At the grand age of 37, and with a pandemic under my belt, I’d started to think about injecting a bit of youth back into my rapidly ageing face.

Browsing Instagram I was wow’d by the before and after botox pic that fashion and parent blogger Totes Inappropes, shared. She looked amazing! So it was like fate when I realised her practitioner had recently opened a clinic in Hampshire (as well as the original one in Cheshire) and on a whim, I booked in to have the crease between my eyebrows smoothed out. Let’s call it a pre-Christmas treat.

Why botox?

Facial lines and wrinkles can create a tired or weathered appearance. It’s possible to rid our faces of these by relaxing facial muscles to give the face a more relaxed and softer appearance. Let me tell you, after almost a year being locked away with my feral children and (almost ex-) husband, my face was no longer relaxed, nor soft 
I was told at my initial consultation that results can last anywhere between 12-16 weeks. I was hoping for the latter.

What happened at my botox appointment?

I arrived at The Clinic, which (when running in Hampshire) is situated within Beauty Boutique in Fair Oak, Hampshire for my 10.15am appointment with Liz. I was feeling fine until I arrived and suddenly started to get nervous, what exactly would needles into the forehead feel like?!
Liz, who herself is a nurse practitioner, put me immediately at ease – answering all of my questions and letting me know about things I hadn’t even thought to ask. I naively thought as I was having the crease (aka bumcrack line) between my eyebrows done that she would just inject there, but instead she put one injection in there and two each side above each eyebrow. This helps to relax the muscle, giving that angry bum crack the heave-ho.
I was so busy chatting away that I hadn’t even realised she was doing it. The needle is so fine, and Liz was so quick, that before I’d even finished my conversation it was done!
I have seen so many salons advertising botox, but I’d also seen a lot of bodge jobs too which did put me off looking further into it. Faces full of filler and eyebrows raised to the foreheads are not really my style. I’m 37 and I don’t look too bad for my age, so I wanted a subtle, natural change that would inject me with a bit more confidence rather than a wtf has she done look?
The fact Liz is a qualified nurse did really sway my decision to use her – not least because if it was horrific, at least she’d be able to deal with a fainting patient. LOLS.

How long did the botox take to settle in?

I did think it would be instant, but Liz informed me it takes two weeks to see the full result. I practiced my little scowl face daily, and did wonder if it was actually going to work (my frown was deep!) – but after about 10 days I noticed that I could no longer furrow the brow which was good as it happened to fall around Christmas when we were all stuck at home together so my facial movements of despair were well hidden with the botox.
Four weeks in and I’m definitely still despairing but the frown doesn’t give away my inner feelings at all. So it’s probably saved me a whole lot of arguments. No RBF here…
I am really pleased with the result. It’s something that noone else probably noticed, but it used to really bother me and the subtle change has really improved my self confidence…and my make up doesn’t all clog in the crease line either!

How much did it cost?

The Clinic charge a really reasonable £150 for one area (which I had), when it begins to wear off and once lockdown is lifted – I am going to have my forehead wrinkles smoothed out too. I feel like I was testing the water with the area I had, but now after seeing that a) it works and b) it doesn’t hurt, I’m definitely converted.
I’m also going to look into the skincare treatments that they offer as they are medical grade products and treat the skin ‘from within’, I’m looking at the Obagi Blue Radiance peel and the Acne Facial but will speak with Liz first with what she recommends.
 
After I posted about the botox treatment on my Instagram stories I had so many people message me asking questions about it (hence this post) and lots of people who already have botox – who I would never have guessed- so if you are thinking about it, I highly recommend Liz at The Clinic…