Disclosure:: This post is sponsored by the office of Dr. J. Kevin Duplechain.
A Lafayette Mom Tries BOTOX for the First Time: The Good, the Bad, the Beautiful
I’m going to cut right to the chase- Mommin’ ain’t easy, y’all. And when your kid is “spirited”… things can start to go south pretty quickly. The gray hairs are a-poppin’ and the wrinkles are a-deepenin’ as each day passes in a blur of cereal, shoelaces, and sleepless nights.
I genuinely feel like I have aged in the last six years from all the ups and down and twists and turns of life, and lately I have been really annoyed by the face looking back at me in pictures. Now, don’t get me wrong- I am confident and can hold my own in the self-esteem department- but goodness, when you’re dealing with breakouts on top of the aging process, it’s easy to feel a little discouraged when you really start looking in the mirror. Is that wrinkle between my eyebrows really THAT deep? Are my eyes really THAT wrinkly when I smile? Where did the crow’s feet come from? And for the love, what are these crepe paper crinkles at the inner corners of my eyes??
So when a dear friend from high school (high school! the days of YOUTH!) reached out to me about the opportunity to visit Dr. Duplechain’s office for an afternoon of pampering and a neck-up mommy makeover, I was over the moon. After a really rough season, Mama’s getting her groove back, y’all.
From the moment I walked into Dr. Duplechain’s office, I was greeted with a warm smile from my friend Megan, the patient concierge. The waiting area was decorated in soothing colors, and there were snacks and treats on the tables to make you feel right at home. I didn’t have to wait long at all, because Megan took me right over to the spa side to start off with a H
ydrafacial.
I was given a little wrap to cover myself with, just like at the spa, and I got all comfy cozy under the covers. Soon, my esthetician arrived and began the 3-step treatment. The Hydrafacial begins with a cleanse and peel, followed by extraction and hydration, and finishes up with fusion and protection. Immediately my skin felt cleaner and more pure- like all the layers of negativity and dead skin had been wiped away. I honestly can’t wait to do this again!
After that treatment, I got dressed again and was escorted to the other side of the office for the real fun.
Desiree, Dr. Duplechain’s LPN, met with me next to discuss my facial goals. It was kind of fun to be able to complain about my wrinkles to someone, and that person was actually going to be able to fix them! She was kind and caring, so it made the whole process a lot easier. She also helped me to identify some of the areas I had NOT yet realized could use some help- one of which was my top lip, which has very little vertical height and all but disappeared when I smiled. (I went back and looked at old pictures to confirm… she was totally right.) Desiree took notes and ended up deciding on Botox for my forehead, eyebrow wrinkles, and eye area. She also suggested Juvederm filler for my lips and Voluma to round my cheeks a bit, eliminating the deep circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep (momlife, remember?).
Desiree then applied a numbing cream to my face and lips and let it sit for a while before Dr. Duplechain came in. When he walked into the room, I was very impressed by his professionalism and the way he treated both me and his staff with respect. Desiree gave him the rundown of what we had discussed, and he got started right away!
So- here’s where I got a little nervous. Unfortunately, if you are afraid of needles, then I am pretty sure Botox is not for you. Over the next nine minutes, Dr. Duplechain basically gave me 30+ shots to the face. I’ve been blessed with a high pain tolerance, so for me, it was mostly just mildly uncomfortable. Some areas did hurt more than others, but the worst ones felt like flu shots because I could feel the filler being pushed under my skin, like the warm sensation of the medicine. The needle to my eye area also made me a little uneasy, but Dr. Duplechain was very gentle and steady. I felt like I was in good hands, and while getting a needle put in your face is not exactly a pleasure cruise, I knew the end result would be worth a little discomfort. We can do hard things, right mamas!? I was sent home with a little ice pack and a new lease on life.
The GOOD:
The procedure didn’t take long at all, and I could see some of the results right away. Immediately, the dark caverns under my eyes were no more!! The purply shade was still there thanks to my questionable sleep habits, but the cave was gone. That was the most exciting part, initially. My lips were also an incredible added bonus. I had never noticed just how thin and sad my upper lip was, but seeing the difference in it now was really a confidence boost!
It took a few days for the Botox to kick in, as Desiree had advised, but when it did? WOW! The deep angry line between my eyebrows is GONE! My eyes are far less crepe papery than they were, The best part is that I can still make nearly every one of my many expressions- now they’re just softer and not as harsh or wrinkly. My whole face just seems brighter and more uplifted.
The BAD:
Let me be 100% clear- I use the word “bad” VERY lightly as the downsides to this experience were incredibly minor and fixed with a little Advil and concealer. My face felt a little sore for about 36 hours- by the second morning, everything felt pretty much back to normal if not the teensiest bit tender. My new lips did take some getting used to. They were pretty puffy right after the injections, and Desiree had warned me that the filler would take a while to settle so it would feel like there were Tic Tac-sized lumps in my lips- these lumps, however, were not 
visible to others. There was some bruising on my cheekbones that looked like I tried to draw on cute cowgirl freckles with eyeliner (circa Homecoming Week senior year). As the first week went on, a bruise under my eye started to look like a shiner- but with a little extra concealer and a few more days, it went away.
The Botox feels a little strange because while my face doesn’t feel frozen, there’s definitely some loss of muscle control, especially between my eyebrows (which essentially means it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do). It is really difficult to make my scowly face when my daughter is acting up and she needs The Look. But part of what aged me so quickly since her birth IS The Look, so scratch that- it’s not a bad thing. At all.
The BEAUTIFUL:
Me. I AM the beautiful. I feel like a million bucks! My confidence is through the roof, I feel younger, my lips look amazing, and I am so satisfied with the results. This whole experience was the boost I didn’t know I needed so badly! Would I recommend this to a mom who needs a pick-me-up? ABSOLUTELY. My only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner. Now if only I could get more sleep…
