Why I Stopped Thinking About Botox (And What I Do Instead)
My mentor asked me recently why I started Erra Skin. I gave him the polished answer. My skin had become flat, rough, dull and lifeless and I wanted to do something about it.
He looked at me and said: that is not what you actually said to yourself.
He was right. What I actually said to myself, standing in front of the mirror at 38, was: my skin looks like shit, I’m getting old.
That was it. That was the whole thought. And that is exactly why I started Erra Skin.
Shortly after that mirror moment I found myself researching Botox clinics. Not in a vague, passing thought kind of way. I looked up clinics, read reviews, asked my friend where she went to get her injections and came very close to booking an appointment.
I did not end up booking. Not because I have anything against injectables. I do not. But because I started asking myself a question that changed the direction I went in entirely: is this actually what my skin needs right now, or is it what I think I am supposed to do? What will make my skin healthier?
What I Was Actually Looking At
The things that were bothering me most when I looked in the mirror were not deep set lines or lost volume. They were surface things. Dullness. Rough, uneven texture that made my skin look flat and tired even on good days. Fine lines that seemed more visible than they needed to be, not because they were deep but because my skin had lost the kind of quality that makes them less noticeable.
Looking back, none of those things are what Botox is designed to address. Botox relaxes the muscles that create expression lines. It does not change skin quality, texture, or radiance. What I was looking at in the mirror was a skin condition problem, not a muscle movement problem. I just did not have the language for it at the time.
What I was looking at in the mirror was a skin quality problem. Botox is a muscle movement solution. Those are two different things.
I think a lot of women arrive at the idea of Botox the same way I did. Not because their skin specifically needs it, but because it is the most visible, most talked about option in the conversation around looking less tired and more like yourself. When you do not know what else to do, it feels like the obvious answer. It was not the obvious answer for my skin. It was just the loudest one.
I wanted healthier looking skin. Vibrant skin. Smooth skin. Dullness and texture were my issues, and a few fine lines creeping up on the forehead and around the eyes but I am fine with looking my 38 years. A good 38, not a bad 38.
The Question I Started Asking Instead
Once I started looking at my skin differently, the question shifted. Instead of asking how do I look less tired, I started asking why does my skin look this way and what does it actually need.
Dull skin. Rough texture. Fine lines that are more visible than they should be. All of those things have a common thread: skin that is not renewing itself at the rate it used to. The surface is not as fresh. Products are not absorbing as well. The underlying quality of the skin has changed, and nothing topical I was putting on it was addressing that change at its source.
This is when I started going back to what I knew had worked for my skin years earlier. When I was having regular professional microneedling appointments in my early thirties, my skin had looked genuinely different. Brighter. Smoother. More alive. Not because a muscle had been relaxed, but because the skin itself had improved in quality. That was the result I was actually chasing. Not frozen. Just better.
I did not want to look frozen. I wanted my skin to look like itself, just the best version of it.
Micro infusion is inspired by professional microneedling. The same principle of creating micro-channels to support better serum absorption and skin renewal, designed for consistent at-home use. What I was looking for was not a one-off injectable treatment. It was a consistent practice that would keep my skin in good condition over time. That distinction mattered to me.
What I Think About Botox Now
I want to be clear about something before I go any further. I am not anti-Botox. I am not writing this post to tell you that injectables are wrong or that you should not consider them. That is not my place and it is genuinely not my view. If I am honest, I still consider it.
Botox works. For the right concern, in the right hands, at the right time, it does exactly what it is meant to do. There are people for whom it is absolutely the right choice and I would never suggest otherwise.
What I am saying is that for me, at that point, it was the wrong solution for the actual problem. And I think that is worth examining before booking, not after.
The question I would encourage anyone to ask before going down that path is: what is the specific thing that is bothering me, and is this treatment actually designed to address it? If the answer is yes, then it might be exactly right. But if you are looking at dull, rough, tired-looking skin and wondering if Botox will fix it, the honest answer is that it probably will not. Not because Botox does not work, but because that is not what it does.
I want my skin to be in the best condition it can be in before considering anything more invasive – especially if there are ongoing maintenance costs.
