1. I had a wrinkle and now its gone. Lesson: What is is not what has to be. Change is possible.
2. Change can be fast. I have long held to the myth that real change takes time and struggle and Herculean effort. I was wrong. Winkles, lines and nasolabial folds are gone(ish) in 30 minutes. What else might I be wrong about? What else might change with incredible and almost miraculous speed?
3. Change can be semi-painless with a little Lidocaine. The lesson from this is that numbing out to not feel something is not always a bad thing. I have long held to the *feel the burn* camp of emotional suffering. Maybe, every now and then, it would be okay if I numbed out.
4. Lidocaine shots hurt too, i.e. even what you use to numb can still hurt you, if even just for a second. It was still less pain than it would have been without the Lidocaine. Lesson? Uh, how about, what starts out as pain may ultimately heal?
5. Even though my Doctor looks, acts and dresses like an archetype of a midlife crisis it doesn’t mean he isn’t a talented injector. Life lesson: Don’t judge a doctor just based on the fact he looks like a cast member of Dancing with the Stars and/or don’t judge a book by its cover ( unless Fabio is on the cover, then feel free to judge it).
6. Juvederm hurts less than Restylane. I can’t really extrapolate this into a life lesson. Anyone have any ideas? Ooh, how about youth (Juva) is a natural state while rest( is a stopping of action and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. So stopping the action of aging is more difficult and hence more painful than it is to return skin to its natural and youthful state? Points for creativity?
7. Restylane is cheaper than Juvederm. But Restylanse only lasts six months and Juvederm lasts a year. So Juvederm is cheaper in the long run. The lesson? What seems cheaper isn’t necessarily so and then there is my grandmother’s old maxim about not being penny wise and pound foolish. Hey, if I got a collagen I might have pulled out her favorite, “don’t give away the milk when you can get the collagen for free” or something like that.
8. I love things that offer instant gratification. I suppose I knew this before. Instant gratification is mostly better than delayed gratification. Actually I like gratification both now and later.
9. Money can buy a little happiness if you know what doctor to see.
10. Frown lines gone make me smile however if I smile more I will get more frown lines. Ooh, that is deep, kind of like a Zen Koan.
Note to the manufactures of Juvaderm and Botox: I would be delighted to tour the country for you and give this heartwarming lecture on how fillers can change your life. You can pay me in product or cash, or product and cash. I am also open to just cash and buying my own Botox and Juvaderm. I’d even settle for a discount.
