So, I am not sure of what your take is on aesthetics and plastic surgery. And I’m sure there will be tons of people who will or might criticize. But I have always been very open about what I do, have done, or have thought about doing to myself.
 

For some people, plastic and aesthetics is necessary. For others, it is vanity. And for people like myself, sane people, who aren’t overly concerned with how we look, but want to look the best we can and own our own looks, whatever age we may be.. then, it boils down to different priorities.

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If you are all for the natural, and think, no, women should age gracefully, with no touch-ups etc, and just eat healthy, and they’ll be fine.. Well. Great for you. I’m not going to rain on your “i’m-using-lemons-as-deodorant” parade. I tried using lemon juice as deodorant once, and even I would not have wanted to sit next to me on a train that day.

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As you can see from many of my photos on Instagram, despite the rapidly changing hairstyles, I look like me. I do not like doing things that make me look different from who my momma gave birth to. In fact, my very first aesthetics treatment (if you don’t consider the multiple IPL sessions) was a filler. That in itself was great, but when I went for a follow up, I was given a botox jab near my cheeks, that the doctor figured would help lessen the chances of a line that I’ve hated, coming back.

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For two whole weeks, I lost my smile. Well, not “lost” it exactly. More like.. My face couldn’t recall where my lips started and my cheeks ended.

In most of the photos during those two weeks, I looked eerily like The Joker. And I’ve never done Botox on anywhere other than my jaw line, ever again.

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Those who have gone for surgery and own it, good on you. This is not a critique of you either, because I genuinely hope that you are happy. I know for a fact that money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you great boobs. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money, or you would already have seen it reflected on my boobs.

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Now, I do know many bloggers have been sponsored, and for a certain sum, with more freebies thrown on, have written glowing reviews about certain doctors. I’m not one of those. Firstly, I’m not a blogger. *shudder* Though, at one point of time, a long time ago, I would confess to having been one.

Secondly, I will be upfront about how much I paid at the time, when I did it, and yes, there have been times where I was given good discounts, usually because I have a friendship or prior relationship with these doctors. But I have paid, lots and lots of money. Unlike many of these cheerleading types who prefer posting photos of themselves to make money off it.

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I have had MANY. MANY painful memories in my past about how I looked, and certain insecurities that both mean girls, and some horrid boys, have not only highlighted, but mercilessly teased me about. One guy, went even so far as to spread rumours about me to his friends, and I will never forget them sniggering at me – as I pretended to be none-the-wiser – when I once went into Zouk.

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So I am writing this for the people who feel as I did at one point, helpless. This is for you. And I hope that you find whatever it is that helps you. And if you have questions, feel free to ask.

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I am going to be a listing Doctors and treatments that I know, trust, or have used. What I think their specialities are, and what I’ve gone to these clinics for.

I’m sure there are many others that are equally great. And by now, there are probably more treatments out there that are more advanced than some of the ones I’ve described. So if you’re comfortable with your own Doctor, perhaps you can chat with them about the latest, most updated versions or alternatives for these treatments.

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But these are the ones that worked for me, and the stories behind them. So here goes.

 

Botox Slimming (Face)

I have tried this at various doctors, each have their own methods. All of them work. And I like how it makes my face look less harsh. While others might not see it, people tend to be overly critical or conscious of their own flaws. I am conscious of what I deem to be a rather strong, masculine jaw. The botox slimming, helps my face look smaller. While imperceptible to most, it makes me look better in photos, and thus, makes me feel more confident, and better about myself.

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While it is recommended that this treatment be repeated every 6 to 8 mths, I am now… 37? And I’ve done it perhaps, 6 times, max. And mostly with different doctors.

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When I was on tv, I was a lot more conscious about how I looked, and thus, I would spend a little more on maintenance. Even though, pay was significantly low. So, my priorities were taking care of bills, and not always looking pretty.

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Fillers

Another thing I’ve been very conscious about are these cat-whisker like lines on my face. They often can be mistaken for sunglass imprints. I used to think they were smile lines, but I’ve since been informed they are gaps between facial muscles and ligaments that cause these lines. The bad thing about them, is while they some times look cute, and most people don’t notice them, when I am tired, my under-eye circles seem to join up with these lines to form luggage bags under my eyes. And I’m not talking cabin-size luggage bags. I’m talking long-haul, I-am-moving-countries-type-luggage bags. They make me look even more tired at times, and on occasion, when especially deep, can look like a scar.

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The trouble about the above treatments is, I started what many may deem as pretty late. Merely 10 years ago at 27. And I noticed that I looked really tired on camera because of those lines. Well, I tried out my first filler with a friends Uncle, Dr. David Tan, and after he successfully erased that line, and even topped a little of my lines under my dark eye circles, making them look brighter… my life was changed!