How Much Botox is Too Much?

The very first time I had Botox was in 1996, when I was 28 years old. I let a male colleague inject it into my forehead. Well, that turned out to be a mistake. He jabbed the needle into my face, and there was a loud “crunch” with every injection. The worst part was that I couldn’t raise my eyebrows to put on eye shadow for the next 3 months.

Since that first horrific treatment, I’ve been performing Botox injections on myself because I just don’t trust anyone else. People are often surprised to find out, however, that I’ve had any treatments at all. Probably because I look normal:  I can raise my eyebrows, smile, and express real emotion. (And those four deep creases on my forehead are gone – yay!)

The thing is that we all look better (and younger) when we can actually move our faces.  After all, even teenagers have some lines when they raise their eyebrows. The point of Botox shouldn’t be to freeze your face into submission or even to resist the aging process. Looking stiff actually ages you. Besides, most women will tell you that their 30s were better than their 20s, their 40s were better than their 30s, and so on. Rather, Botox should help you look refreshed and relaxed, as if you (finally) managed to get a really good night’s sleep.  The best compliment I can get as a doctor is for one of my patients to be hailed as a “natural” beauty.”  And as I always say, if I’m doing my job right, you shouldn’t be able to see my work at all.