Because, aside from eating well, you also like to look hot: Let's talk about Botox/Juviderm/fillers, baby!
So go ahead and admit it, Lil' Miss Perfect: You've either been injected or have seriously considered going "under the needle." No way, you say? Psssh. You're fcuking lying!
I went "under the needle" for the first time in 2011. In - where else - Los Angeles. After receiving Botox in my forehead/brows, Juviderm in my smile lines, and some lip-filler...I felt like a new woman. Well, it actually took a few days for everything to "set in." In fact, 4-5 days post injection, I can tell you this: It sure as hell wouldn't have been my forehead/eyebrows revealing any sign of happiness/surprise had you told me that I'd just won the lottery. While my lips didn't look all that different, I simply could not get over my "semi-frozen forehead."
Although treatments wear off after 4-8 months, it took me about a year to finally find a fabulous NYC-based dermatologist who specializes in "injectables." I don't trust this face to just anybody. And you shouldn't, either! Last week, my friend, Victoria, had a "Botox/filler party" at her doctor's office. Prices-per-syringe were being offered at such a fantastic discount that I would have been an a-hole to say no. Plus, it had been 5-months since my last round of injections. I felt a bit guilty "cheating" on my dermatologist but, at the end of the day, I'm all about saving a buck (or a few hundred). Sorry Doc!
I was up in the air as to whether I should get filler in my top lip. Why? Go ahead and give the outermost portion of your pout the tiniest pinch. Now, tell me about the tears that just rolled down your face and the "ouch" that you belted out, simultaneously. Imagine that happening multiple times. It wasn't until I learned that Victoria's doctor numbed the mouth prior to injection that I decided to proceed with lip filler. "Hell yah," I exclaimed. "Bring it on!" So, after receiving approximately six novocaine shots in my gums, my lips were well on their way to looking a bit more like Taylor Armstrong Anjelina Jolie's. "Wow," the doctor said. "You're a bleeder!" After informing her that I had been taking multiple doses of Advil for a back ache, she suggested that, next time around, I refrain from blood-thinning pain relievers for at least two days prior to treatment. "Oh," I sighed. "Really?" She also suggested that I begin taking "Arnica" right away. "It's over-the-counter and you can buy it at health food stores. It will help with bruising and swelling," she said. "I can tell that you're a sweller!" Great. Just fcuking great.
Post-party, some friends and I went to grab drinks at Bond St. I figured that the Arnica could wait. Mama needed a drink! I mean, it's not like I got that swollen or bruised the first time I went "under the needle"...
I woke up around 1am to grab some water. While walking back to my bedroom, I decided to take a peak at my sexy new pout. Gasp! My top lip made Taylor Armstrong's look like Garth's (from Wayne's World)! I had a huge black bruise on the underside of my lip and a couple of bruises on either side of my mouth. "This is probably just a nightmare," I told myself, while crawling back in to bed.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
When I was growing up, my mom always told me and my sister that most people were too focused on themselves to notice anything different/new on, with, or about us. "It takes a 20 lb. weight loss for anyone to notice. You may feel different after 5-10 lbs., but no one will be able to tell until 20. Trust me," she would say. So, despite the fact that I felt like Taylor Armstrong - I hate to say it but, post-ass whipping - I was trained to believe that no one would notice my upper "duck lip" or surrounding bruises. "Remember, no one cares about anyone but themselves." Right, Mom...
My boss was the first to comment. And point. "What happened there?" And then my cubicle mate. Followed by two of my girlfriends who sit nearby. "You got all Kim'd up, girl," Reetu exclaimed. I reasoned that people were either completely obsessed with me, or that my mom could not have been any further from the truth when she told us that no one would ever notice anything. I'm going to go with the latter on this one. Sigh.
So, I decided that after - having to wear more makeup than Michael Jackson to cover-up my bruises - having to cancel all of my post-work social plans - not being able to look people in the eye/keeping my head lowered, that I would turn my personal martyrdom in to some key words of advice for those of you "injectable virgins" out there. Oh, and one more thing, I'd like to say that my unfortunate turn of "black and blue" events is of NO fault of the doctor. Now, back to my words of advice:
If you are getting lip filler, make sure to find out beforehand if the doctor will numb your mouth area prior to injection. This is a must! Otherwise, the pain will be excruciating!
Unless you can/want to craft a cool story about winning a street fight/mugging, do NOT snag a mid-week appointment. It's like a dear friend said to me after-the-fact, "Dude. Everyone knows that you get Bobo (Botox) done on a Friday after work! That way you have the weekend to recover."
TMI alert: Ladies, do NOT schedule your appointment the week prior or during your monthly cycle. Blood-thinning pain relievers contribute to swelling and bruising. 'Nuff said.
And, speaking of bruising, make sure to visit a health food store and pick up some Arnica. Begin taking the pills on the day of your treatment - prior to your treatment. Continue as needed.
Do not press or squeeze or manipulate the treated area(s). Leave your damn face alone!! Not only are your hands filthy, but pressure can actually move the product to an undesired location and make you look droopy and stupid.
The verdict is out on ice compresses post-treatment. I will leave that decision up to you and your doctor.
Do you have any good/funny "Bobo" stories? I'd love to hear them. And if you'd like some doctor referrals, I'm happy to send them your way.
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Until we inject again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle