Creating the Perfect Injectables Wishlist for Anti-Aging

“Start globally, and then work on the small details.” That was the advice my first college English professor gave me about writing essays. Weirdly enough, it ended up being applicable to pretty much everything in life. That same college professor ended up recommending me for my first job as an English tutor, and straightaway I saw what she meant. People would come in having worked and re-worked sentences, but would still be unhappy with the overall product–because they weren’t looking at the big picture. This is how beauty works, too. We all have the tendency to look in the mirror and nitpick. If you don’t, you are probably extremely mentally healthy and should probably spill your secrets. Please? For the rest of us, we often look at the small details. For example, I’m consistently bothered by the fact that my eyes are different shapes. One lid is heavier than the other, and it’s the first thing I look for in the mirror. For other people, I’ve heard a whole range of things–it’s their skin, or their hairline, or the size of their lower lip compared to their upper, or how one side of their face has a wrinkle that the other doesn’t–you get the picture. Fortunately, study after study has shown that virtually no one else sees these things. Other people are the opposite–when they look at us, they see the big picture. Whether it’s because humans tend to be rather self-oriented creatures, or because we really just don’t spend that much time looking for flaws in others (yay us), what it comes down to is that most faces are being looked at globally, and the small details are being ignored. This is where injectables come in. Time after time I see people come in with, let’s say, a $1100 budget. Now, there are a few things you can do with a budget like that. One, you could do something like a major Botox treatment, and a syringe of filler in the lips. Two, you could do a syringe of Voluma and a milder Botox treatment. Or three, you could do two syringes of Juvederm, maybe one in the lips and one in the smile lines. Which option do you think people usually go for? In my experience, people often go for something like option three. They constantly are bothered by their lower face, and that’s what they focus on, instead of looking at the overall composition of what’s going on. Now, every face is different, and everyone has different desires for how they want to look, so I can’t say which option is perfect for everyone. In the younger generations, most people are just looking to get fuller lips, or maybe higher cheekbones. If you’re doing injectables with anti-aging in mind, however, my recommendation is to go for something like option two. Option two gives you the most global treatment. Option one gives you a great anti-aging benefit of really nailing down the Botox and preventing wrinkles, but you’re only getting your lips injected. While your lips will look great, it’s a small detail. Option three is also great, because you’re treating the mouth area. But, and this is a big but, the reason you feel like you want to plump out the mouth area is most likely due to sagging that isn’t actually in the mouth area. It’s in the cheeks. Gravity starts from the top up. The areas that start to sag the most are the brows, the cheeks, and the submentum (under the jaw). In other articles we’ve talked about how important it is to treat the mid-face. This is why. If you’re in this for the long run, think big. The first thing you want to do is create an awesome canvas. You want to focus on good skin (skincare/facials), preventing any more aging (Botox/lasers), and removing signs of aging (filler/lasers). As a general rule, a good wishlist for anti-aging (not accounting for individual problems and budgets) would be something like this: 1. If you haven’t already, make sure you’re using good skincare products. 2. Treat with Voluma in the cheeks to lift everything. For most people, this requires about two syringes. 3. Prevent wrinkles with Botox. Focus on the brows and forehead, and soften the crows. 4. Lift the jawline, usually by injecting a product like Voluma into the jaw on either side. 5. Treat around the mouth with a product like Volbella (a very subtle, soft product that is GREAT for thin lines around the mouth.) 6. Depending on how much volume you want, either use the leftover Volbella to fill out the lips (if there is any left), or use another syringe of filler, such as Juvederm. If you have specialized concerns, focus on those. For example, if you have really dry skin with a rough texture, absolutely emphasize skincare. You’d be surprised by how many wrinkles disappear once you hydrate your skin. Or if you feel like your lips are perfectly fine, but you have a ton of sagging in the cheek area, then definitely budget for more Voluma, rather than spending the money on something you don’t really need and want. Now, speaking of budgets, you might be looking at that list and thinking, yeah, that’s great and all but how am I supposed to afford it? That’s partially up to you and your personal finances. But it’s also up to how patient you are. Some people get Botox treatments every four months, and only get filler once or twice a year. This is perfectly normal. Remember that a product like Voluma lasts about two years, so some people get a syringe every year or so and layer it to create a very elegant look. Other people might do one syringe of Voluma, and then six months later get their lips done. If you want it all, and you want it right now, well, that I can’t help you with. I think the biggest surprise to people is how long it takes to cultivate beauty, in any form, really. If you want drastic results quickly, you have to have a big budget and/or it might be better to look into surgical options. For example, although surgery is going to cost more, if you get a lower face lift, it’s a one-and-done sort of deal. On the other hand, if you’re going the injectables route, you might need to do Kybella, wait six weeks, see what your results are, do more Kybella, then get filler in the jaw, and maybe a round of CoolSculpting, which can take four months to truly show results. See what I mean? I think this a bonus to getting injectables. Surgery has the potential to be very beautiful, but you’re going under anesthesia and trusting something with something pretty drastic. Injectables, on the other hand, may take longer, but in many ways you have full control of your treatment. You’re in a constant dialogue with your practitioner, and they’re following along with your progress. Plus, as time goes on and things like your skincare change, or you lose weight, your practitioner is able to account for those changes and modify accordingly. In other words, what might have been a problem six months ago might not be a problem anymore. We’ve had people who washed their face with a bar of soap start using high-end, medical-grade products and voila! Within a few months they look a decade younger, just from spending a couple hundred on products, whereas surgery would have been in the thousands. If I haven’t been clear enough, here’s my point: have patience. Think globally. Look at the big picture, and plan ahead. This should be fun! Look forward to the treatments you’ll get to have. Most importantly, look forward to when you get to the small details. If you’ve gotten to where you want to fix the small things and have blown through the more boring global details, that means you’re probably looking pretty dang good. You go, Glen Coco.