An aesthetician once told me that since I have a thicker dermis (the skin’s middle layer) with a high oil level, I’ll be less prone to wrinkles and fine lines as I age. At first, I thought she may have been gassing me up with a compliment. But my parents, now in their early 70s and just starting to develop deep-set wrinkles, have maintained a youthful appearance my entire life, so I figured she might be on to something.
I’m a longtime beauty editor, so it’s practically embedded in my DNA to make skincare a priority, but—full transparency—I didn’t get serious about sun care until my mid-20s. Now, at 36, I won’t go to bed without, at minimum, a good double cleanse, a few minutes under an LED mask and/or microcurrent treatment, and a deeply moisturizing night cream. Maybe that’s why people are often shocked to find out how old I actually am. I’ve heard things like “No way, you’re 36?!” and “I thought you were in your late 20s!” more times than I can count. That’s likely also why my mom was shocked when I told her about my decision to try Botox for the first time.
For those who need a refresher: “Botox used for cosmetic purposes is a protein that attaches to the end of nerve fibers and prevents the local contraction of muscles,” explains Nava Greenfield, a dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group and clinical instructor at Mount Sinai in New York City. “Many companies have made slight variations of the original Botox molecule for their own proprietary purposes, but they all work in essentially the same way.” Thanks to genetics and my fantastically thick dermis, minor signs of aging like fine lines never bothered me much—until they did. “You know you're Black, right?” my mom joked during a recent phone call where we discussed the idea.
I’ve been offered injectables countless times over the years by brands and experts—from Botox and neurotoxin alternatives, like Xeomin, Jeuveau, and Daxxify, to filler—but I’ve never thought they were for me. It’s not that my face is too perfect to be a candidate for it but because I truly felt comfortable in my skin and highly detested needles (and still do). According to professionals, typical Botox injections run the gamut between $200 and $2,000. Not to mention, the whole idea that Black doesn’t crack actually rings true in my family, so why bother?
The fact is, I started noticing a prominent wrinkle between my eyes rudely showing up uninvited in selfies and group pictures with friends, which really irked me. Since I wear glasses every day and usually remove them right before photos, I initially chalked it up to my frames leaving a light impression in the area. But upon closer inspection, I realized to my dismay that I, too, had started developing the dreaded “11s.” My go-to at-home treatments and expert-level concealer application helped disguise their appearance temporarily. Still, I knew I needed to take things a step further with professional help to get my frown lines under control.
“Botox stops muscles from contracting and in that way softens wrinkles in the face,” Greenfield continues. “If the goal is to prevent wrinkles, start using it before wrinkles start to set in the face in a way where they are apparent even when the face is at rest or expressionless. This is the idea of using them to prevent static wrinkles rather than active wrinkles. This age differs for each individual, but typically it is in the late 20s to late 30s. It also depends on a person’s specific genetics, lifetime environmental exposures, and sun damage and how much they emote.”
When a new opportunity arose to receive Botox treatment from dermatologist and Lines skincare creator Marnie Nussbaum, this time I didn’t say no. Although I had read up on what to expect during my treatment and gleaned some Botox advice from the rest of the Bazaar beauty team, I was still a bit nervous ahead of my appointment, but definitely excited to kiss my stubborn 11s goodbye. “It takes about four to 10 days to kick in. So, tomorrow or for the first four days, you might say these injections didn’t do anything. You just wait,” Nussbaum explained. “I like to use Botox first—the actual brand Botox always, and that’s my gold standard. But of course, for different people, I may use different options depending on their needs.”
During my appointment, Nussbaum administered a total of seven injections in the span of what seemed like no more than 15 minutes: one between my brows, one above each of the top of my brows, and two near the left and right sides of my eyes to address my crow’s-feet. Although I was smiling midtreatment to make it easier for her to visualize my wrinkles, internally I braced myself for the prick of the needle that, surprisingly, wasn’t as painful as I’d imagined. Nussbaum uses a fine insulin syringe to inject around 60 units of Botox, which, to me, felt no worse than the sting experienced on the skin after a snap from a rubber band.
Immediately after, I developed what’s known as “marbles,” or a series of little red bumps where she injected me, a common occurrence post-Botox. They smoothed out after around 30 minutes, and my redness also quickly disappeared. I even went back to Hearst Tower to finish out the rest of my work day with no issues. I did notice that my forehead felt slightly heavy for the first 24 hours, but my face became used to the injectables, and the feeling went away. Nussbaum advised me not to lie down for four hours after the procedure and to avoid exercise, alcohol, and facial massage until the following day. “You don’t want to manipulate the area for at least 72 hours after injectables to make sure it stays in position as it’s curing in the skin, since that can decrease their efficiency,” aesthetician Sofie Pavitt adds. “Less is more to start, and you can always go in for a touch-up later if needed.”
It’s been just over three weeks since I received my first injections, but I could notice a difference in my appearance—especially between my eyes—after just a few days. The pesky 11s I was struggling with seemed to be magically erased, and I was thrilled. To me, there was a clear day-and-night difference in the evenness of the skin around my eye area, but I realized the difference was more minimal to everyone else. My husband, who knew I was getting Botox for the first time, just said my skin looked smoother but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was different about my face. I didn’t look frozen—I looked refreshed. “I think the idea that having loads of Botox prevents you from moving your face is antiquated,” Pavitt continues. “People want movement, and I think it’s really rare to see someone so Botoxed that they can’t move anymore.”
I’m planning to visit Nussbaum again for a follow-up consultation in a few days, and I think she’ll agree that her skillful handiwork has paid off when it comes to my lingering fine lines; my skin tolerated the first round of injections quite nicely as a first-timer. Not that I’m complaining about any other wrinkles at the moment, but I’d be willing to expand beyond the perimeter of my eyes in the future, after the success of my initial treatment. I guess you can officially say that I’m now on the Botox train—at least a couple of times a year.
