Bad Botox injections

[Formerly SK]

I'm having a real low point in my life right now.  I got Botox injections last week and this week my left eyelid drooped about half way down (this has never happened before).  So one eye is big and round like a ball, and the other is sagging just barely over my iris.  I can see out of it, but it looks AWFUL.  To make matters worse, there's nothing you can do about it - I just have to wait for the Botox to wear off.  And it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months. 

I seriously want to bury myself in my bed and not go anywhere. 

So far I haven't told anyone the real reason for my eye - I've just said things like "it's irritated" or "maybe I'm getting a stye" that sort of thing.  But I can't continue that.  For some reason, I feel really embarrassed to admit I do Botox.  I realize it isn't really any different than coloring hair or laser hair removal or something (both of which can go wrong just like my Botox) but for some reason this seems more embarrassing.  You guys are the first people I'm telling about it, I don't know you at all, and I'm still embarrassed to be saying it.

Anyway, I need ideas of what I can do until it fades away.  I was thinking of getting some glasses (my vision is perfect) to sort of hide my eyes.  Maybe get my hair cut with more short layers in front.  Any other ideas?  And where do I get glasses with plain glass lenses?

Yes, I realize this is a first world problem.  But this just really sucks.  We had a family member die yesterday and instead of 100% grieving, I'm distracted over the thought of everyone seeing me at the funeral this weekend.  I'm a lousy person.

[Deleted]

Tell people you've got Bell's Palsy. It's a temporary facial droop due to the Epstein-Barr virus. 

ETA: And I am sorry you're going through this.

ETAA: You can google "fashion glasses" if you want to order them. I have seen them at Claire's and Target.

[Sam_2.0]

So sorry for your loss, and for the bad injections. Thankfully it isn't permanent!! I hope you find some way to cope with it and that it passes quickly.

I thought you were going to say there's a batch of bad injections going around. Our friends have a 3-yr old that gets routine injections for her cerebral palsy and I was worried there had been a recall or something!!

[movingforward]

I am so sorry to hear this and you aren't a terrible person for being worried about it.  I would be upset over it as well... No advice, just hope it wears off sooner than later

[NancysSummerSip]

No, you are not a bad person for doing something for yourself. Been there, did something even more drastic (plastic surgery, twice). I plan to do it again (facelift) when the time comes; I'm pretty much past the point of injectables like Botox. Fashion glasses with a slight smoke tint will help hide the droop until it rights itself.

[Formerly SK]

Thanks everyone.

Anne - I mentioned the drops to the dr and she insisted they don't work.  But, her response to my situation was so horrible that I've lost all faith in her and don't plan to see her again.  I may contact another plastic surgeon a friend of mine uses and see what he thinks.  I *LOVE* Botox and at first vowed I'd never do it again, but that makes me want to cry too because I have 4 very deep vertical lines between my eyebrows and I'm only 40.  This has been the only thing that has kept me from looking like this all the time:   I can already tell I'm rethinking never doing Botox again.

Funny thing, after posting this I seem to be in a bit better place.  Maybe it was sort of like breaking the ice?  Normally I have a pretty sick sense of humor, so DH has been surprised at how down I've been.  But maybe I'll start telling everyone when they ask that I'm a cyclops for Halloween. 

[Cass]

Hugs 

Maybe a layered cut with bangs on that side?

[swamp]

You can be Leela from Futurama for Halloween!

[Deleted]

How long have you been doing botox? How much does it cost? How much differance does it make? How long does it last? You are the first person I've ever talked to that admits using it.

[Deleted]

I'd go with the Bells Palsy excuse. We had that happen to a guy at work once.

Sorry you've had such a bad experience. Def go to a new doctor next time. Hang in there!!!!

[Formerly SK]

Hot damn - I finally googled it and I'm loving the Bells Palsy excuse.  Thanks Beer! 

