If you are in your mid 30s-40s and your face looks good

[Anonymous]

PSA for everyone who thinks getting carded means anything. DC used to earn a mean buck by criminalizing underage drinking and jailing offenders. It was basically a sport to pick up college kids on the weekend and throw them in jail, knowing a lot of UMC parents would pay heavily to get their kids out of a DC prison. This is not the current states hit the area continues to ID more than normal. My 97 year old grandfather was asked a few months ago to provide proof of being over 21; this would not happen in our home area of NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just turned 39. I spend about $4,000/year on Botox and fillers for around the mouth. A year ago I spent about $1,700 on a laser treatments for brown/red spots. Skincare products are tough to estimate (I should really add this up). I generally use good drugstore brands (Cetaphil/Cerave or lesser expensive natural brands Alba, Acure) for washes and moisturizers. Toners/acid are La Roche Posay, Ren, Alba. Sunscreen is Elta MD (cheaper from Costco). Makeup is always good quality but I don’t use much so rarely buy it. Have semi oily skin and still battle acne, but also have extremely sensitive skin so have to be careful with products. Been doing Botox and fillers for almost two years and will never stop. Honestly I never thought I would spend so much on my face but the results are worth it. It’s definitely a luxury though and I have to budget.

I am very similar to this. I just turned 40. I look better now than I did 5 years ago (which is why I started it all). It’s not cheap and in my field, also less socially acceptable, but it makes me feel great. I never used to do anything extravagant for myself and I earn a decent income, so figured why the heck not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never get Botox. It looks weird and obvious, plus injecting that crap in your face is flat out creepy.

I have no problem microblading though.

You might be thinking of fillers and not Botox.

No. I’m thinking of injecting Botox. Do you know what it is?

Botulinum toxin is used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles by paralyzing the underlying muscles.

That sounds pretty creepy to me. Fillers, especially if you’re relocating fat cells from other parts of your body to your face don’t seem as bad. (Still not something I would do.)

A friend used to do fillers, but switched to Botox. She heard through the grapevine that one rare side-effect of fillers was blindness, and that it had happened at a top clinic. Very low chance of course, but I would rather have my lines.

That was a case of an Australian who had it done at a salon from a nurse practitioner not a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing you can do - after the obvious no smoking, Retin-A at night, sunscreen during the day - is Botox. Do small amounts of it and start early on. Do it twice per year. If you're starting to get the slightest hint of 11s or horizontal forehead lines, start getting Botox injected there. It will have a preventative effect. A lot of us started Botox too late. I wouldn't worry about fillers. I think 20s is way too young to start fillers. They can really make you look crazy over time. They're also more expensive and more medically risky.

You will get way more bang for your buck out of Botox, generic Retin-A and sunscreen than you will out of all the, say, Drunk Elephant or Skinceutical products you can find. You don't need that stuff.

Agree completely! Botox is quick and lasts a few months. There’s no serum or cream that will get you close to the results Botox will. And it’s only obvious when it’s been done badly! Obviously a good injector will give you natural results.

Agree too on sunscreen!


I use a light stem for red light therapy - it's available online and Nordstrom ... But I tried it first at the place I spray tan before spending $ on the device itself.

I use it 2-3 x a week now - at first I aimed for daily use but probably actually used it 4-5 x a week. It's 10-20 min of lying back with this light panel close to my face filled with amber and red light bulbs. I use on clean skin or occasionally with a serum on. That's it. I see immediate results - my face looks plumped up & brighter but nothing drastic. I've seen real results after a month or two - where other people actually noticed and asked if I was using new skin care etc. I use it before bed and find it helps me go to sleep. Might be because I'm laying there with my eyes closed not doing anything but it's very relaxing. It feels slightly warm next to the light but not enough to make me sweat or anything.

I use red light therapy too- I see a big difference but it’s a commitment- 5-6 days a week I use it for 15-20 min. A long time to do nothing but lay there with your eyes closed relaxing though.

Also, differin your skin doesn’t take to retina a stop a retenoid (?) but less drying.

I've read about this in some article. Can you recommend what you're using?

Yes please!

[Anonymous]

I’m a 40 yo white woman with no wrinkles. It’s mostly years of sunscreen plus good genes and being the only one with a wide-brimmed hat at the beach. I have also used lots of retin A over the years. General health is also important in skin care...sleeping, good diet, stress management. I haven’t ventured into Botox and fillers. I’m also about 12 pounds heavier than I was at 18, which probably looks better than fighting to stay super thin.