concentration face vs the neurotoxin
So I got my forehead injected with Botox last week. Yep. I did. I didn't get a lot, so it's not like I'm all frozen-faced or anything. I doubt it's even noticeable to anyone who doesn't see my face on a daily basis. Actually, I'm not even sure the man would've noticed if I hadn't been checking the mirror constantly for a few days afterwards and announcing when it finally took effect. Then we both had a good laugh at my idle attempts to make the crease between my eyebrows appear. You know the one - that crease (or double crease, for some) that shows up when you scowl or concentrate. Seems I'm pretty big on "concentration face" and that crease has become a permanent fixture between my eyes. I'm not happy about that. At. All.
This is no normal crease, mind you. It's this shadowy figure that haunts my forehead and taunts me every day in the mirror. That's my perception of it anyway. To the plastic surgeon who wielded the Botox needle, it was only a "just starting" kind of crease. Eek. You mean it's going to get worse?! Six injections and three days later... *poof*. That crease had magically changed from a deep canyon to a mere indentation. Too bad magic always comes with a price.
I was kind of miserable for a while afterwards. My forehead was very sore for the first few days and I had a mean tension headache for a week. I think that was caused by the unnatural shift in how the facial muscles operate. You keep moving your face the way you normally do but the injected muscles start protesting. No, I don't want to move. Ask someone else. Then those other muscles get grumpy about having to take up the slack. My face was in revolt about this redistribution of labor and I felt a little guilty for having used chemical weapons to force compliance.
Eight days out, I think I'm mostly past the battle of the facial muscles. Now it all just feels a little weird. Even though the Botox was injected along my brow line, the upper center of my forehead is what feels most affected. I assume that upper muscle is one I normally use very little and it's now being used a lot. After a few weeks, these new forehead movements will probably become more natural, but it's kind of an odd sensation at the moment. The really interesting thing is that I'm learning just how often I use the muscles that made the crease. With that other part of my forehead engaging more, I notice every movement. Maybe I'll get lucky and my face will retrain itself so I won't make the same scrunchy concentration face once the Botox wears off. Okay, probably not. At least part of my face gets to kick back and relax for a while instead of deepening that damn crease!
The jury's still out on whether or not I'll get Botox again in a few months, but I've already realized that there's a catch to all this...
Do you know what happens when you smooth one part of your face? Every other part of your face suddenly looks older. See, that one crease was the first thing my eyes went to every time I looked in the mirror. Now it's not, so my eyes find the next worst thing. You get a taste of smoother skin and it's like doing that first line of cocaine - you immediately want more! I think I understand now how women end up with freaky frozen faces, surprise eyes and fish lips. I'll not be taking that path. Or any path even close to it.
This is no normal crease, mind you. It's this shadowy figure that haunts my forehead and taunts me every day in the mirror. That's my perception of it anyway. To the plastic surgeon who wielded the Botox needle, it was only a "just starting" kind of crease. Eek. You mean it's going to get worse?! Six injections and three days later... *poof*. That crease had magically changed from a deep canyon to a mere indentation. Too bad magic always comes with a price.
I was kind of miserable for a while afterwards. My forehead was very sore for the first few days and I had a mean tension headache for a week. I think that was caused by the unnatural shift in how the facial muscles operate. You keep moving your face the way you normally do but the injected muscles start protesting. No, I don't want to move. Ask someone else. Then those other muscles get grumpy about having to take up the slack. My face was in revolt about this redistribution of labor and I felt a little guilty for having used chemical weapons to force compliance.
Eight days out, I think I'm mostly past the battle of the facial muscles. Now it all just feels a little weird. Even though the Botox was injected along my brow line, the upper center of my forehead is what feels most affected. I assume that upper muscle is one I normally use very little and it's now being used a lot. After a few weeks, these new forehead movements will probably become more natural, but it's kind of an odd sensation at the moment. The really interesting thing is that I'm learning just how often I use the muscles that made the crease. With that other part of my forehead engaging more, I notice every movement. Maybe I'll get lucky and my face will retrain itself so I won't make the same scrunchy concentration face once the Botox wears off. Okay, probably not. At least part of my face gets to kick back and relax for a while instead of deepening that damn crease!
The jury's still out on whether or not I'll get Botox again in a few months, but I've already realized that there's a catch to all this...
Do you know what happens when you smooth one part of your face? Every other part of your face suddenly looks older. See, that one crease was the first thing my eyes went to every time I looked in the mirror. Now it's not, so my eyes find the next worst thing. You get a taste of smoother skin and it's like doing that first line of cocaine - you immediately want more! I think I understand now how women end up with freaky frozen faces, surprise eyes and fish lips. I'll not be taking that path. Or any path even close to it.