It was in my early 40s that I started going to an aesthetician for facials, peels and it seems to spend ridiculous sums of money on the most up-to-date products. At first I tried to hide these bills from my husband. I don't think he would have said anything [I too was bringing home a paycheck], but honestly, I was embarrassed. Anyway, about 4 months into my new regime and 3 major facial peels later, my skin was looking dewy and softer, the lines were finer and 80% of the freckles and age spots had disappeared. Guess what? He noticed. Actually, he didn't notice, but a friend told me how nice my skin looked in earshot and that's when he noticed. So, my totally non metrosexual husband asked me what I was doing. I told him. After I shared that, I shared the bills with him too. I figured it was good for him to see that our money was being well spent. In spite of the peels and facials, the clock continued to tick and it was around the time I turned 45 that I decided to try botox - peels and facials can only do so much. This is when the second half of his metamorphosis took place.
A funny thing happened on my way to get botox. My husband stopped me. As you now know, his history was non-involvement in my beautifying, so I was pretty surprised when he said something. However, this time it was the doctor and not the husband that stopped me. He said that it was ridiculous to spend that kind of money [I won't even tell you what I was quoted], and that if I could wait, he would go get training and learn how to do it. I think we all know that this was a no brainer. I took a few little jumps for joy when he wasn't looking and then got on the phone with my girlfriends to share "our" good fortune. Of course not only would I reap the benefits of his new training, but any of my friends who wanted to slow down the signs of aging would too. I mean, he would need a few guinea pigs in the beginning, wouldn't he?
I'd like to say right now that this babble is not an advertisement for botox, nor any other cosmetic or plastic procedure. It is but a story about my husband's change of view. Getting old sucks, but he wasn't able to appreciate the effect it had on women as compared to men when it came to our faces. However, when he saw how my skin looked after those peels and facials, he was a convert. As he undertook his training with a cosmetic surgeon and then more training with a pair of oculoplastic surgeons, I saw him looking at me and women differently. During his training, he was able to see how a small amount of botox in the right place and some filler to plump those deep grooves around the mouth and nose, could rejuvenate a 60 year old woman. She might look a couple of years younger he would grudgingly agree, but as a surgeon, he saw the aesthetic benefit. I guess the icing on the cake was during an evening out with friends. My girlfriend mentioned that she was thinking of getting botox. The husband made some derogatory remarks and used words like vanity and narcissism. Marc, in his calm doctor/patient voice said, "Actually, I used to think like you, but I've seen what a small amount of botox can do to someone's features and how that little change can make a person feel". I squeezed his leg under the table and gave him "that look". You know, the look that says "You are sooo getting lucky tonight!!".
Marc has always been a sensitive man and has a keen ability to understand other's emotions. However, his sensitivity didn't carry over to understanding a women's vanity nor the aging female. Well that has changed. Over the past two years, he has seen what a peel and filler and botox and facial cream can do. His metamorphosis is complete. He understands what his cosmeceutical clients want and is able to deliver. He is honest with us females. He will tell anyone who sits in his chair that his objective is to make them look rejuvenated, softer and relaxed, not 20 years younger nor a Grace Kelly look alike. Alas, that would be nice though....
In conclusion, I am blessed. Not only do I have a wonderful husband, but I also have a husband that is now more sensitive to and understanding of women. Don't get me wrong, he's still from Mars in many respects [do plates left in the sink ring any bells?], but on the issue of understanding a women's desire to age gracefully..... maybe with a little bit of assistance, we speak the same language.
Quote of the Day: Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open. Sir. James Dewar, Scientist
Quote of the Day: Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open. Sir. James Dewar, Scientist
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