I didn’t get it at any specific clinic. I’ve been getting it since I was an undergraduate international student... During breaks, I got it near my family home in Korea, and during the semester, I got it in the U.S. After graduating, I’ve been living in New York, so I’ve been getting it consistently at places unrelated to this community. So no clinic info.
I have a square jaw, and from the front my face looks like a round U shape. My dad is a radiologist, so when I got a CT scan, it turned out I have a short chin, so even if I had a long-curve jaw reduction, it wouldn’t have much effect on my face. In my early 20s, I had lots of consultations with my dad’s acquaintances, but they all opposed it, so I’ve just been living with Botox. But the funny thing is, when I didn’t go through my dad’s acquaintances and just walked into any clinic for a consultation, they would push it recklessly.. That made me trust them even lessㅠㅜ
When I first got Botox, I got a total of 50 units, and I’ve been maintaining it for 10 years now. At first I was ignorant and thought the more I got, the better, so I got it irregularly every 3-4 months or so (like a retouch). But if you get it that often, you can develop resistance, and other muscles can actually get bigger, so a specialist scolded me once. Now I get it strictly every 6 months. They say resistance can develop if you get it for 10 years, but so far I’m okay. In the meantime, lots of biosimilar products like Xeomin have come out, but I still don’t feel the need to switch, so I’m holding off for now.
Okay.. now to the main point. 1) Satisfaction If I had to give it a score, 6-7 out of 10? I still grind my teeth a lot, and my face is still close to a U shape, so sometimes I want surgery, but it’s also such a risky surgery that my mind keeps going back and forth. Honestly, it’s hard to say I have 100% no lingering desire for square jaw surgery. When I get the urge, I look up a lot of plastic surgery reviews and YouTube videos. But even with just Botox, it feels somewhat more refined, so I think of it as my fate and just keep getting it. Having to get it once every 6 months is a bit of a hassle, but now I can’t stopㅠㅜ. As an aside, when I was in college, an acquaintance of an acquaintance had square jaw surgery and never woke up... They also say that with aging, there can be deterioration of the teeth and oral structure, so thinking about old age, it’s something you really have to decide very carefully. I’ll probably just keep worrying about it and only get Botox for the rest of my life.
2) Side effects Honestly, for the first 5-7 years, I didn’t even know there were side effects. But as soon as I hit my 30s (year 8), I developed a double chin. When I pinch it, the skin isn’t thick, so it feels like the platysma muscle developed as compensation for reduced movement of the masticatory muscles from frequent Botox. I’m going to have the doctor diagnose this accurately the next time I get Botox. And the compensatory muscle issue around my temples really got worse too. ㅜㅠ And headaches came along with it. I didn’t have these symptoms for the first 5-6 years after I started Botox. This time I need to get Botox in my temples + masticatory muscles + forehead too... This was a side effect I hadn’t expected, so if, like me, you’re thinking of getting Botox for life instead of surgery, consider this too.
3) Personal wish Don’t go to a doctor who says they’ll do Botox retouches and injects you every 2-3 months. They’re total salespeople. When you first get Botox, you can get more than your usual amount as a loading dose. But getting more isn’t necessarily better, and if you get it too often, you can actually develop resistance, so be careful. One more thing.. Botox is supposed to be injected into the body after being diluted with saline, but there are many doctors who dilute it more than the proper amount before injecting it. So if you meet a truly trustworthy doctor, stay with them. Don’t switch doctors just because you’re tempted by a cheap price. And you need to go somewhere that’s good at injecting Botox, otherwise compensatory muscles or sagging can develop, so if you’re satisfied with the design too, make sure to keep going only there!!
Then I hope everyone gets even prettier :)
Like 14