What you need to know before having Botox

1) Where is it safe to have your Botox shots?

Nowadays everyone offers Botox. Please make sure it is a qualified doctor who has experience with this. You don’t want a nurse or a dentist who usually does implants and attended some week-end course to do your injections. Find a trustworthy clinic or hospital and learn the dermatologist’s or plastic surgeon’s name. Do some Google research and find out about his work experience and what patients wrote about him.

2) What are the risks and possible side effects of Botox?

Droopy eyelids and migraine headaches are some of the risks you undergo when having Botox. That’s why your doctor needs to know the face anatomy perfectly, not to hit a wrong muscle by mistake. There are also people complaining about a blurred vision after Botox.

3) What happens when you get the treatment?

The nurse may numb the areas to be treated with cream 15 minutes ahead. But even if she doesn’t you won’t feel the injections much because the needles are very thin. The procedure itself is a quick fix, you should be out in 5-10 minutes.

4) What about pain, swelling and bruising?

I have never felt pain or swelling. But I happened to have bruising a couple of times. It didn’t stay long and was easy coverable with make-up. Usually you can see the injection sites but until you are back home, they are gone again.

5) How long does Botox last?

It can take up to 10 days until the Botox effect fully kicks in. I had Botox last for as short as 1 month and as long as 6 months. The average is a period between 3-6 months.

6) How much and where should I have Botox?

One of my worse experiences was, when a doctor injected too much Botox for my crow’s feet. It looked horrible, I didn’t want to leave the house!

Botox can change your expression totally. I think it is very funny, when someone is looking at you with a raised eyebrow all the time or cannot speak properly because the lips are frozen. Think carefully about what you want to have done and listen to your doctor. Personally, I have injections done only against crow’s feet (I laugh too much) and a little on my forehead (I lift heavy). Have your doctor inject enough for a lift but not too much, since you don’t want to look different.

7) Is there a way to get rid of Botox?

That one time when a doctor injected too much Botox, I did lots of desperate research, trying to find the magic cure. The common advise: Get used to it, it will fade away in a couple of month. I was going nuts. But I consulted the clinic and they calmed me down saying that I should come in for a radio frequency treatment. And really, to my relief it worked.

8) What should you do before and after Botox?

Strenuous exercise increases blood flow to the injection site and may remove Botox from this location. Although no scientific studies are currently available to address this issue, doctors suggests that strenuous activity should not be undertaken for at least 24 hours following Botox treatment. They also ask you to avoid for example tying shoelaces with your head down for the same reason. So make sure you have a good workout before your appointment.

9) Where does Squatgirl go?

I go to my friend Ulviyya’s clinic. She gets all the latest technology equipment and the best doctors from Turkey and abroad. The place is called VIP CLINIC and is located in Levent.