The Lowdown On What It’s Really Like To Get Botox And Fillers
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you probably know I’m a bit of a health-nut, and now I’m letting you in on a little secret-I’m also a big weenie when it comes to needles!
So, branching out at the ripe age of 43 to get Botox and Fillers to look my best before attending last years 90th Academy Awards was entirely out of my comfort zone.
I’ve never been one to cut corners to save a buck, so it was imperative that I see only the very best for these procedures. I needed to go to the doctor I knew to be the best, which was Doctor Peter Malouf.
I’ve been a patient of Dr. Malouf’s since college graduation.
Dr. Malouf started his practice from the ground up and eventually brought in partners till his business was bursting at the seams.
In 2017, he decided to simplify and start over with a new private concierge boutique practice, Dr. Malouf Dermatology.
At the time of my appointment, Dr. Malouf’s new Fort Worth location was under construction, so I drove to his Dallas office with my photographer Maria, and my husband’s work wife, I mean operations manager of his company, Kelly, to hold my hand.
I have to admit; I was a bit nervous about what would unfold with all of the pokes I was about to receive.
But first, we popped into The Gem, an all organic juice bar/vegan cafe located in Preston Center, for a quick healthy bite.
Besides, I needed a moment to slather all the prescription numbing cream onto my face before my beauty doc appointment.
I’m not gonna lie, the stares I received while doing this in the middle of the restaurant were awkward, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
Even more awkward, my Dallas cousin Chris Winn also happened to walk in for a quick bite. It’s one thing to do weird things in public when you don’t know anyone, but when family sees you acting weird, now THAT’S embarrassing.
By the time we pulled up to Dr. Malouf’s office, my face and lips were so numb from the cream, I had to keep wiping the drool from my mouth. Due to this attractive side effect, my anxiety had lessened.
As soon as we walked into the waiting room, Dr. Malouf immediately put my mind at ease as we caught up on life and chatted about everything under the sun.
Once we settled into the exam room, he asked what I was looking to achieve aesthetically. I pointed to the hard forehead lines I’ve had since middle school and mentioned my face had slowly journeyed South.
I told him my primary concern was not to look frozen or have unnaturally arched brows like The Joker. I mean, I have seen some terrible Botox jobs in my lifetime. The overall goal was natural with a splash of youth.
He said, “I’m going to give you a Liquid Facelift.”
Before we got too far along, I decided to bust out my phone and go LIVE on Instagram for a behind the scenes experience of what it’s like to be with me in a doctors office, WITH NEEDLES!
Dr. Malouf knew I was paranoid about feeling any pain. Before he started the Botox injections, he prepped me for a dental block for the facial fillers.
He put a liquid numbing agent onto two Q-tips and stuck them in between my lips and gum-line to numb that section of my mouth, where the potentially painful numbing injections would go.
The three-minute wait for the numbing to kick in was far worse than the actual injections, which, by the way, didn’t hurt at all. Not even a pinch, only pressure. If life were only that easy, right?
To my surprise, I didn’t even feel the first Botox needle poke, but I yelped out anyway because I just knew it was going to hurt. In fact, I didn’t feel about 80% of the needle pokes, and the ones I did, felt more like mosquito bites. Mind you; I did have a whole jar of prescription numbing cream on my face.
I’m dying laughing here cause I had worked myself up over nothing. Everyone was laughing. I seriously couldn’t believe how easy it was. Like a total cake walk, people.
By the time Dr. Malouf finished the Botox injections, my cheeks and nasolabial folds (aka parentheses lines) were numbed entirely and ready for the Restylane Refine filler. Filler, just the sound of that word made me want to run home to mama, but my shallow Hollywood vanity gave me strength for the next process. I didn’t want to look like a skid mark on the red carpet at the Oscars.
I told Dr. Malouf my concerns of looking like an over-filled chipmunk with my already cheeky smile. He assured me that he does cheek injections in a precise location, so his patients don’t look blown up. And thanks to that dental block, I only felt a little pressure during the process.
WE HAVE A BLEEDER! Now, most people don’t bleed when getting Botox injections, but I made the mistake of taking Advil the night before, which most likely caused the excessive bleeding. Oops!
But then the inevitable came, and I just had to ask him about my lips! Talk about playing with fire. Of all the lip jobs I have seen in my life, about 90% of them are an embarrassment to society and ain’t nobody got time for the Kylie Jenner lip challenge look. Dr. Malouf agreed that many specialists over inject patients lips, which can cause an unnatural ‘trout pout’ look.
Dr. Malouf mentioned he had perfected the perfect natural lip with Juvederm Voluma injections. He said, “The cupids bow is the center curve on your upper lip, and when enhanced, it improves its definition.
Over-injection in this area will produce a ‘beaky lip.’ In our youth, the vermilion border of the lip looks like a ski jump from the side view but is lost with aging and sun damage. Subtle enhancements with this filler will make it look youthful again.”
So, I said why not, let’s give this a shot! And just like that, there was hardly any discomfort, and instantly I had the perfect natural upper lip. In fact, I am SO IN LOVE with my new lip; I’m probably going to keep up with the look for life.
Despite my nerves, Dr. Malouf and his staff were amazing! I knew I was in the best hands DFW had to offer.
He has been voted Best Doctor by Fort Worth Magazine every year since 2000, a Texas Monthly Super Doctor, and the #1 Cosmetic Producing Practice in Tarrant County by Fort Worth Business Press.
His credentials and awards are long, and he deserves every single one.
Photography by Maria Ciszek
The ULTIMATE Liquid Facelift GIVEAWAY with Dr. Peter Malouf!!!
Dr. Peter Malouf is giving away the exact same Liquid Facelift he did for, to one very lucky reader. This amazing $2000 valued beauty package includes:
- 45 units of Botox, which will last between 3-6 months. ($540 value)
- 1 syringe of Restylane Refine, which will last up to 14 months. This was used in my cheeks and smile lines. ($700 value)
- 1 syringe of Juvederm Voluma, which will last up to 18 months. This was injected along the top rim of my lip to define the slope again. ($800 value)
*Please read the TERMS & CONDITIONS for the official rules at the giveaway link below, including following all requested social media accounts and being subscribed to the SoFortWorthIt newsletter for your entry to qualify.
