Aug 28 (which also happens to be my birthday) I went to City Park for more treatments. I saw Michelle first for Intraoral tightening (she had done my Fotona Hair Restoration treatment at Stonebridge). She used the Fotona machine on a different setting to stimulate collagen from inside my mouth. First she did both of my cheeks, then the insides of my lips. I could hardly feel the cheek treatments however, I did feel some short bursts of heat during the lip treatments – but they were over before my brain could even register they were happening. Easy peasy.
Next I saw Nurse Sharon again, this time for botox injections. I was quite hesitant about getting botox but Nurse Sharon assured me that the “frozen face” look is greatly exaggerated. She also explained that botox injections have been around for over 30 years, and are one of the most common procedures performed, in both men and women. When I started this journey I vowed to myself that I would keep an open mind and listen to the advice of the experts, so away we went. I hardly felt the injections, and the whole procedure was over in no time. I could hardly wait to see the results!
Sept 9, 2021
Dear Diary,
Wow, I don’t know what happened to the past 3 weeks. I got so busy at work… Time for an update. On Aug 18th I had a short visit with Genevieve from Revive, who will be doing my permanent make-up. She took some photos and we discussed a few strategies. Apparently the permanent makeup can’t done until some of my other skin treatments are finished – I can hardly wait! I’ve been following Genevieve for over a year on Instagram and I’ve been so impressed with her results. Won’t it be nice to wake up ready to face the world!
On Aug 25 I went to Stonebridge for my first experience with filler. What is filler, you ask? Well so did I, since I didn’t really have a clue! Facial fillers are made from hyaluronic acid (HA), which is a substance that naturally exists in skin. HA retains moisture and is capable of binding over 1000 times its weight in water! However, as people age the production of HA in skin decreases, resulting in loss of volume, hydration and plumpness. HA facial fillers help restore this volume and also help to lift the skin, kind of like a face lift but without the surgery. The results can last up to 2 years and the hyaluronic acid is naturally absorbed by the skin during this time, so the effects gradually fade away. Bella Sante uses fillers made by Allergan, a very reputable company, and only specially trained nurses are allowed to administer the injections. It was a very interesting experience, to say the least!
Nurse Lori, who had done my PRP injections (remember the angry woodpecker?), and another nurse, Nurse Sharon, both administered the injections. Two Allergan reps were also present to oversee the procedure, and Genevieve from Revive even popped in to say hello. A sketch of my face was made ahead of time to plan which type of filler would be injected where. There were so many different ones, Volift, Voluma, Volite, Volux, Velociraptor (just kidding), each designed for a specific area and result. Nurse Sharon showed me the sketch and we had a good laugh – an artist she is not! But the basic details were there so we got started. An ice pack was used to numb the area first, then a needle or cannula was used to inject the filler. Nurse Sharon and Nurse Lori took turns injecting different areas of my face and discussing strategies with the reps. I hardly felt the first few injections and I thought “this is a piece of cake!”, but as they moved to different areas of my face, I have to admit, some of the injections were quite painful! Luckily, both Nurse Sharon and Nurse Lori have excellent “chair-side” manners, and their re-assuring words helped a lot. Despite feeling like a pin-cushion, we had lots of laughs and I really enjoyed the whole experience.
The next day, I woke up with quite a lot of bruising around my lips and some along my jaw, and my face was quite tender. I was warned that I might be a bit bruised but I wasn’t expecting quite so much! Thank goodness for my COVID mask, or I wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere. If I ever decide to do this again, I’ll have to plan on hiding out for a few days, cuz surely the pandemic will be over by then and I won’t have a mask to hide behind!
