By Kara Noel Lawson
I looked in the mirror, and suddenly I’m old. I’ve always been happy with the way I look. (I think more women need to say that out loud. So why don’t you just say it right now, even if you don’t believe it.) I remember being in my early 20s thinking, ‘I can’t wait’ for those smile lines and wrinkles around my eyes to make an appearance. Like a badge of honor for a happy life spent laughing with friends and family.
I looked in the mirror, and suddenly I’m old.
I’ve always been happy with the way I look.
(I think more women need to say that out loud. So why don’t you just say it right now, even if you don’t believe it.)
I remember being in my early 20s thinking, ‘I can’t wait’ for those smile lines and wrinkles around my eyes to make an appearance. Like a badge of honor for a happy life spent laughing with friends and family.
Hahahahahahaha… (the innocents of youth)
Now, I spend a few minutes every day poking at my face and pulling it up on the sides and thinking… what the H-E-Double hockey sticks happened?!?!? And ‘if only’ this part of my cheek was lifted an eighth of an inch my whole face would look better.
It stinks. I don’t want to feel ugly.
I really don’t.
I mean, my husband tells my I’m pretty all the time… and I’m sure he means it.
But I also sleep with him, and I’ve heard men will say anything to get a girl in the sack.
Do I find my value in what other people think of me?
I’ve actually thought about this a lot.
I don’t. But when I look in the mirror, I want to like what I see.
I’m 35 now and I know about green leafy vegetables (she types as she is shoving cheese-its in her mouth), and I wear sunscreen everyday (it’s in my beauty balm, and that counts right?), I drink loads of water (I really do, I can’t get enough and I rarely drink soda… I crave a Dr. Pepper every so often… well I crave a sip of Brad’s DP. Hahahahaha!)
Any-hoo, what I’m saying is, I don’t think the cleanser-toner-moisturizer-sunscreen routine is enough anymore. I know I don’t want a face lift. That scares me.
(Side Note: If I ever go under the knife, it will be for liposuction or a tummy tuck. #justbeingreal)
Praise the Lord, I was chosen by CosmetiCare to be one of their #CosmetiCareMoms at just the right time!
I have to admit, when they invited me to be involved, I was like, “Have you read my blog?” It’s not really the fashion-forward-style-tip type thing… I blog more about inner beauty and how the Small Things we do in our lives can make a big difference in our family, community and the world. But after hearing the heart of the CosmetiCare medspa and meeting Dr. Michael Niccole, his family and his staff, (AND trying the hydrafacial, Juvederm and Botox), I’m sold.
CosmetiCare isn’t about copying someone else’s face or changing the way you look, they are about helping people love the way they already look. And giving women the tools they need to maintain their natural beauty. This really has to start before you start to get wrinkles to slow down the signs of aging or or treat issues like acne and brown spots. If you start taking care of these things now with nonsurgical treatments, then you won’t “need” something more invasive later. (Related Note: I’m using the word “need” loosely. This isn’t about conforming to another person’s ideal beauty, but making an individual feel more comfortable in their own skin.)
Prevention with CosmetiCare Tips…
– Don’t go it alone. Build a trusting relationship with anti-aging experts who can give expert, up-to-the-minute advice and create a skin regime just for you. Only trust your skin to a medspa managed and staffed by professionals (certified nurses, estheticians and surgeons).
– Botox won’t let you down. Start to use Botox as a preventative wrinkle-smoothing measure before the severe frown lines between the eyebrows, form. You could postpone those wrinkles for years, and no one would even know! (I can attest to that!!)
– The lift without the snip. Loss of volume in cheeks can make a women look sad or even angry. Voluma is an injection that adds volume and lift to your cheeks. It has the ability to enhance contour and create a more youthful profile without needing to take a drastic, invasive step like implant surgery.
– Plump it up. Young, healthy skin is resilient and plump because of the natural existence of a hydrating substance called hyaluronic acid (HA). Age and sunbathing (hey there everyone in So Cal) reduced the HA level in your skin. Less HA is the culprit for facial wrinkles and folds – those parentheses lines around your nose and mouth. Fillers like JUVÉDERM are the medspas’ version of HA. They can even out wrinkles around the mouth and nose with one treatment! It’s natural-looking results last up to a year – ideal for a woman on the go.
– Lasers! Orange County boasts an average of 278 consultatively sunny days a year. We love soaking up that sunshine – until we see the results, including sun damage, freckles and lesions. Medspas use laser resurfacing to remove layers of skin cells rather than the damaged ones only, and can reduce the appearance of scars, minimize deep wrinkles and even out skin tone. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses light pulses that target darker pigmentation in the skin, breaking up discoloration and leaving lighter areas of skin untouched. IPL also is used to fade freckles and lesions.
I found the ones that are right for me. Which one is right for you?
Schedule a consultation with a medspa to find out.
