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Has anyone ever suggested to you that you consider preventative Botox®. Were you offended or grateful?

It’s an interesting conundrum. We live in a world where we like to be able to “fix” everything, cure diseases and live longer. Alongside this comes a desire to appear youthful and one of the enablers of this, is having the option to be treated with cosmetic injectables, such as Botox® and other neuromodulators (antiwrinkle products). For better or worse, we have come to desire the best we can have – be it cars, shoes, technology and more – so why not want the best when it comes to beauty and cosmetic injectables?  Botox® sometimes gets bad press because people believe that it ‘makes everyone look the same’. And that can be true when it’s in the hands of an inexperienced or poorly trained injector, as can many other beauty treatments… We’ve all seen the obviously thatched look of microbladed eyebrows, lips tattooed an overly bright red, puffy overfilled lips, blonde hair that has become yellow, overly large, square dental veneers, false eyelashes like spiders’ legs… It’s all about doing your homework and choosing the right person to be treated by. In doing that you will receive information about appropriateness of treatments, product amounts and when the treatments will make a difference.

At BLOOMSKIN, Nicole is regularly shown photos of social media influencers and celebs with patients asking to have the same look. Some even use apps such as Facetune to take selfies which capture them with perfect, line free skin and glowing white teeth. Others use filters to alter their image and create the look they want. The fact that selfies are now such a ‘thing’ is a problem in itself. They are generally taken at 45-degree angle whereas up until now, we were used to looking at ourselves straight on in the mirror. The selfie angle gives a slightly different perspective – your nose is at a different angle, your cheekbones can therefore look ‘flatter’. Many patients have done their homework, some are quite forceful in what they think they need, right down to the number of mls or units of product, and even the injecting technique!

The popularity of preventative Botox® can leave some feeling left out of the conversation. On the one hand, the fact that it is so openly discussed and widely used is great. On the other, you are perfectly within your rights to keep your beauty secrets to yourself, and rest assured, your beauty secrets are safe with us. Nicole recommends going slow and not starting until you actually have the beginnings of visible lines – which will inevitably turn into wrinkles. Preventative Botox® is all about softening and slowing the progress of static lines becoming permanent. We don’t want to ‘freeze frame’ faces – ageing is a natural process and allowing natural expressions is vital.

The other bonus of preventative Botox® is that it provides a gradual process and therefore slows the visible signs of ageing. There are a lot of (mainly) women who wait too long for Botox® treatments and when they finally seek cosmetic injections, either the treatments are not ever going to be enough to adequately assist the ageing process, or an injector will overfill and over administer neuromodulators, so their look becomes very unnatural and obvious.

Feeling comfortable in your OWN skin is what we at BLOOMSKIN hope to facilitate. Yes, we too look closely at international trends and social media, but working out just what the beauty ideal even is, should not come into your treatment programme. Cosmetic injectables are about enhancing what you already have, not changing your appearance. Preventative Botox® is not about obtaining an unrealistic perfection, it is about preventing the early onset of permanent lines, softening off the contracting muscles which bunch the skin and create lines and wrinkles. The huge array of makeup options these days are the perfect way to create a variety of looks – natural day looks, dramatic evening looks and everything in between – but a subtle use of cosmetic injectables will prepare the skin and provide an excellent ‘canvas’ on which to apply makeup. It is your absolute right to look your best and only you can make the decision based on how you perceive your appearance.

BOTOX® is a Prescription Medicine containing 100 units of botulinum toxin type A for injection. It is used for the treatment of frown lines, forehead lines and crow’s feet. It should be administered only by trained medical professionals. Ask your specialist about the benefits and risks of using Botox and whether Botox is right for you. If you have any side effects or concerns speak to your health professional. You will need to pay for Botox. Botox has benefits and risks. Always follow your specialist’s instructions. For more information refer to the Consumer Medicine Information for Botox at www.medsafe.govt.nz
BOTOX® is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc. Allergan New Zealand Ltd, PO Box 1873, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140, New Zealand.