Why I got Botox in my late 20’s

Let’s talk about BOTOX! I am 28 years old and I have had botox done twice. I could probably guess what you’re thinking, as it’s probably the same thing I thought before I did extensive research. I use to assume botox would make someone look ‘fake’ or that botox was only for older people with profound wrinkles, but that is not the case at all! Botox is becoming more and more popular for women in their late 20’s, early 30’s. I want to share my experience with you all and why I chose to have it done at an early age.

I’ve noticed wrinkle lines in my forehead when I lifted my eyebrows for the longest time. However, when I noticed certain lines staying in place while my face was at rest, that’s when it became a bother to me. What really turned me on to the idea of botox was the prevention of anti-aging. By getting botox you are relaxing the muscles and preventing wrinkles from occurring, which in turn would lead to less units of botox in the future and not having heavy wrinkles happen in the first place.

If you’re interested in Botox, do your research beforehand! You can always schedule a consult to learn if you’re a good candidate and to ask any questions you may have! Being a nurse, I was obviously particular about who I let near my face with a needle. Hamilton Surgical Arts took the time to answer all my questions and made me feel comfortable and confident in my decision. Dr. Lowery was very professional and friendly! He made my experience stress free and I appreciated his advice. If you’re an Indianapolis local, I would recommend visiting them!

Unedited Before & After photos.

Below are the Q&A’s I received! Feel free to reach out to me with any other questions!

How often do you need to get botox? Every 3-6 months. It depends on when you start to see the wrinkles come back. You can also get a few units of “touch ups” every 2 weeks or so.

Does it matter what age you start and what are the benefits of starting young? It does not matter when you start, but it is easier to prevent wrinkles than get rid of them. By starting young, you should be able to come in less frequently and receive less units each visit. For example, I got 25 units and when I go back in a few months my doctor told me he would like to give me 22 units.

If you stop getting botox, what happens? If you decide to stop getting botox, your face will just go back to the way it was naturally. Even getting botox once is beneficial because for that time being, you were preventing wrinkles.

How do you avoid a “fake” look? It is all about patient preference. After research and talking to my doctor, he was very conservative and understanding of how I still wanted it to look natural. My husband, friends, and parents didn’t even notice until I told them!

Common side effects of botox? Heaviness of the brow or bruising is uncommon. I experienced a minor headache, but it didn’t last long.

Can botox help with acne or cellulite? Botox can help prevent acne, it does not help with acne scarring or cellulite. There are other things to help with those which we won’t dive into today!

Restrictions after botox? Do not fall asleep or lay down 2 hours after and do not work out for 12 hours. I waited 24 hours to exercise because it was my first time and I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly! Avoid bending down. ie cleaning, trying on shoes. because you do not want the botox to move into muscles that were not meant to be injected!

Common places to get botox? I got botox in my forehead for my forehead wrinkles, near my eyebrows for a slight lift to make them even, and between my eyebrows also known as 11/frown/gabellar lines. Other common places are crows feet around the eyes, mouth, lip, nasal lines, chin. I really appreciated that my doctor talked to me about what areas would be best for me personally!

Average amount of units? The average amount is 30-40 units. My physician said he averages at 30 units per patient. It all depends on genetics too.

Cost? Hamilton Surgical Arts charges $8.50 per unit for your first visit. After that it is $9.50 per unit. When I looked into getting botox I was seeing some practices charge $16.50 per unit which is insane! I’m so thankful to have found an affordable and trust worthy practice all in one! Hamilton Surgical Arts also offers a rewrds program called Brilliant Distinctions that is free to sign up for and can lead to discounts for your future appointments!

Difference between botox and filler? Botox helps freeze the muscle to help with wrinkles while filler adds volume to help with smoothing out the skin. For example, when I life my eye brows wrinkles appear and I need botox to fix those. Whenever I am at rest I have smile lines and I would need filler to fix those.

What I think about botox

It takes 7-10 days to see the full results of a treatment. Although I have only had botox twice. I can say I loved my results the first time, hence why I got it again. I’m never going to tell anyone they “need” to get anything done, but I hope my experience helps you make a decision if it is right for you! I don’t believe everyone “needs” botox, just like how everyone doesn’t “need” to have lash extensions or brow tinting. Yes all these services are amazing, but it comes down to what you want to invest in, and for me it is skincare. I want to continue looking young and I am doing that by drinking plenty of water, wearing SPF, adding a collagen supplement, using a skincare regimen, and now botox has just assisted with that!

Thank you again to Dr. Lowery and his team!

Stay Fearless,

Michelle Foster