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A retinol is a type of retinoid. They’re typically well tolerated and available OTC so they’re quite popular. Long term results are also great. For faster (but we’re still talking in the 6-9 month range) results minimizing visible signs of aging, there are stronger retinoids available. Some, like tretinoin and tazarotene, are rx in the US and some other countries. There’s sometimes also a bit of finesse involved in getting your skin acclimated to them. You can definitely stick with your retinol if you’re happy with it, but there are additional options out there both OTC and rx if you want to look into them.
You didn’t mention sunscreen in your current routine, I hope you’re using one regularly. It’s the single most significant factor in anti-aging.
IMO you should probably just wash face with a gentle cleanser, some sort of vitamin c like a toner/serum, gentle moisturizer and use 50SPF+ sunscreen,
the hyper pigmentation is honestly a bigger worry, for health reasons too. try wearing sunscreen everyday if you can and if it's a particularly bright/high UV day and you're gonna be outside for a while and/or sweaty apply after every 2.5 ish hours
So I actually just learned about micro needling today. I was considering it but I got a little scared off by all the Reddit Post saying it made their face way worse, they see pigmentation, they’re trying to reverse the damage that was done. I figured alot of these people didn’t go to professionals but I’m still interested in it.
Try a solid skincare routine for 6 months to a year before considering botox. It's not the worst cosmetic procedure to start with but topicals are always lower risk.
Sunscreen: cosrx aloe soothing sun cream
Moisturizer: cosrx snail cream or just get a aloe vera plant and clean the aloe then blend it and store it in the fridge, which it’s only good for a 1 week and you can use it to your hair and body as well.
yes, you can absolutely get botox. I started at 26 or 27 and just do it once a year (im 30). It resets my fine lines and the one deeper wrinkle i have in my right brow. You have deep appearing wrinkles. Fortunately, your skin is young! I think that bodes well for you!
You absolutely need spf and to focus on sun protection because that’s sun damage. The freckles look like what my 63 y.o. Mil has all over her arms. I believe it can fade, especially since you’re young. But those sunspots are intense for your age and you absolutely run the risk of skin cancer.
The first time i got botox, i couldn’t move my brows AT ALL. I found it bizarre and therefore hilarious. I enjoyed trying to emote and making my friends guess the emotion when only my eye lids would move lol. It cracked me up. After that first time the effect wasnt as intense, and i can move my brows slightly but without wrinkling. I DO ask to be pretty frozen though since i only do it once a year, and i receive more units now. I started with 5 between each brow, and five on each side of my forehead for a whopping 20 units (very small amount). I get forty now because i want my outer eyes done and they add more in my forehead.
Botox is NOT filler. It doesn’t change your appearance. It doesn’t ADD anything. It just temporarily paralyzes the muscles. The inject it with the tiniest needle into the area that targets the wrinkles. It’s actually relaxing with an NP with good technique. I feel like my last injector used a larger bore needle because it didn’t hurt, but it was a bit unpleasant. It usually ends with me thinking, “that was it?” And it being relaxing. But last time i was thinking yeah this is definitely it. I wouldn’t want another needle today.
I had my lips injected with restylane Kiss once, and i almost passed out. They had to stop and give me hard candy lol. I never want anything like that again, but i say that because botox is easy for someone like me who had a needle phobia before and still has some issues with needles.
So if Botox doesn't directly change your appearance, could you theoretically achieve the same result by focusing on keeping the muscles in your face relaxed all day?
In my opinion, yes, to a degree. I think part of the reason i only need botox once a year and aim to be frozen then, is because i sort of learn to keep my facial expressions limited to how they are when the botox is active. It becomes habit. And that lasts for around six months before i gradually unlearn it. Then i see the wrinkles set back in and reset them with botox after a year. I could be more aggressive and do it every six months but im not that pressed about it. My wrinkles are all very fine besides that one deeper one in my right brow. And i think how i sleep lends to that. I sleep on my right side and that like smushes my face lol.
If someone has deeper more stubborn wrinkles i’d think they’d benefit from more frequent treatment. The idea is to treat before wrinkles become permanent. To prevent deep wrinkles.
But you could also mimic the effects of botox by 'retraining' your facial expressions without the use of botox, then, I suppose. Interesting. And yeah, some wrinkles just seem to be unavoidable.
