possible.
not Collette, but be careful about fillers, especially under thin skin around the eyes because you can run the risk of lumps appearing, especially as your skin thins from age. also, with botox you are simply relaxing muscles that cause lines to appear on your skin -- you're not really freezing anything on your skin.
-- Edited by D at 17:23, 2008-10-08
I agree with D here, I wouldn't do a filler around my eyes, just Botox and I would never go to anyone but my plastic surgeon to do this. Your best bet is to find a plastic surgeon who does in and go in for a consultation and see what they say. Just make sure they are reputable and have done this for many years. Good luck!
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I'm thinking balls are to men what purses are to women. It's just a little bag, but we feel naked in public without it.
Carrie Bradshaw
I just got Botox done this morning. I'm kind of annoyed that the results aren't instantaneous. She said it could take up to two weeks for the full effect.
She told me that at this point it will be mostly about prevention because I don't have any wrinkles, but apparently I do have pretty strong glabella muscle. Also annoying is that my eyes don't get crows feet (typical place where they put the botox), but my eyes wrinkle right under my eye (I don't know if that makes sense) and they can only go so far in. So, yeah.
I got it done in two areas (around the eyes and the glabella). I'll let you all know how it ends up looking in two weeks.