Five Things You Need To Do BEFORE Thinking About Getting Botox
Written By Sophie Brooks
1) The Basics
The main reason patients come to me for Botox is for anti-aging purposes but truly one of the best ways to age well is to make sure you are physically taking care of your body from the offset. I’m really getting my little public health hat on with this but I’m a nurse so what can you expect? I am a huge believer in nailing the basics before even thinking about spending lots of money on injectable treatments… What are those you ask? Sleeping well, eating well and MOVING your body. All of these contribute so much to not only your appearance, but your overall health and wellbeing
2) SPF everyday!
If you are somebody who has been following me for a while, you will know that I am a stippler for making sure my patients wear SPF everyday, if I am doing botox on a patient for the first time I will always make sure they have an SPF which they are using everyday beforehand. SPF is the number one anti-aging tool we have! Why, you ask?? The sun lets off UVA and UVB rays (even when it’s cloudy!) both of these contribute to premature aging by damaging the DNA and fibroblasts in your skin cells, both of which are crucial to ensure cell longevity and collagen production. So even when it’s grey and dark outside, make sure you're applying SPF to your skin. Yes botox will stop the wrinkles, but it won’t hide sun damage!
3) Have a regular skincare routine that doesn’t involve makeup wipes
Having a regular skincare routine is really your bread and butter for looking and feeling your best at any age. I know skincare is a minefield and it can be difficult to find products that work for you. My top tip - start with the basis. Forget the acids, the serums, the fancy lotions and potions that promise to be the eternal elixir of youth and stick with 2-3 products that you use everyday then build into it.
Makeup wearer? You need to cleanse twice (ideally one would be an oil based cleanser). Make sure you're using an SPF everyday which is separate to your moisturiser. The two science backed ingredients for anti-aging - Vitamin C in the day to keep your skin bright and fresh, then a retinol in the evening to promote cell turnover. You should NOT be thinking about botox unless you're using retinol!
4) TURN THE ZOOM CAMERA OFF!!!
The front facing camera aka my worst ENEMY!! It really shocked me how often I hear people citing the zoom/teams/google meet as a reason for grumbles with their appearance, or not realising that’s what they looked like. Just turn it off. First of all, nobody else is looking at you on your camera because they are too busy looking at their own. Second, of COURSE you're frowning or have resting bitch face - you're at work, stuck on a meeting on zoom, which could 100% of been an email.
We have no business being able to look (and scrutinize) our own appearance like that for so many hours of the day. If your work insists you have the camera on, change the display so you don’t have to see your face, you just see the others in the meeting. Try it for a week - your sanity deserves it and I bet you won’t go back!
5) Have a Consultation
Ok, so you’ve done all of the above and you're still thinking about that shiny toxin? It’s time to have a consultation - bring all your questions and concerns and let's chat. I offer free consultations for all new patients so you can have a good chat and ensure you're eligible for treatment, but also so you get the opportunity to vibe check me and the clinic.