Later - Botox is awesome.  This was my 5th set of injections, and I go every 4 months (you can go longer between sessions the longer you do it).  The cost depends on how much you get, but my double 11s (four lines between eyebrows) is 30 units which is $300.  The injection relaxes your muscles so that your face can't make its normal movements.  For example, I have DEEP double 11s because I tend to squint or hold my eyebrows together and that repeated movement keeps collagen from building up in the skin creases.  By relaxing the muscles collagen can build up, which makes the wrinkles look less obvious.  The reason you can go longer between injections is the paralyzing of your muscles weakens them, so once the drug has worn off your muscles can't make those movements as strongly as they once did.  Botox completely eliminates my double 11s and I look happier/calmer. 

[Deleted]

You're welcome! 

[Deleted]

You have my sympathy. I have done Botox injections and just had Dysport done instead. The whole time I was getting injections I was paranoid that this would happen to me. The Bells Palsy excuse is what I would use if it happened to me.

I hope it clears up sooner rather than later.

[Deleted]

You guys realise that if anyone ever tells me they are suffering from Bells Palsy I'm going to know they do Botox. And it is all your fault.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Oct 30, 2013 9:37:32 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

How long have you been doing botox? How much does it cost? How much differance does it make? How long does it last? You are the first person I've ever talked to that admits using it.

You sure ask a lot of personal probing questions. You barely took a breath this time.

I personally wouldn't do Botox injections (Botulinum Toxin A - or Botulism). They do little more than temporarily paralyze your face muscles. You'll have to continue getting the injections to keep up the maintenance - all for vanity - while risking your health.

[Deleted]

You really told me SL. I bet SK is really offended by MY comments.

[Deleted]

 The illusion of eternal youth is very appealing to the vain. The fact is... if you live long enough, you get old. Disguising that ageing will require increasing amounts of effort and resources as time goes by.
 Take Bruce Jenner, for example. He has had the botox treatments, and the nips and the tucks, and the various procedures and programs and... well, look at him.
 he's not really fooling anyone... is he?

The only real alternative to old age is a pretty drastic one.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Take Bruce Jenner, for example. He has had the botox treatments, and the nips and the tucks, and the various procedures and programs and... well, look at him.

Yes - and look at him - especially is face. He looks more "plastic" than the females in that family. In fact he's starting to look more feminine himself. His face is 'stretched' so tight he can barely blink.

[Deleted]

Poor Bruce has been butchered.

I am considering botox or cosmetic surgery. I don't think it will make me look young, just a better looking mature. Kris Jenner and Sharon Osbourne have also had work and they look good. Not young, but good.

[milee]

  Yes, not wanting to look like you're permanently scowling and unhappy is very vain, indeed.  How dare SK want to look normal and not angry?!?

If someone posted about their migraines or other condition that Botox is known to treat, nobody would criticize him/her for getting Botox.  So why are you so judgy and nasty about a person who is doing something generally considered safe if it makes her feel better about herself and doesn't hurt anybody else? 

It's no more vain than getting a nice hair cut or color. 

[Deleted]

When I first ordered from Zenni, I ordered 2 pair of glasses, one cheap I thought I'd use as my second, but ended up liking them better... But being cheap, they broke after about 8 months of my hard use... I went and ordered a replacement frame, that came with plastic, non-rx lenses... 3.95... Seriously...  

I would go Bell's palsy though, my aide when I was teaching had this... Although now obviously I'm wondering...

[justme]

Well I tripped and fell on my face running to stop a friend from driving drunk (good deeds don't go unpunished and all that) and had a whopper black eye - to the point my eye was swollen shut probably more that what you're talking about. My bangs and glasses helped hide a lot of it (the makeup kept the color look somewhat normal), so I suggest either of those options. The bangs were a BIG savior for the top part - the glasses helped hide the bottom part being swollen.

Some cheap fashion stores might have glasses with just regular plastic. Any eye store could also just put regular plastic in it - though that would cost $$. Though it sounds like it's the top part - so the easiest solution might just be to get bangs at least until it goes away.

[flutterby]

I've only had Botox injections twice. The first time I bruised pretty badly, which was hard to hide, and they wore off after only a month or so. Tried it again about 6 months later, and the same thing happened as yours-one of my eyelids drooped. So I was bruised and droopy.  But the eyelid bounced back after about a week, so maybe yours will, too. I haven't done them since, which is such a bummer, because for that 3 weeks or so that I wasn't bruised or droopy I looked great! Love love love how I looked, and if it lasted longer on me I wouldn't hesitate to keep it up.

