I have a confession to make and it's only right I share it with you since it's beauty related, but being that it's also anti-aging related most would consider it a hush-hush situations. In my case though, it's show and tell. With my career heading towards on camera work things are starting to bother me that I never really paid attention to before – lines and wrinkles. Of course I use a slew of anti-aging products, but have recently been considering Botox and fillers.
I do believe that taking care of your skin daily and using cosmetic enhancers in moderation is OK. What I'm struggling with is am I ready to start? Should I wait until I'm at least 30? I'm just not ready to take the plunge. This week my mother and I visited Dr. Stephen Bracci at Verve Medical Cosmetics in NYC and I picked his brain on my dilemma as my mom tried a filler.
"The right time to start doing fillers depends on your lifestyle," commented Dr. Bracci. "There's no appropriate age, but if you start when fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear, you're not trying to fill resting lines (deep ones) so it's easier to soften them."
Overall, people who are thinner start to see lines earlier due to having low body fat and as you age, it's not about having excess skin, it's about lacking volume where you once had it. Fillers like Restylane and Juvederm last about a year and replace the volume in your skin to give you plump, supple skin in a nautral way while helping your own body rebuild natural collagen. They also work instantly. Since they're thick, they're best used for smile lines, the cheeks and areas of the face that tend to have more fat.
Botox on the other hand is a thinner formula and used around the eyes and the forehead. It takes three to four days for results to show and lasts about three months. Most people could use a bit of both, but as Dr. Bracci told me, start small until you get comfortable with it. The beauty of injectables is that they just add volume back to areas that are lacking it. They're not meant to warp your face and change it's structure.
Dr. Bracci has a true passion for the art of using cosmetic injectables and looked at my mothers face the way I never would have. Of course I would notice the typical fine lines and wrinkles, but as an artist, he explained certain areas that need to be filled in order to bring out others. I do appreciate the art and everything in moderation, but for now, will stick with chemical peels and my skincare regimen. One day, I'll be visiting Dr. Bracci when I'm ready to take the leap.
Dr. Bracci is located at Verve Medical Cosmetics, 216 E. 50th St. NY, NY 10022.
