HOW TO AVOID A DROOPY DISASTER

IN SHORT, choose an experienced practitioner who has a reputation for giving people a natural-looking result.

All practitioners say they do this these days. They’ll tell you that they offer ‘baby Botox’ or just a ‘micro-dose’ and that the fashion for overtreating went out in the Noughties. But some of them still have quite a heavy hand.

Next, discuss properly with your chosen practitioner what you hope to achieve by having Botox. Quietening down the muscles that move your face and create the frown lines and smile lines is what makes the difference. But the more you quieten those muscles, the less movement you will be able to make. The product

can drift a little from the injection site, but usually not by much, and only within the first hour after injection.

This is why practitioners used to advise not lying down for four hours after treatment, though this is now thought to be unnecessary and overly cautious. Still, I wouldn’t advise rubbing at the treated area, or having a facial massage, for a day or two, just in case.

Don’t panic when you don’t see any difference after a couple of days. It takes several days for the effects to become apparent and it will be seven to ten days before you see the full result.

Also, always, always book in for a review two weeks after treatment, by which time the full effects will be showing. That way, if you end up with, say, one eyebrow arching higher than the other, your practitioner can make small adjustments to even things out.

You will look different after having Botox, but if you don’t like the way your face looks, don’t panic.

It will wear off in time. There’s no harm done. Have a laugh about it. And you will know to ask, more firmly, for less the next time.

How much should you pay? That depends how much you have, but in general, from £150 for one area (between the brows, for example). The cheapest anywhere is £99 at Superdrug.