Do you remember when you were a little girl and all you wanted was to look older? From sneaking makeup into the school bathroom to requesting highlights at the ripe age of 12, no length was too great for you to achieve a more mature look. Well, you certainly have arrived and guess what, the grass is not greener on the other side. If anything, the grass is a little dry and in dire of some primping.

I’m 31 and for a few years now, my mother has been nudging me to start seeing someone for my skin. I already had a skin care regiment but what she had in mind was an aesthetician aka skin guru, someone who would clean my pores, work their magic and do preventative procedures instead of trying to turn back the clock when it was already too late. I understood where she was coming from 100%, but being blessed with good genes, let’s just say I didn’t exactly run to get this done.

My motto had always been, “Why fix it if it ain’t broke?” The thing about your skin, though, especially on your face is that you don’t necessarily see the damage with the naked eye and by the time you do, you may need to take much more drastic measures to reverse it. So, with a little motherly persuasion and a friend that works for a top cosmetic surgeon in the area I ran out of excuses not to make an appointment.

The moment I walked into Dr. Louis Bucky’s office, I was excited about my treatments. I knew that every single person in that office was rooting for me to look my absolute best. So, I left it entirely up to the girls to let me know what I needed to get done.

While everyone wants to age gracefully, doing so requires a little external help along the way. I first met with Renee who was a clinical aesthetician. She told me that she would be doing a combo peel on me. It was originally used for facelift patients for pre and post lift care. In my case it would even out my skin tone and get rid of any pigmentation. It would also increase cell turnover, get rid of creases and minimize pores. I was ready!

But wait after that there would be microdermabrasion and a mild peel, that in itself was enough to make me anxious. All I could think about was looking like Samantha from SATC after her chemical peel. I told Renee and she put me at ease by reassuring me that it would be mild and I would go about my business after my appointment. My face never felt as soft as it did after Renee was done with me. According to her it would take another week for it to look it’s very best.

Next was Valerie with the Botox. I was visibly nervous when I got into her chair. It wasn’t that I was afraid of pain but more so of the anticipation. Valerie told me that we didn’t have to go through with it. To which I replied, “don’t be silly, I’m already here, let’s do this.” Val explained to me that there are two types of women, women that don’t want their faces to move at all (definitely not me) and women that get less Botox and maintain some movement and get it done more often. Oh, but the reason I even considered Botox were these two little lines I was forming between my eyebrows. Every time I would write or think they would appear. In the Botox world they call them the elevens.

For those of you who have never had this done, here is the rundown. Val put numbing cream on me before we started our talk, so there was plenty of time for it to set in. I thought that I was getting 1 or 2 injections, but I got 6 or 8. I could hear a little pop each time the diabetic sized needle punctured my skin but there was no pain, just a little sting that lasted a second. For someone who was so scared to begin with, I actually really enjoyed the feeling.

I was told that the Botox would not fully set in for three days, so I waited. On the third day, voila, I could move every part of my face except for the muscle between my eyebrows. Was it an absolute necessity? Of course not. But this will prevent my elevens from progressing and getting deeper. Plus, Botox only lasts about 3 months and getting more injections is optional. As far as the cost, I believe that it varies from office to office. All I can say is that I personally wouldn’t get Botox anywhere else. I trust Val. I hear of people having Botox parties, but I don’t think that this is something that I would risk and mess around with unless I personally knew the person.

If I left out any part of my experience out or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. A big part of why I went through with this doctor’s visit is to be able to share it with you, so I hope you found it helpful. Happy rejuvenating!

-Biana
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