

I am just back in NYC after a visit to Dr. Bart Rademaker in Tampa, Florida, and his amazing center of rejuvenation. I can’t stop looking in the mirror. I have turned fifty, and I have to admit to loving Botox, and its kissing cousin Dysport.
Both Botox and Dysport do the same thing—they get rid of what I personally find so annoying, those deep creases in my forehead and between my brows that seem to have appeared over night on 5oth birthday.
I am not particularly vain, so I am startled and a bit of embarrassed over the complete joy that a non surgical face lift has given me. I also just did a skin peel and a new skin treatment called Selphyl, which uses your own plasma rich platelets to plump up hollows and promote collagen growth. This is also sometimes called PRP for short. I am a Selphyl girl. I am positively glowing, and I look completely like myself—just freshened up!
And it’s not just me who is noticing. My friends can’t stop telling me how beautiful I look. The fact is that I was scared of doing needles and I have heard so much negative press about Botox and Dysport. Everyone told me not to do it, and every possible thing that could go wrong. But the fact is that I have not experienced any of the “frozen” features that I have heard about when using Botox or Dysport.
And trust me, it’s all that I hear about when I share with friends that I did this. Maybe my fabulous results is all about the skill of the doctor that I see, Dr. Bart Rademaker, a board certified plastic surgeon who runs the Rejuva Med Spa in Tampa, Florida. I wouldn’t recommend doing these treatments with anyone that is not a board certified plastic surgeon. It’s always best to trust the professional you are with, and I actually travel from New York to Tampa, Florida to see my doctor. I wouldn’t go near those Botox Booths at the mall.
My experience with Botox/Dysport is that I can wiggle my eye brows, and crinkle my fore head. I have just lost all of those lines that made me look like I was frowning even though I was happy. I wanted to look the way I felt inside. Nobody would know that I did anything to my face. They just stare at me a lot!
The fact is that for me, doing some of these simpler, non-invasive and affordable skin rejuvenation treatments helped me match my inside with my outside. When I look in the mirror, I see the woman that I feel, and that gives me incredible pleasure.
I know that we are asked to love our wrinkles and be proud of them. I am not ashamed of them, and I am not into “anti-aging”, but I have to admit to be that I am thrilled that the frown is are gone. It gives me pleasure.
Then there are people who tell me that I am poisoning myself with the Botox or Dysport. I love telling them that I drank diet soda for years! I gave that up—I would rather have Botox! And I love to be able to report that at least with Selphyl, it’s my own blood!
We are allowed to lose weight out of a place of self love if we choose it. We can use elective plastic surgery if it’s about making us feel great. I think we get stuck when we are motivated to change out of sadness or self loathing. “If I buy this outfit or join this gym then I will be happy.”
Maybe that works sometimes, often it doesn’t. I do believe we have to work on loving our selves on the core level first. Once we are in that place of enjoying who we are then it becomes so much more satisfying to adorn ourselves, or make changes to our life styles or bodies.
Sometimes, making changes in the way we dress ourselves, adorn ourselves, or take care of ourselves really does augment our own natural beauty simply by creating a moment of happiness. All I know is that I can’t stop smiling.
At a reputable SOuth Tampa clinic, I spent $330 on botox 6 weeks ago (with beautiful results! not too much, not too little- just right). I was told the effects would last for 3 to 4 months……. 6 weeks later, all of the beautiful results are completely gone. I guess I have a high metabolism. But, spending $330 every 6 weeks for botox is totally unnaceptable. My friend REnee goes to Dr. Rad for Dysport and she says her results have lasted more than 5 months.
I am interested.