I’ve always had a relatively low-lift beauty routine that basically consisted of cleansing, moisturizing, applying makeup, repeat. A combination of laziness and genetic luck has generally allowed me to spend minimal time and money in things like facials, prescription acne treatments, or high-end age-fighting products. But after turning 30 last summer, I realized that it’s about time I started experimenting with and investing in the latter. Enter the ultimate age-defying treatment: the Botox facial.
This procedure was pitched to me as an exclusive in-office treatment first invented in early 2017 by New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Norman Rowe that would “painlessly and effectively deliver bioactive compounds into the skin, including Botox, dermal fillers, Vitamins A and C, as well as a complex of anti-aging nutrients.” The liquid solution promised to be less invasive than traditional Botox or dermal filler treatments. This sounded great, but admittedly, I was a little freaked out by the word Botox, simply because I was a newbie. Although I’ve interviewed women about their own plastic surgeries, I didn’t have much experience with anything like this myself (and yes, I know injectables aren’t the same as going under a knife). Still, I wondered: Would needles be involved" How would my face feel (and look) afterward" But I described the process to our beauty editor, who looked at me like I was bananas, and said, “...