[Deleted]

Ignore patiencetried, she/he is an outlier.

I had Botox done when I was job hunting.  Needed to not look like I was scowling all the time.    I did bruise badly though, so I don't know if I'll do it again.  A week of bruising isn't really worth 3-4 month of no frown.

SK, did the same doc do these injections as did the prior ones?  If they inject over the center portion of the brow, that is known to cause the eyelid droop, so normally they go to the ll and then far side of brow by edge of eye (if you need it there).  
Also if they inject too much in ll spot that it bleeds out to the center of the brow, that also causes the droop.  

I'd stick with the stye excuse (or migraine) for a couple days especially if you had same doc & she followed same as normal routine.  If it sticks around for more than a week, then maybe the glasses, but I'm not sure that really hides anything unless they are light sunglasses.

[Deleted]

  All the artifice and lies and shams and superficiality...  rejecting them makes one an "outlier"?
 Eh... I can live with that.
 

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Oct 30, 2013 22:22:38 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I've only had Botox injections twice. The first time I bruised pretty badly, which was hard to hide, and they wore off after only a month or so. Tried it again about 6 months later, and the same thing happened as yours-one of my eyelids drooped. So I was bruised and droopy.  But the eyelid bounced back after about a week, so maybe yours will, too. I haven't done them since, which is such a bummer, because for that 3 weeks or so that I wasn't bruised or droopy I looked great! Love love love how I looked, and if it lasted longer on me I wouldn't hesitate to keep it up.

So you spend a small fortune to be bruised and swollen for a month - only to "look great" for 2 or 3 weeks??

I've been cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, etc since my teens/early 20's. My mom had gorgeous skin up into her late 80's and I'm hoping I can do the same with simple OTC products that don't include injecting crap into my face to temporarily "mask" a line or two.

[Deleted]

Everyone is different. I have great skin, etc. my mom doesn't look her age either. But while I can be grateful for genetics, I don't think all the OTC products in the world can help in some cases. I don't begrudge people who didn't have my mothers genes wanting to preserve a non scowl expression. I do wish there was a different, less toxin process to do so...

[flutterby]

Oct 31, 2013 1:34:11 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

Oct 30, 2013 22:22:38 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I've only had Botox injections twice. The first time I bruised pretty badly, which was hard to hide, and they wore off after only a month or so. Tried it again about 6 months later, and the same thing happened as yours-one of my eyelids drooped. So I was bruised and droopy.  But the eyelid bounced back after about a week, so maybe yours will, too. I haven't done them since, which is such a bummer, because for that 3 weeks or so that I wasn't bruised or droopy I looked great! Love love love how I looked, and if it lasted longer on me I wouldn't hesitate to keep it up.

So you spend a small fortune to be bruised and swollen for a month - only to "look great" for 2 or 3 weeks??



 

No, for that amount of time it just isn't worth it and it would be a waste of money. Now, if the effects lasted 4-5 months, then heck yeah a week or so of bruising would be worth it to me.

Some people are against any kind of intervention against the effects of aging. I'm not one of them. If something makes you look and feel better and you can afford it, then why not?

[mmhmm]

Is it your eyelid that's drooping or your eyebrow, SK?  Most of the time it's the eyebrow.  Unfortunately, that's a wait-it-out situation.  If it's just the eyelid, there are eyedrops that can mitigate the situation somewhat.  I've never had botox, but I've seen this situation in a friend about six months ago.  Hers was the eyelid itself and the eyedrops did help a little but didn't completely relieve the drooping.

If you're stuck with it, you might want to try a new hairstyle that incorporates a long, cut-in bang that covers the eyebrows.  Maybe, something like this:

[Deleted]

Oct 31, 2013 0:53:07 GMT -5 @patiencetried said:

  All the artifice and lies and shams and superficiality...  rejecting them makes one an "outlier"?
 Eh... I can live with that.
 

Your habit of taking an antagonistic viewpoint and writing in a way that demeans the OP is what makes you an Outlier.

You can have a different opinion without being rude about it.  Some of your posts have been improving, but it seems like you have a desire to belittle others and that keeps popping out.