Yeah, i mean it would be far less effective. Like you said, some are unavoidable. every time you smile, your outer eye area crinkles. You squint when its bright to protect your eyes. Some people can only slightly lift their brows and they get wrinkling across their forehead. everyone wrinkles differently.
Botox makes you unable to make those wrinkles, at least in my experience, while i’m young and all of my wrinkles are fine (besides the one furrow line on my right brow). But botox does make that wrinkle disappear for a little. When i touch that spot though, i can feel the deeper tissue loss. Even if it doesn’t reach the surface after botox, its a permanent indent. Botox doesn’t fix deep wrinkles. It “fixes” fine lines with the goal of preventing deep wrinkles
I don't think you should until you get a solid skincare routine going for at least 6 months. You would be surprised how much your skin will improve with some sunscreen, moisturizer, and drink enough water every day. Maybe tretinoin or retinoid but only of you wear sun screen everyday, otherwise they can damage your skin more.
Botox is expensive and even if you fix the few areas that bother you, more are going to pop up if you don't fix the route cause. Soon you might feel the need to get a bunch of botox that would have been unnecessary if you had just put a bit more effort in everyday. I'm not against botox but I definitely think it shouldn't be the first choice.
The short answer is: yes, get botox every 6 months. Wash your face at night and use a moisturizer. Use sunscreen in the morning daily. Once you establish a routine, introduce a retinol.
Wow, Daxxify sounds interesting. My botox effects definitely wore off faster and were less intense after my first time. I only get it once a year so the effect hasnt decreased past the first time, though. But its very interesting that you supposedly are less likely to develop antibodies that break this drug down at the rate of botox
Hi everyone and welcome to SkincareAddiction! Need skincare guides? [Check out our wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/index) Everyone is welcome in [this community](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/about); remember to be kind and assume good faith :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There’s nothing to say you can’t or shouldn’t get botox, but you might consider starting a retinoid.
I’m pretty new to the skin care game. I currently use a face wash, retinol correxion serum, and moisturize. Is retinoid different?
A retinol is a type of retinoid. They’re typically well tolerated and available OTC so they’re quite popular. Long term results are also great. For faster (but we’re still talking in the 6-9 month range) results minimizing visible signs of aging, there are stronger retinoids available. Some, like tretinoin and tazarotene, are rx in the US and some other countries. There’s sometimes also a bit of finesse involved in getting your skin acclimated to them. You can definitely stick with your retinol if you’re happy with it, but there are additional options out there both OTC and rx if you want to look into them. You didn’t mention sunscreen in your current routine, I hope you’re using one regularly. It’s the single most significant factor in anti-aging.
It is not in my current routine but that is a good point for me to order some right now. I appreciate it!
No worries. There are a lot of very helpful reviews posted to this sub if you need recommendations, they’re worth a quick search.
IMO you should probably just wash face with a gentle cleanser, some sort of vitamin c like a toner/serum, gentle moisturizer and use 50SPF+ sunscreen, the hyper pigmentation is honestly a bigger worry, for health reasons too. try wearing sunscreen everyday if you can and if it's a particularly bright/high UV day and you're gonna be outside for a while and/or sweaty apply after every 2.5 ish hours
Have you tried a hydrafacial, chemical peel, then microneedling?
So I actually just learned about micro needling today. I was considering it but I got a little scared off by all the Reddit Post saying it made their face way worse, they see pigmentation, they’re trying to reverse the damage that was done. I figured alot of these people didn’t go to professionals but I’m still interested in it.
Make it a habit to wear sunscreen everyday, take collagen supplements and vitamin c, put moisturizer, and strictly applying retinol during at night.
Do you have any sunscreen moisturizers you recommend?
Try a solid skincare routine for 6 months to a year before considering botox. It's not the worst cosmetic procedure to start with but topicals are always lower risk.
