I tried Botox for the first time when I was 42. It was outside my budget and everything in the news warned that a mistake could leave you looking like a “plate face.” But my dermatologist promised that it could make me look younger and fresher in just 7 days. He was right and I became a believer.
But should I be ashamed of getting a little professional help?
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“Are you working out tomorrow morning?” B asked.
“Nope, I have a 6:30 am appointment with my Rn. I can’t workout for 24 hours after,” I answered.
B squeezed my hand. “Is everything ok?”
I said, “Oh B, thank you for worrying but you don’t have to. I noticed that I looked tired, so I am heading in for a little Botox fix.”
B gave me a grave and sincere expression. He said, “You are such a natural beauty. I would love you with wrinkles. Please don’t do anything that changes your appearance.”
I reassured him that he wouldn’t even notice. Even the tiny bruises are hard to see if you aren’t looking for them.
Aside: The “natural” me relies on a self-care regimen that includes a healthy diet, orange theory, pure barre and core power yoga. Then body maintenance that includes hair dye, eyelashes, mani/ pedi’s every three weeks, and Botox/Juvederm every 3-6 months to keep the deep wrinkles away. He wouldn’t recognize the “natural” me.
The next morning at the spa, while Debbie was drawing little white dots on my face, I asked her if other men worried about their wives/girlfriends getting Botox.
Debbie answered, “Almost everyone.” She laughed and said, “I never tell my husband when I get Botox or filler.” She explained, “One day, we were in Orange County and a group of girls with ‘duck lips’ were in line in front of us. He said, ‘they don’t look natural, please don’t do that.’ He just didn’t want me to look plastic. ”
Debbie owns the spa and gets Botox and Juvederm all the time. Her husband has “never” noticed.
B never notices either.
It’s hard being a mature woman. If we don’t take care of ourselves we hear, “Wow, she really let herself go.” If we hold it together with injections we hear, “She’s so vane. She would look so much better if she just aged naturally.”
I guess we just need to do what makes us feel our best.
Life after 50 