The ten year before and after picture trend got me thinking about what we all looked like when we started Body Tonic. I thought I sort of looked the same, but when I put my pictures together, it appears that I am actually aging in reverse! In that first picture I was 39…I’m 44 now.
The biggest difference I see in these pictures is my eyes and my jaw. Those deep set eyes and dark circles have followed me around my whole life, and that square jaw always made me feel like I was related to Maria Shriver. In the four and a half years I’ve been at Body Tonic, I have had my tear troughs filled about four times (Belotero has worked best for me but we use several different fillers for this treatment, just based on individual need/skin quality). Injecting filler under the eye creates a layer between the skin and the underlying tissue, which alleviates the darkness and restores lost volume. If puffiness is your issue rather than dark circles, the filler evens out the area, giving you smooth under eyes rather than lumps and bumps.
And that jaw though! Genetics, and years of grinding my teeth, gave me rope-like, superman muscles in my jaw. Without Botox in my masseters, I guess I’d look like Jay Leno by now. The first time I got Botox injected into my masseters (jaw muscles), was following a terrible episode of TMJ pain where I felt like an alien baby was going to pop out of the side of my face. Within several days of the Botox injections (Dysport and Xeomin can be used to, but for ease of writing, I’m just saying Botox) my pain started to lessen and then went away altogether within a week. I kept up with the injections and after about a year, I realized the entire shape of my face had changed from square to oval. While the Botox alleviates jaw pain by making the muscles less strong, that also means the muscles become smaller and don’t retain their original shape.
I didn’t like how pronounced the new oval shape was, so I started to do Botox less often and now I’ve achieved a better balance of lessened jaw pain and a softened (somewhat square) jawline.
The other procedure I’ve done multiple times is my lips. It’s not evident in that “after” picture because it’s been over a year since I last had them done. Blah:/ I have a very small mouth with naturally thin lips and so the lip enhancement does wonders for balancing my facial features. It’s like what a boob job did for balancing my top half with my hips!
Other treatments I’ve had at least once over the years, that ALL go towards aging in reverse:
Skin tone, texture, pigment: Halo laser, Nano laser peel, Hydra Facial, microneedling, photofacial, dermaplane
Replacing lost volume: Lyft filler in cheeks, Sculptra for temples
Microblading for fuller more defined brows
Products (Do they work?? Only if you use them!):
Skin Better’s Alpha Ret Intensive (retinoid), Eye, and Hydration Boosting Cream
Skin Ceuticals: C+E Ferulic (antioxidant), Equalizing Toner, Replenishing Cleanser, LHA Toner, Masks: Clay, Phyto Corrective and Hydrating B5
Elta MD: UV Daily Tinted (SPF), Foaming Wash, Moisture-Rich Body Creme
Colorscience: Total Eye (SPF, concealer + corrective treatment for dark circles), Even Up (tinted pigment corrector), Hydration spray (smells like heaven)
Want to start aging in reverse? Our next online event is coming up in February so expect lots of specials on many of our treatments and products. And right now we have some rebates for $150 off 1 Galderma filler + Dysport. You can pre-purchase, but the offer is only good until the end of January.