What I Did Instead and What Changed
I started using the Micro-Infusion consistently. Every two weeks, same routine, no skipping. And over the following months my skin changed in a way that nothing else had managed to produce.
The dullness lifted. By month three it was noticeable enough that other people were commenting on it. My skin texture improved significantly. The rough surface I had been feeling under my fingers when I applied moisturiser became smoother and more even. The fine lines that had been bothering me looked less prominent, not because anything had been paralysed, but because the quality of the skin around them had improved. The dehydration lines around my eyes plumped up and smoothed out.
I stopped wearing foundation. I stopped thinking about Botox. Not because I had made some grand decision about injectables, but because my skin looked and felt good enough that the urgency I had felt completely disappeared.
I stopped thinking my skin looked like shit and started actually liking what I saw in the mirror. I made sure I stayed consistent and used my treatment every two weeks.
The urgency I had felt about booking that appointment just disappeared. My skin looked and felt like itself again.
This Is Not About Choosing One Over the Other
I think the most honest framing for this post is not Botox versus micro infusion. That is a false choice and it is not how I think about it.
What I believe, based on my own experience, is that the condition of your skin matters before you consider anything else. When your skin looks dull and rough and tired, the answer might not be an injectable. It might be consistent, quality skin renewal that addresses the surface and the depth of what you are actually seeing.
For me, getting my skin into genuinely good condition first made the question of Botox feel much less urgent. It might still be something I consider one day. But right now, at this point in time, my skin looks and feels better than it has in years. And that happened without a single injection.
Micro infusion is a cosmetic treatment, not a medical one. It is not a replacement for any injectable or in-clinic procedure. What it is designed to do is support the visible appearance of healthier-looking skin through consistent, at-home use.
If You Are Where I Was
If you are standing in front of the mirror wondering if Botox is where your skin is heading, I would just ask you to look a little more closely at what you are actually seeing first.
Is it lines caused by muscle movement? Then that conversation might well be worth having with a professional.
Is it dullness? Rough texture? Skin that looks tired and flat and does not respond to products the way it used to? That is a different problem. And it has a different answer.
Your skin might just need consistent renewal, not an injection. It is worth finding out before you book.
When I started testing micro infusion with a group of women, the results across four treatments over eight weeks were consistent: improved skin texture, softer fine lines, better hydration, and an overall glow that showed up in photos and in the mirror. Here is what some of them said.
Jasmine
"I have used the Erra Skin micro infusion device over four sessions fortnightly, and one of the biggest advantages is how easy it is to use. Each treatment takes around 10 minutes, is virtually pain-free, and requires no numbing cream. After completing my sessions, I noticed a huge improvement in my skin's hydration and texture. My skin used to feel like a dry prune, now it's plumper, more radiant, and so much smoother. My nasolabial fold lines appear less deep, my fine lines have softened, and my overall complexion looks refined and glowy. My makeup goes on better, I'm wearing less of it, and even my friends have commented on how amazing my skin looks."
Stef
"I would highly recommend the Erra Skin Micro Infusion. As a complete beginner, I found it so easy to use and virtually pain-free. I've noticed a significant reduction in fine lines around my eyes, and my skin feels so much healthier. The next day after treatment, the glowing feeling of hydrated and firm skin is amazing."
Esma, 43
"I was pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to use. By the next day, my skin already felt more hydrated, and my skincare products were absorbing much better than usual. With continued use, the fine lines around my eye area appeared softer, and I noticed a visible improvement in my overall skin tone. Easy to use and quick results. I would continue using it as part of my routine."
Jodie
"I found the micro infusion treatment completely pain-free, and my skin felt amazing afterwards. My skin's texture is noticeably more refined and smooth. I've received so many compliments on how glowing my skin looks, and I've noticed my makeup applies more evenly and lasts longer."
Want to see what five months of consistent micro infusion actually looks like? I documented the full journey, month by month, including what my skin looked and felt like at each stage. Read: Micro Infusion Before and After: My Honest Results After 5 Months.
Rachel McRae is the founder of Erra Skin. After seriously considering Botox at 38 and choosing a different path, she built Erra Skin around the principle of consistent, quality skin renewal at home. All personal experiences in this post are her own.
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Micro Infusion Before and After: My Honest Results After 5 Months