So, about that Botox.

Wonder where those forehead lines come
from ... it sure is a mystery!

If you knew me even a year ago you would have easily been able to say (and be right!) that I would never, ever, ever get Botox. Or any other plastic surgery for that matter. Ever. I even once proudly proclaimed to my best friend that I was just going to let my gray hair grow out once it started coming in in full force. 

How easy it is to make such proclamations when you've only got one gray hair on your head and no one's yet pointed out how your forehead lines are significantly aging you. (Ouch.)

One of my other best friends regularly gets cosmetic injections and talking with her about it pretty much put me over the edge: I was going to do it. What I didn't realize is how long it would take me to convince the husband that I wouldn't look perpetually surprised if I went to the right doctor. 

Hey, what old lady does that forehead
belong to anyway?

Ultimately it took some pretty clever bargaining on my part and you better believe I made a beeline for the phone when he finally said yes. In fact, I was in the chair with a needle in my forehead a mere couple of hours after receiving his blessing. There was no way I was going to let him change his mind.

Truth be told, I'm not totally convinced I won't need some sort of filler in my forehead to get rid of these etchings, but in the interest of true scientific study, I figured I should document the process. (If I do end up needing filler, I'm totally going to use his stalling on the Botox matter to make my case. If only I'd gotten Botox earlier! My lines wouldn't have been so deep!)

I didn't even notice I had these 11s until
Sue pointed them out. Thanks, Sue! You
sure know how to make a gal feel pretty.

So these pics are from today, but since Botox takes 2-7 days to start working, and it's not like these lines are going to magically disappear in a week (but one can hope!), here are my lines in all their glory. Here's the skinny from Sue (the cosmetic consultant) at my derm's office: in order for the forehead lines to decrease, you've got to treat the 11s (the glabella) between your eyebrows. Otherwise you'll end up with droopy brows. I'm pretty sure she wasn't pulling one over on me because I've also read the same on the internetz, but it was a solid tactic since I've already got a low-hanging brow/eyelid and I'm not looking to add to that issue.

The lines right above my eyebrows are the
biggest culprits.

This was my first time meeting Dr. Duncan, and she looks amazing. Like if she hadn't told me she was 41, I'd have guessed late 20s - she seriously has the most glorious skin I've ever seen and I had to resist the very real temptation to reach out and stroke her face. I wasn't leaving there without some goddamned botulism* in my face so I couldn't be inappropriate, especially before the procedure. She had me move my face the way I'm posing for these photos and she was impressively thoughtful about exactly where to place the injections. I could tell she really enjoys this part of her work.

Here, have some botulism*.

She informed me that my deepest lines are in bad spots - right above the outside of my eyebrows. She tried to fix my sagging eyelid so we shall monitor how this ends up working out. In all seriousness, I'm pretty hopeful that the Botox is going to work and my forehead lines will be smoothed out based on my furious googling of before and after Botox photos. Not to mention the BHA, AHA, Differin and Vitamin C Serum that are going to assist as well.

I declined the crow's feet, only because at $14/unit, I was already looking at a decently hefty bill. I imagine I'm going to go down that road at some point, though. 

I figure I'll take weekly photos to monitor the progress. And hope like hell I'm one of the lucky ones for whom Botox lasts 6 months!

*It's not really botulism injections. It's botulinum toxin, which can cause 

botulism in very large doses. You're more likely to contract botulism

from food poisoning than through Botox injections.