By Andrea Goto
My gateway drug to cosmetic procedures was doled out by my closest friends about four years ago. I had a friend who hosted an open house at the office of the then new-to-town surgeon Dr. Timothy Minton, attended by a bunch of my besties. I went, thinking I’d score some free white wine, an amuse bouche or two, and some serious friend points. I got all of that. But I also left with something that nearly changed my nearing 40-year-old life: a wrinkle-free forehead.
That evening, Dr. Minton took time to teach us about the various procedures he performs, including eyelifts, neck tightening, chemical peels and Botox, and answered our many questions. Then he offered to perform injections or peels to anyone interested.
At that point, we were all interested.
I was super interested in trying Botox but had always been too wimpy to try it. Plus, it’s a lot of work to find a qualified doctor and make an appointment, remember the appointment, and drive to said appointment. Between all that, there are many opportunities to change my mind. But that night, I had the qualified doctor, I didn’t need an appointment, I was surrounded by my supportive friends and boosted by a bit of liquid courage. The only problem was that I knew my husband would kill me if I dropped a couple hundred bucks—but then I won one of the door prizes for free units of Botox. It was destiny.
Up until that point, the only things I’d ever done to artificially improve my looks were teeth whitening and coloring my hair (there, I said it, I’m not a natural blonde). But after learning about Botox and feeling comfortable with Dr. Minton (you can’t let just anybody up in your moneymaker)—and then there was the whole free thing—I decided to give it a whirl. I told myself that if I didn’t like it, at least it wasn’t permanent.
Pfffft. As if I wouldn’t like it.
My girlfriends, who were also brave enough to give it a try that night, held my hands and leaned in to watch as Dr. Minton expertly inserted the needles. I was surprised it didn’t hurt (that’s what I was most afraid of); just some quick pokes. Then they laughed at the multiple red dots from the injections, which looked as if I put my face in a beehive. I panicked for a second when I saw this, but Dr. Minton explained the red would fade in the next few minutes, and it totally did.
The results were almost immediate and definitely dramatic in all the right ways. The best way I can describe it is that I simply looked better. I had spent the past six years watching the undeniable effects of aging in the YMCA mirror as I worked out, but suddenly I couldn’t even advert my eyes. And it wasn’t just me. After our workout, my girlfriends and I stared into the mirror, giddy over the effects.
Had I not been surrounded by friends egging me on to accept Botox into my life along with them, I might not have been brave enough to indulge in a procedure that maybe didn’t change my life, but it certainly changed my face in a way that made me very happy.
Today, my friends and I regularly visit Dr. Minton for Botox. We know when we need it because we poll one another at the gym, raising our eyebrows and asking, “Is it time?” It’s not a secret with us or anything we would ever be embarrassed about—just like it’s not a secret that I use whitening toothpaste.
Look, aging doesn’t skip anyone. And pretending that you’ve naturally defied the passing of time is must mean to the rest of us. Friends share what works. They spread the word.
Dude, we paid for this. And it works.
