Face & Skin

Botox For Beginners

Botox For Beginners

 

This blog post was written by Robin Pinzone. She is a new patient who offered to document her experience with having Botox for the first time so that anyone else who was nervous could see someone’s real experience with having this service done at Coastal Aesthetics. Read about her experience below. 

I am sure I am not alone when I say, “I want Botox but it seems scary!” I had an image in my head of what a “Botoxed” face looked like. Plastic. Frozen. No expression. I have seen the celebs, I have watched Real Housewives, I figured Botox was not for me. I am a 30-year-old, mom of 2 kids, who doesn’t drive a Range Rover or have her picture taken by the paparazzi. I just wrote it off as something for older women with deep wrinkles or celebs needed.

I had started to notice a few women my age and a few years younger starting to get Botox and I started asking questions. I wanted to know why they were getting it? How it was affecting them? And if they liked it? I was skeptical because some of these women did have frozen faces and looked so fake. But I really was starting to see a trend in more women my age having Botox & fillers. So I kept asking questions and finally found someone who told me how it was.

I was introduced to Kim at Coastal Aesthetics, by a mutual business associate. I brought up that I was interested in Botox but didn’t really know if it was for me. She talked to me for an hour, answered all of my questions, and totally made me feel at ease. She explained to me that her approach was very conservative and that she asks all patients to come back in 2 weeks to see how the Botox has set and she can always add more, but she feels the most comfortable going lighter to start.

I scheduled an appointment right after Christmas and I was a little nervous. I am not scared of needles, but I just was nervous. As I am sure anyone would be doing something new. Especially thinking about having something injected in your face. I sat in the chair and I remember Kim asking, “Are you nervous?” and I said “Nope!” I was trying to trick myself that I wasn’t nervous and it was going to be fine. She made small dots on my forehead where she was going to inject me. Then I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and she injected me. She told me she was going to do about 30 units, but that is not 30 injections. That is just how she measures how much Botox is being used. So don’t freak out that you are going to get pricked 30 times.

To be honest, I didn’t feel anything except for a little prick. It didn’t sting. It didn’t burn. It wasn’t painful. At all. I was actually really really surprised by this. I told Kim afterward that it didn’t hurt and she told me that she uses a needle that is a 33 gauge when most injectors use a 30 gauge needle. The needle she uses is smaller than an insulin needle and is more expensive, however, she said she really wants her patients to be comfortable when having procedures done so the extra money is well worth their comfort.

I had a little water, talked with Kim about what to expect, and then left. She told me no excessive working out for 24 hours (yoga, CrossFit, pilates), not to sleep on my face that night, and to just to keep an eye out for the Botox to set in in 4-7 days. This was something that surprised me because I didn’t know that there was a waiting time between when you had the injection and when you saw a difference in your face.

After 2 days, my Botox had set in in the middle of my forehead. It was smoother, didn’t feel much different but I noticed my eyebrows were lifted and my eyes were wider. A few of my friends told me that I looked younger! SCORE! And some people didn’t notice. I still noticed that in-between my eyebrows didn’t seem to have set in, so I texted Kim a selfie and she confirmed that I had some strong scowl muscles in my face and to come back and she would do a few more units and I would be good to go.

I went back in, did a few more units and in 4 days, noticed a HUGE difference in my face, even at rest.

I am extremely happy that I decided to get Botox. I am photographed often because of my career, I take a lot of pictures with my kiddos, I speak in front of large crowds, and I barely have time to get myself together in the morning. After having Botox, not much has changed, except that I feel much more confident with my appearance. I don’t look so tired all the time, something us mammas are pretty used to. My face isn’t frozen at all. I didn’t really expect anyone to notice, and as I said, a few people did, however, it wasn’t a drastic change and I am happy that it’s very natural looking.

Botox isn’t scary when you go to the right person who is willing to answer all your questions, no matter how silly they may seem, someone who you trust, and a professional who goes the extra mile to achieve a natural look. Make sure you do your homework before having any procedure done, especially when it involves your face.

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