I was once a Botox virgin. But yesterday, I gave into temptation.

I am one of the crazy people under 30 who takes a preventative approach to fighting wrinkles. Call it obsessive. Call me crazy. Granted, I didn’t have many wrinkles to begin with, but they were certainly there, stretching across my forehead and staring back at me each time I looked in the mirror. On the recommendation of a friend, I booked an appointment with Yael Halaas, M.D., a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon on the Upper East Side.

While I felt silly asking a plastic surgeon for help addressing my barely noticeable wrinkles, the good doctor put me at ease and reinforced my belief that being proactive is important. She didn’t, however, reinforce my fear that the grooves in my forehead would become deep, cavernous gorges overnight if I didn’t do anything about them immediately. And she didn’t make me feel like another vain gay man that is obsessive about their skin.

“It’s easier to prevent a wrinkle than to treat one,” Dr. Halaas said and explained that once a wrinkle is formed, they can be difficult to erase—requiring facial fillers, laser treatments, facial peels, that can get expensive very quickly and are not permanent solutions. By starting Botox before I hit 30, I could actually save money in the long run.

Photo: Getty Images

According to Dr. Halaas, a shot of Botox can affect your eyebrows. By paralyzing the overactive muscles in your forehead that raise your brows and cause the wrinkles, the forehead smooths out. However, depending on where the injections are placed, your brows can be raised (usually good when done right) for a youthful, awake look or they can fall (bad) for a Cro-Magnon style brow.

When Botox first came out, you might recall the women all over LA who ran around looking like terribly alert Vulcans because their eyebrows were raised to extremes. That’s why its important to see a reputable dermatologist or plastic surgeon for your fix. Wrong placement could cause you to resemble a geek attending a Star Trek convention.

Here’s what getting Botox is like:

First, a topical anesthetic cream numbed the area. Once the anesthetic worked its magic, Dr. Halaas made numerous injections across my forehead with a tiny needle (no, it didn’t hurt really). Once she was done, I held ice to head and felt a bit like a beat up pin cushion. In the end, I looked like a pubescent teen with blotchy red spots on my forehead where the needle pricked me.

The aftermath:

Leaving the office, I understood why Upper East Side socialites always dashed for their private towncars with Jackie O sunglasses and a scarf tied around their heads. You really don’t want anyone to see your face for an hour after your shots. Because I’m not a socialite and I live in Brooklyn, I took the subway and I didn’t have large sunglasses or a scarf to conceal my not-quite-clandestine date with the needle.

On the train, a woman gave me an all-knowing smile as if to say “Ooh girl, I know what you did this afternoon.” It felt like a gesture of solidarity. But I still kept my head buried in the August issue of Out with Nate Berkus on the cover. By the time I made it back to my apartment the redness was gone and my secret was safe once again.

The Waiting Game

One of the misconceptions of Botox is that it works immediately. Numerous curious friends have said “Oh, let me see!” However, it actually takes three or four days to take full effect, so my Swan unveiling will have to wait a couple more days.

Now that I’ve had the toxin mingling with my neurons for 24 hours, I have this strange sensation in the area where I shot up. It’s like wearing on a light mud mask. It doesn’t hurt and there’s no sign that I received any injections, I’m just aware of my forehead and I know something is going on up there.

After just one day, the wrinkles are still there but it is getting harder to raise parts of my eyebrows.
This stuff is definitely working. Was it worth the investment? Definitely!
Stay tuned for updates! I might even post before and after photos if you’re lucky.