Dr. Ann Jayaram, an oculoplastic surgeon and head of the local practice ellevateMD, spoke with us about Botox during a recent Facebook Live. Then, I got to try it for myself! It was a hot topic, with lots of questions, all of which she was happy to answer. Check out the full video below for all of her answers and to see my Botox session, but here are a few really important things I learned and more details about my experience.
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About Botox
First, Botox is fairly temporary but can have long-lasting effects. Botox takes anywhere from one to two weeks to take effect, and from there, you usually have three to four months worth of full results. She did explain that sticking to a regularly scheduled three-to-four months between treatments can actually help prevent new wrinkles in the long run. She explained that the muscles will weaken after a time of un-use, which will make them incapable of forming new wrinkles later in life. Point one for Botox!
Second, it is (fairly) affordable. Each area of the face is a few hundred dollars, and for the three most common areas (crows feet, angry 11’s, and across the forehead) should not run more than a thousand dollars. While this is not cheap, it is not necessarily cost prohibitive for potentially longer-term results. Each doctor or med spa has different price points, but Dr. Jayaram points out to be skeptical of anything too cheap or too expensive. Point two for Botox!
Third, while the term “toxin” is thrown around a lot when talking about Botox, it is a very diluted solution. The likelihood of getting a toxic dose is near impossible (from a reliable doctor or clinic). Side effects, other than some local bruising or minor swelling, is very rare. Point three for Botox!
What Botox Feels Like
This was my first time receiving Botox, so I was just as curious to hear Dr. Jayaram’s answers as all of you were watching it live. She injected two areas of my face: the crows’ feet on the side of my eyes and the angry 11’s on my forehead. I put a little ice pack on for a few minutes before she injected me, but otherwise, there was no numbing. And there was no pain. Ok, virtually no pain. The smallest prick a few times over, but it was over before I even registered anything. She repeated that in each area a few times, and I was off to meet a friend for coffee!
I highly recommend Dr. Jayaram if you are interested in Botox. It has not even taken effect yet, and I already feel like I have an extra pep in my step! I cannot wait to share the “after” photos with you in the coming weeks!
