Topknots & Botox

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I’m a top knot sporting, minivan driving, yoga pants minus the yoga-ing basic mom. No designer purses here, and you’d never mistake me for an extra on Real Housewives of Anywhere. So when the idea of Botox first popped into my mind, I immediately dismissed it as vain and not my style. The truth is, my perception of Botox reflected when it first hit the market, and ladies (let’s be honest, some guys too) paid big bucks to pump their skin so full of Botox that they looked frozen for months! I remember laughing and wondering why that was even a thing people would consider doing in the name of beauty?

But, now I’m in my later 30s with more wrinkles than I care for, my furrowed “WHAT THE HECK” lines particularly deep thanks to one certain little boy who shall remain nameless, and let me tell you, I totally get it now. I’ve rolled with microneedles, used fantastic creams, and applied silky masks faithfully. I have smooth, even skin thanks to it, but those lines… they are having none of my efforts. It wasn’t until I realized how pronounced they have become even when my face is at rest that I considered more seriously touching up my skin for some very special events (read: a wedding where I will be standing next to some seriously beautiful barely 30-year-olds) I have coming up.

But who is a girl to call? As shocking as it is, I don’t have a cosmetic surgeon on speed dial, and I wasn’t really sure how to begin looking for someone. After all, I just wanted a little help with lines, not a facelift or anything too dramatic. It turns out, my dentist (and fellow DMB mama) was keeping a little secret- a noninvasive, skin smoothing secret-she is 100% certified to give me Botox!

Not all dentists are, but Dr. Caitlin Lochtefeld at Dayton Comprehensive Dentistry completed extensive certifications to be able to safely and effectively treat patients with injectables (Botox and fillers), not just for cosmetic reasons but for therapeutic treatments as well. The more I talked with Dr. Lochtefeld about it at our appointment, the more sense it made. Dentists have an in-depth working knowledge of all of the many muscles that make up your face. As she put it, “Your nurse practitioner or family health physician needs to know how every part of your body works. But your face and mouth, that’s MY wheelhouse.” 

Dr. Lochtefeld had me make a series of REALLY attractive faces so that she could gauge the correct amount of Botox to administer. By giving only what each person needs instead of a standard set amount, she can avoid that previously mentioned frozen look. Please, prepare yourself to be in awe of my beauty during my dramatic interpretation of human emotions: at rest, surprise, anger, and fully marked up for injections. You are welcome.

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It was about at this point that I started to ask endless questions to put off facing the needle. Thankfully, Dr. Lochtefeld patiently and expertly answered them all. My most burning questions:

How much is this going to hurt?
Again referencing those always reliable Real Housewives of Wherever, I assumed that this was going to hurt dramatically. But that simply wasn’t true! I was given a stress ball, which I squeezed at each injection, but it really wasn’t more uncomfortable than a small pinch, and there wasn’t any lingering discomfort at all.

How long would my forehead retain it’s newfound return to the glory days of youth?
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it would take just 10 days at most to see best results, and I could expect to enjoy those results for up to 3 months. THREE MONTHS PEOPLE! Five minutes of discomfort, not even pain, just discomfort, and for three months those angry elevens between my eyes would hush up just a bit. 

Dr. Lochtefeld quickly administered all of my treatment as we talked about how many units of Botox she was using. The typical client needs between 20-40 units, and I fell close to the middle at 27. Many factors play into why a person would need more or less, among them being age, depth of line and wrinkles, and good old-fashioned genetics. Many times, once a person has had Botox, they need less at a future treatment, depending on how close together those treatments are. At $14 per unit, I immediately assumed it was not something I could personally afford to do every 3 months, but when I started to add up what I’ve been spending on pricey skin care in attempts to diminish the lines between and above my eyes…honestly, I’m re-evaluating a bit. When I have a big event coming up, like that wedding next year, the ability to be a bit more comfortable in my own skin and not worry about an unflattering angle in a photo would be well worth the investment to me. 

So, big moment…
Did it work for me?
Here are my results, no makeup at all, after 4 days.

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Okay, there was definitely makeup involved in that last picture. But, I wanted to show that my smile and the general look of my face remained natural. 

The result is subtle enough that nobody is going to ask me, “What did you do to your face??!?” which is never the response you want after a cosmetic procedure, but it’s also given me a refreshed look so that I don’t feel like I emote a frumpy, tired mom vibe even when I’m rested and happy. So while this minivan mama can’t afford a private jet to the Caribbean any time soon, I might just be asking Dr. Lochtefeld to give my face a quick checkup after she finishes checking my teeth at my next dental visit. 

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Dayton Comprehensive Dentistry offers Botox at two of their convenient locations: Dayton & Springboro!

A Special Offer for Dayton Moms Blog Readers!

At your 1st visit, you will receive your first 5 units free.
Just tell them we sent you!

 

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Katie Nunnally
Katie is mom to Layla(2012) Joey(2014) and twins Vivi and Eva (2019)! She's been an Air Force wife for 13 years, retiring from teaching at the ripe age of 25 to spread her wings and fly to exotic destinations like Dayton, then Germany, and back to Dayton. She spends most days wandering from the kitchen to the washing machine with a small flight of children underfoot, or pushing a double stroller while trying to chase down her kids on their bikes. Find her on IG @pearls.points.and.parenting

2 COMMENTS

  1. You look great! I actually noticed my horrible lines earlier this week and have dreamed of a solution. Its nice to know others are having similar issues and its ok to do something about it.

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