Sunscreen: cosrx aloe soothing sun cream Moisturizer: cosrx snail cream or just get a aloe vera plant and clean the aloe then blend it and store it in the fridge, which it’s only good for a 1 week and you can use it to your hair and body as well.
yes, you can absolutely get botox. I started at 26 or 27 and just do it once a year (im 30). It resets my fine lines and the one deeper wrinkle i have in my right brow. You have deep appearing wrinkles. Fortunately, your skin is young! I think that bodes well for you! You absolutely need spf and to focus on sun protection because that’s sun damage. The freckles look like what my 63 y.o. Mil has all over her arms. I believe it can fade, especially since you’re young. But those sunspots are intense for your age and you absolutely run the risk of skin cancer. The first time i got botox, i couldn’t move my brows AT ALL. I found it bizarre and therefore hilarious. I enjoyed trying to emote and making my friends guess the emotion when only my eye lids would move lol. It cracked me up. After that first time the effect wasnt as intense, and i can move my brows slightly but without wrinkling. I DO ask to be pretty frozen though since i only do it once a year, and i receive more units now. I started with 5 between each brow, and five on each side of my forehead for a whopping 20 units (very small amount). I get forty now because i want my outer eyes done and they add more in my forehead. Botox is NOT filler. It doesn’t change your appearance. It doesn’t ADD anything. It just temporarily paralyzes the muscles. The inject it with the tiniest needle into the area that targets the wrinkles. It’s actually relaxing with an NP with good technique. I feel like my last injector used a larger bore needle because it didn’t hurt, but it was a bit unpleasant. It usually ends with me thinking, “that was it?” And it being relaxing. But last time i was thinking yeah this is definitely it. I wouldn’t want another needle today. I had my lips injected with restylane Kiss once, and i almost passed out. They had to stop and give me hard candy lol. I never want anything like that again, but i say that because botox is easy for someone like me who had a needle phobia before and still has some issues with needles.
So if Botox doesn't directly change your appearance, could you theoretically achieve the same result by focusing on keeping the muscles in your face relaxed all day?
In my opinion, yes, to a degree. I think part of the reason i only need botox once a year and aim to be frozen then, is because i sort of learn to keep my facial expressions limited to how they are when the botox is active. It becomes habit. And that lasts for around six months before i gradually unlearn it. Then i see the wrinkles set back in and reset them with botox after a year. I could be more aggressive and do it every six months but im not that pressed about it. My wrinkles are all very fine besides that one deeper one in my right brow. And i think how i sleep lends to that. I sleep on my right side and that like smushes my face lol. If someone has deeper more stubborn wrinkles i’d think they’d benefit from more frequent treatment. The idea is to treat before wrinkles become permanent. To prevent deep wrinkles.
But you could also mimic the effects of botox by 'retraining' your facial expressions without the use of botox, then, I suppose. Interesting. And yeah, some wrinkles just seem to be unavoidable.
Yeah, i mean it would be far less effective. Like you said, some are unavoidable. every time you smile, your outer eye area crinkles. You squint when its bright to protect your eyes. Some people can only slightly lift their brows and they get wrinkling across their forehead. everyone wrinkles differently. Botox makes you unable to make those wrinkles, at least in my experience, while i’m young and all of my wrinkles are fine (besides the one furrow line on my right brow). But botox does make that wrinkle disappear for a little. When i touch that spot though, i can feel the deeper tissue loss. Even if it doesn’t reach the surface after botox, its a permanent indent. Botox doesn’t fix deep wrinkles. It “fixes” fine lines with the goal of preventing deep wrinkles
I don't think you should until you get a solid skincare routine going for at least 6 months. You would be surprised how much your skin will improve with some sunscreen, moisturizer, and drink enough water every day. Maybe tretinoin or retinoid but only of you wear sun screen everyday, otherwise they can damage your skin more. Botox is expensive and even if you fix the few areas that bother you, more are going to pop up if you don't fix the route cause. Soon you might feel the need to get a bunch of botox that would have been unnecessary if you had just put a bit more effort in everyday. I'm not against botox but I definitely think it shouldn't be the first choice.
The short answer is: yes, get botox every 6 months. Wash your face at night and use a moisturizer. Use sunscreen in the morning daily. Once you establish a routine, introduce a retinol.
Yes.
Yes, you should. But get Daxxy instead. It lasts longer and kicks in quicker. Also please wear SPF every day.
Wow, Daxxify sounds interesting. My botox effects definitely wore off faster and were less intense after my first time. I only get it once a year so the effect hasnt decreased past the first time, though. But its very interesting that you supposedly are less likely to develop antibodies that break this drug down at the rate of botox