Pass the Botox, Please. Oh, and the Filler.

One of my most popular posts, by far, is about my experience with botox and filler. God bless that stuff! Thank you all for your support with the post.

It’s encouraging to see woman stop worrying about what others think by doing a little “something, something” to make us feel good about ourselves. It’s time for the apologizing or whispering over who gets Botox to end, I say!

I’m a 40 year old woman whose proudly been getting Botox for eight years, and filler for about four.

The post I originally wrote needed some updating. I recently had some more Botox and Juvederm added to my face courtesy of Allergan and Dr. Kavali in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

It’s important to understand why filler is important. Think about make-up and it’s purpose. We create light and shadows on our face. We reflect light in order to highlight our cheeks. We add shadows near our eyelids to make our eyes standout.

Lights and shadows create a three dimensional look. We do it with makeup every day much like artists with paint brushes.

But what if we could create those lights and shadows without so much makeup? What if we could create that youthful look, while wearing less makeup?

This is where filler and botox meet and form a really happy marriage. No one in this marriage is sleeping on the couch guys! They are one big happy family, ha!

Pull out a photo of you when you were younger. Chances are you had this very full, voluminous face. We naturally lose that plumpness with age. If filler is placed properly it should plump up the portions of our face where it once was which will draw light to that area, and create a shadow where it should be.

Do I still look like myself? Yes! But through two pregnancies and aging I’ve lost some of that fullness in my face that brings out those natural highlights. Darn you gravity! My cheeks have dropped a bit and there’s more hollowness in the area between my ears and eyes. I’m not being hard on myself, just seeing the difference in aging.

I went to Dr. Kavali for Juvederm filler and Botox. To bring you up to speed, I did get some filler before seeing Dr. Kavali from another doctor. But I felt I needed a little bit more plumping to maximize the effects of light and shadows. I also felt the filler was a bit uneven.

Dr. Kavali put the Juvederm product in my cheek areas and area next to my eyebrows/hair line to pull up my nasal folds naturally and fill out the hollowness by my eyes. This created create more fullness around my eye area and tops of my cheeks.

Botox was placed at my crows feet area and temples to pull up the skin, smooth it and allow the forehead to reflect light. Be sure to see exactly how much botox I use on this post.

A note about photos – all before and after photos were taken by a cell phone and not altered in any way. The before photos were taken in fluorescent light, and the after in natural light, but that’s the only difference.

Look back at the photos and really look at that nasal fold – the line that forms when you smile. Do you see what a dramatic difference the filler made in softening this?! Wow! Far less shadow in that crease, and more highlighting in my cheek area!

I am so pleased with the results and feel fresh. I do wear less makeup and feel so much better about myself! Don’t we all deserve that?!

In short? No, I don’t think so. However, pain is relative.

Dr. Kavali doesn’t even numb the area. This made me nervous at first because I was used to being numb from another doctor, but she assured me that was actually an unnecessary step that doesn’t effect the feeling. She was right! I saved 20 minutes of getting numb and the pressure was exactly the same. You do feel a pinch, and I’ll admit the filler does feel a little wonky going in, but it’s worth it. Take deep breaths and you’ll be fine.

For me it lasts about eight months. Everyone is different but I typically get it once a year. Botox lasts anywhere from three-four months.

No! You want a Board Certified person injecting needles in your face. No one else will do. Ask them if they are Board Certified. If they skate around this question, hit the road. This is your face. You want the best trained people doing this.

Every face is different. And you’ll likely not get the same amount of injections on both sides.

A highly trained physician will be able to look at your face and help you get the best bang for your buck by placing it in the areas that need it most.

I needed more on my left temple than my right, and more on my right cheek (I may have gotten that mixed up – my memory is fading – do we have a cure for that?!)

The bottom line is – trust the doctors. They take pride in their work and want you to look your best so you’re a walking billboard for them! They will aim to give you symmetry. Keep in mind no one has symmetrical sides of faces.

I was once told by Beyonce’s makeup artist to think of the sides of your faces as sisters, not identical twins!

Again, every situation is different. You are charged by the needle, so the amount of injectable used is different for each person. At this appointment, Dr. Kavali used two full needed. Ask for a consultation to find out how much your cost would be. I personally would give my left arm to keep looking my best, but it’s all relative!

To read more about safety and Allergan product visit this website. I also highly recommend calling Dr. Kavali if you live in Atlanta!