I remember the exact moment – I was 31 and working as an editor for a fashion magazine in NYC. It was day 4 of NYFW, which meant a gruesome schedule of shows all day and brand events all night. (Trust me, it’s not nearly as glamorous as it sounds!) I tumbled out of bed after sleeping for what felt like a blink and fell into the bathroom. The blue circles under my eyes had formed years ago from constant 100 hour work weeks and traveling through wildly different time zones in mere days. When I looked in the mirror that morning something different caught my eye; the deep etched line in my forehead – three to be exact – and the complimentary twins at my brows. Time and lifestyle had finally caught up to me. And it showed.

I want to note that I am a true celebrator of aging. I am not afraid of wearing my many moments of laughter like the hottest “it” accessory at the corners of my mouth. Or toting around my hard work and determination in (fashionable) under eye bags. As we age, we gain life. And I love that. I just wanted to slow down the physical process.

I began shopping for solutions. Anti-aging (*cringe*) serums guaranteed the face of my youth, acupuncture pledged to patch up the gap, facial yoga promised a facelift. Silk pillowcases, Evian water, face masks…the list went on and the wrinkles stayed put.

I had known about Botox. After all, I did work in fashion – frozen faces were a prerequisite to sitting front row. I just did not share the same desire to resemble a mannequin.

That’s when I started hearing rumblings about doctors giving a “baby botox” – the natural-looking approach that administers a smaller dose to only subtly tweak your expressions. They – the baby-faced trendsetters it was so lovingly named after – called it prejuvenation. I was on board.

“BABY BOTOX”...THE BABY-FACED TRENDSETTERS IT WAS SO LOVINGLY NAMED AFTER – CALLED IT PREJUVENATION. I WAS ON BOARD.

DERMASMOOTH TREATMENT

Luckily, I had just been introduced to Dr. Eunice Park, a Dual Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon and Founder of K-Beauty med spa AIREM. She was specifically sought after for her subtle but highly effective hand and oh-so natural results. After our brief pen pal exchange where I besieged her with every question that had ever crossed my mind, I decided to take the plunge in prejuvenation with Dr. Park’s DermaSmooth treatment.

DermaSmooth, a facial treatment using a customized cocktail of wrinkle reducers such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau, smoothes out and diminishes the appearance of crow’s feet, forehead lines, brow furrows and laugh lines. By inhibiting the contraction of muscles in and around wrinkles, the DermaSmooth treatment works on the lines that are already visible as well as the prevention of new ones from forming.

The results? Smooth, wrinkle-free skin radiating a youthful glow.

Sign.Me.Up.

I would be lying if I wasn’t nervous the first time I got Botox. I didn’t really know what to expect even after the millions of Instagram before-and-afters and the hundreds of walking testimonials staring back at me on the daily. Thankfully, Dr. Park has the voice of an angel and the patience of a saint, and not only wrapped up the treatment in a mere few minutes, but also took the time to chat me through potential side effects and what I should/should not do in the days after.

In the end, my Botox came out beautifully. I am not ashamed of telling people that I get it regularly – most are surprised because of how natural my face looks (I sense the need to take some credit here too so that my 10-step skin care routine feels justifiable).

PREJUVENATION REGIMEN

While I’m always seeking ways to improve my prejuvenation regimen, over the years I have added bi-monthly Miracell treatments, clinical-grade skin care products and stress-reducing practices like meditation and scheduled time to enjoy my hobbies. If there is one thing I’ve learned from AIREM (besides it’s the Holy Grail of Botox and beauty) is that prejuvenation truly starts with the inside.