What do Courtney Cox and I Have in Common?

In a recent US article, the Friends alum admits she’s tried Botox and didn’t like it. She referred to it as a love hate since she liked the results, but ultimately as an actor, she wasn’t happy without her ability to use her full facial expression.

I used Botox for 3 years and, like Courtney, loved the results. Within days of being injected, the fine lines melted away and my face became a new version of itself. I was always able to be expressive and people were shocked to learn I’d used Botox since it wasn’t at all obvious.

But here’s the kicker. It’s not the Botox and the freezing that’s the problem- that part is great, it’s the way in which it wears off.

Once the Botox starts to wear off, your muscles are then free to make movement again and naturally the individual muscles wear off at their own rate. More times than not, one brow would raise higher than the other, or my brows would only raise on the outer ends and not on the inside, or vice versa.

It wasn’t horrible, nobody noticed (believe me, my friends would have said something), but even the slightest discrepancy on an unwrinkled face isn’t so slight. Suddenly your face doesn’t look right unless it’s perfectly unwrinkled and facial movement becomes an odd enemy.

I paid $14 a unit to my dermatologist and received 40 units throughout my forehead, my furrow (the area between your brows), and around my eyes for crows-feet (ouch) which amounted to $560 every 4 months or so.

That’s $1,680 a year on Botox.

I made the decision to discontinue its use for now. There are lines on my face when it’s at rest- which is fine, it’s not a focal point anymore so I don’t notice. I see photos where there are no lines on my face and I wonder if my look now is actually more youthful since Botox has become such a standard for aging women. Maybe having wrinkles is the new not having wrinkles after all?

Courtney’s Just Not That Into Botox