I was spoiled on my 49th birthday in the most lovely way! Robin Farrell who does the morning show on Ocean 98.5 arrange a surprise trip to MD Esthetics (who she endorses) so I could have some treatments as a birthday gift, plus get started on a fantastic skin care plan.

It wasn’t about desperately trying to look younger, it was about feeling and looking my best as I head into mid-life. Robin looks fantastic and her outward appearance is augmented by the sparkle in her eye, spring in her step and zest for life. She knew that I had been feeling frustrated with a few changes in my skin and some of the other facial changes as I was getting older, things that I was trying to take in stride as gracefully as possible, but as I looked in the mirror it didn’t feel like me looking back.

I was a bit unsettled by my reaction, laugh lines had always been something I said I would embrace and love every single one of, and I do, but the droopy eyes and some of the other sag was totally unexpected and I was NOT digging it. NOPE, not at all.

After Robin took me on this little adventure we had some back lash at the station, Mom’s saying that we were setting a crappy example for their daughters by not letting nature take it’s course and being happy with it. Well. I had to pause for a moment. Could this be true? I am a 5 foot tall, middle aged women with a fat battle that I am sometimes winning and sometimes not. I have even been on billboards in all that glory, standing in front of thousands and even in a wrestling singlet at a world event competing as an athlete representing Canada. Outside of always trying to have fabulous hair and on occasion having a skin routine, I have rarely hidden or went out of the way to change the way I looked.. I have embraced the moments and not let societies preset ideas of beauty dampen some career highs.

Yet here I was THRILLED with a botox treatment!  I said it. BOTOX. BOOOOOOTOXXXXXXX.

It is awesome. Subtle. Perfect. I look in the mirror and I see me! A very happy me! MD Esthetics offers a few different treatments to make sure you see the reflection you want in the mirror that I am considering as well.

The complaints that I heard about setting a bad example for girls growing up, didn’t fall on ears that weren’t listening. I took a moment and truly thought about the why’s of what I was doing and if I was behaving in a way that might be setting a poor example for generations behind me. Here is where I stand.

NO MORE SECRETS.

That for me is the trouble spot. People pretending behind photoshop or enhancement procedures. That is  what sets up unrealistic expectations for youth. If someone says to me.. “Susan! You look great! What’s your secret??” I will happily say “Thank you and go see the team at MD Esthetics, they work wonders!” If they have more questions I will tell anyone exactly what worked for me. If my niece says to my sister, “I hope I look as great as Auntie Susie when I am old.” I hope she says, “You will,” and follows up with a smile and tells her to ask me about the first botox shot I had.

No secrets, no shame.

As my new friends at MD Esthetics say:  Feel Confident. Be Yourself. Look Amazing.

If you want to know more, just ask! Myself, Robin Farrell or the wonderful team at MD Esthetics. The best possibly thing you can invest in is yourself, and when you do, it should always make you smile!