Yes, I’m talking about Botox. It’s ubiquitous in some circles and unmentionable in others. I have to agree with Sarah Haskins that it sounds horrible to have someone stick needles in your face for the sake of beauty. However, I’m not just empathizing – I’ve had it done.
My Botox story started with a trip to the beauty salon three or four years ago. My bangs were pinned up and when I got a look at my forehead in the mirror, I didn’t like what I saw. It was getting deeply furrowed and I had a vertical crease between my brows one one side.
I happened to know someone who was BFFs (that’s “best friends forever,” if you’re not 15 – physically or mentally) with an aesthetician. She was visiting his office for a little cosmetic touch-up and invited me to come along. Yes, it was free of charge. I may be vain, but I’m also cheap.
When I got there, he took one look at me and said, “You’ll want filler for your lips, too.”
“No,” I said, “They’ve always looked like this! Just the Botox.”
I sat in the chair, took a deep breath, and let a stranger repeatedly poke needles into my forehead.
It didn’t take full effect right away, but it wasn’t long before my forehead was smooth and motionless.
I didn’t like the way it looked. It seemed to me that my brows were very droopy and flat and my eyes looked hooded. I kept thinking to myself, “It wears off in six months…it wears off in six months.”
It felt weird, too. I’d get little slithery twinges that I perceived to be nerve impulses trying to make their way through. I spent a lot of time poking at my forehead with my fingers and seeing if I could raise my eyebrows yet.
The standard effects did wear off within about six months. Interestingly, the cosmetic improvements remained. The deep grooves and vertical line have still never returned, not that you’d really notice since I’ve worn bangs the whole time.
Would I do it again? I don’t know. I guess it depends on how I’m feeling about myself when the forehead wrinkles finally do come back.
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