What I've Learned Since Ditching Botox

I shared a few months back that I would be quitting botox. I had been getting botox since my early 20s and really had never questioned it. All my peers in the health space got botox and I had never heard of any ramifications of it so I went on my merry life believing all was safe and fine. Luckily I came across a few instagram posts that talked about botox injury and the blackbox warning from the FDA, which quickly changed my stance on it. And since I didn’t want to become a statistic, I jumped ship and now I’m on a completely new journey of keeping my skin healthy and aging in a way that I feel good about.

I thought I would share everything I’ve started doing to work on tension in the face (which is what causes wrinkles in the first place) so that I don’t even think about botox. And so far…it’s worked REALLY well.

When you look at your face and see wrinkles or sagging tissue or even swelling, think of your face as a story. These changes in facial structure are speaking to you and sharing a story of consistent tension and/or stagnation. Yes, we lose bone and collagen and fat as we age, but we also hold tension that is rarely ever released, which changes are facial structure, as well. If you’re looking to stop botox but you don’t want to get lines from wrinkles, you GOTTA start facial massage to help release tension as well and help with lymphatic drainage.

You will learn sooooo much about your face once you start doing daily massage. You’ll see where you hold that tension and where things feel tight. For example, I hold so much tension in my masseter muscles of the jaw from clenching my jaw. When you hold tension in your masseter, it begins to pull the face down and inward. This can create deeper nasolabial folds. Or if you’ve noticed your mouth sitting in more of a frown, instead of injecting botox into the depressor muscles that pull the corners of the mouth down, you can start releasing tension in the jaw as well as those depressor muscles so they can mouth no longer pulls down.

• Where to start with facial massage:

  • Try this 10 minute routine. If you like her style like I did, you can start her Glow Program that begins every month. I couldn’t stick with it because it was about 45 minutes and I could figure out where to fit it in, but she also offers her Glow+ Program to Glow graduates that is only 16 minutes. I’ve given her a lot of my money and have learned so much! She’s wonderful, but if you don’t have the money to spend, do her 10 minute routine daily and try some of her other tension releasing movement on her instagram page!

  • Try another 10 minute routine. She is another person who I downloaded a course from. Her sessions take anywhere from 20-35 minutes so I haven’t stuck with her program, but I’ve taken away some really helpful movements and implement them into my own routine. Love her instagram page as well!

Next up is face taping. There are many different types of face tape out there whether you go with silicone based or hardening patches, but I have preferred the tape that is kinesiology tape. What’s great about this tape when used correctly is that it gently lifts the skin so it stimulates blood flow and lymphatic drainage while it also releases tension and stops the muscle from moving in that same pattern that it always has. As soon as I started face taping, I IMMEDIATELY saw an improvement. I mostly use tape at night when I’m sleeping, but I’ll use it in the day if I plan to be home for a while. When I take the tape off in the mornings, my face looks refreshed instead of sleepy from holding on to excess fluid. The muscles are relaxed and my face isn’t puffy. Once you start, you’re going to be addicted because you instantly notice a change.

• Where to start with facial taping:

  • Buy this face tape. I prefer the advanced, but you do you. You can also buy her tutorials when you purchase the face tape, I just did it separately so below is the separate link in case you already have tape.

  • Download this face taping guide. Kathryn Romine will teach you absolutely everything and you’ll be fully equipped to face tape with confidence. I can’t believe how affordable it is with how much information she packs in there.

Another things I just started and plan to do whenever I’m in Denver is facial acupuncture. When you get facial acupuncture, you boost collagen production, release tension in the face, and increase blood flow and circulation. This practice hasn’t fully taken off, but I feel like it’s going to start growing in popularity as more people step away from injections and look for natural alternatives. I have tried this once and I INSTANTLY noticed a difference. I truly felt like I was glowing after my appointment and I have felt amazing ever since. My skin looks great and I feel like I’m holding less tension in my face.

• Where to start with facial acupuncture:

  • This is a bit harder for me to help you with since you’ll need someone in person who is really educated in this practice. But if you are in Denver, this woman will change your life. I plan to see her as much as I can whenever I’m in Denver. But if you’re in a different area, you can start searching for someone on social media channels or online. My acupuncturist uses A LOT of needles, in case that helps you with your search.

Now moving on…to lasers! Something I have been preaching for years and will continue to do so is how helpful lasers are with keeping your skin healthy. An ablative laser removes the outer layer of the skin which triggers the healing response in the body and that stimulates collagen production. This will improve the appearance of scars, wrinkles and fine lines, it will help remove dark spots and pigmentation, and it will even tighten skin.

• Where to start with lasers:

  • First and foremost, you’ll need to find an reliable esthetician with access to an ablative laser. And then you’ll want to make sure that you are a candidate and that laser will work for your skin.

  • There are different types of ablative lasers on the market and different estheticians will have different lasers. My esthetician has a Sciton laser and my two favorite ablative laser treatments include Profractional and Halo. I plan to get the Profractional laser done every 6 months (or whenever possible) to keep the skin luminous and healthy.

And last but not least, red light therapy. Red light masks and other red light devices stimulate mitochondria which triggers the body to build collagen and reduce inflammation which helps with skin texture and tone. This is a really easy way to keep the skin looking healthy without any downtime or even needing to leave the house.

• Where to start with red light:

  • I love my Bon Charge red light mask since I’ve worked with them for quite a long time. You can always try code PALEOMG to see if it’s still live, but they also run great sales.

  • If you don’t want a mask directly on your face or if you simply want full body benefits of red light, this demi light is really great to sit in front of while working or meditating or stretching.

The only thing I haven’t started yet is regular at-home microneedling. This is something I want to try, but haven’t made the time yet. I definitely will soon and I’ll keep you updated!

If this seems like a lot, just remember that I go all-in on anything I try and you definitely don’t need to do the same. Your skin will benefit from any of these things and you’ll see a difference. I’m just here to hopefully be a wealth of knowledge for you if you are planning to embark on your own journey without botox in your life. I really hope it helps you as much as it has for me!

Just remember - your body speaks to you. It’s telling you a story. And once you learn to listen instead of just blocking those nerve signals, you’ll learn so freaking much about what your body needs. I know I did!