Fun fact: November 20 is the most popular day on record for booking Botox injections. While we can really only speculate on the reason for this, we have a strong hunch that all this sudden interest in wrinkle reducing has something to do with the quickly approaching holiday season. But whatever the reason, Allergan—the owner of Botox Cosmetic—decided to do something special for the upcoming big day (which has fittingly been dubbed National Botox Day!) this year: it teamed up with New York Times best-selling author and actress Jenny Mollen.
Mollen, who has been open about getting Botox in the past, isn’t shy when it comes to discussing all her preferred cosmetic treatments. So we sat down with the bubbly star as well as her provider, NYC dermatologic surgeon, Dr. Patricia Wexler, to talk all things beauty. Before we knew it, Mollen was sharing everything from her own experience with Botox to the treatment her friend Chelsea Handler told her to never try. Read on!
RealSelf: What was the aha moment that made you want to try Botox?
Jenny Mollen: I was about 29 the first time I did it, and I actually feel like I waited too long. I wish I had done it at 28 so I would have had it for my wedding. Once I did it, I felt like it was such a crazy, improved difference for me personally. In the beginning, [I only got] it for the elevens. It made such a difference that I wish I’d started just six to nine months sooner.
Related: What’s the Difference Between Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Jeuveau?
RS: Have you gotten Botox injections anywhere else?
JM: I’ve done crow’s-feet too. But that’s not really my [preferred] area. [Pat] does a really good job [on my forehead].
Dr. Patricia Wexler: I do it a little differently. I do microinjections.
RS: Have you tried any other in-office treatments, like fillers or lasers?
JM: I’ll basically try whatever [my dermatologist] Pat Wexler allows me to try. I’ve done Juvéderm, and I’m a big fan. I’ve done [filler] in the cheek and midface and then a little bit along the jawline. I’ve never done Kybella, but I’ve always talked about it. I’ve done Fraxel before and Ultherapy. I’ve done Vivace microneedling and Aerolase too.
PW: Aerolase, I thought, cured your acne for a long time.
JM: Yes. I need to do it more consistently. [Pat] also had to dissolve some of my past filler [from a previous doctor]. I came in to her [office], all filled and looking puffy. I had just done under-eye filler and she was like, “No, no, no, no, no.” I photographed bizarre. My face looked very wide.
PW: I dissolved each side [of under-eyes and cheeks], and then we started from scratch.
RS: As a friend of Chelsea Handler, who’s also very open about her skin-care treatments, have you two ever swapped beauty treatment recommendations?
JM: I actually saw her right after I put that filler under my eyes, and she was like, “What did you do? I told you never to do that!”
Related: 8 Ways to Get Rid of Under-Eye Circles—From Makeup to Medical Treatments
RS: As a mother, are there any beauty treatments that you got after giving birth that you had never considered before having children?
JM: I had my C-section scar lasered with Fraxel. Now it’s almost invisible.
RS: What is your day-to-day beauty routine?
JM: I try to keep [my skin-care routine] as natural as possible, but sometimes I want things that are more effective than something that’s organic. I’m really into Drunk Elephant. I try to just hydrate my skin, but I don’t use a lot because I’m scared of breaking out. Right now is a bad time for me as far as the cystic acne situation goes, so I try to wear less makeup. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I had kids or if it’s just getting older, but I feel like more makeup [doesn’t look appealing].
RS: Has your skin-care routine changed since entering your 40s this year?
JM: Everybody always said to do your moisturizer all the way down your chest, shoulders, and neck. I really never did, but now I do it. I use a body brush on my legs now too. I learned how to sleep with a pillow in between my boobs [to prevent chest] wrinkles too.
