Jennifer Garner: be cautious when it comes to injecting your face

Jennifer Garner has an interview in Harper’s Bazaar. It’s mostly about beauty secrets but also about Jen’s TikTok and her Pretend Cooking Show. It’s a nice fluff piece and Jen is promoting her hairstylist, Adir Abergel’s, line. Most of the beauty talk is about hair. I wouldn’t single Jen out as a hair person but she does have great hair so I probably should. Mostly Jen is a wash and go kind of gal. But her main piece of beauty advice is to wait on any kind of intervention. If you are going to start with injectables, hold off as long as possible.

Her hair care: My day usually starts with a really hard workout. Then, it gets all gross, so I have to wash it—most likely with the Virtue Recovery or the Full line. I always do a mask over the weekend to treat my hair. Once I’m out of the shower and give it a towel dry, I always use a little 6-in-1.

And then, I am really into the new Frizz Block Smoothing Spray right now. I didn’t realize that I had frizz in my hair until I used it in this heat we’ve been having—and I realized that, yep, I do have frizz. I was recently in Chicago speaking for Once Upon a Farm and Save the Children, and it was so humid. The Frizz Block totally saved me. And it also preserved my blow dry and kept my hair frizz free for up to 72 hours.

Her beauty advice: My beauty advice is always the same: Look in the mirror less, obsess less, and look at the rest of the world to see what you could be using your time for instead. We all look at our faces more than people used to, and it doesn’t do you any good. You obsess over changes or how to fix something on your face.

My advice is to look at the mirror less and be cautious when it comes to injecting anything into your face. Be very, very incredibly judicious and wait as absolutely long as possible to add anything. Don’t think that you’re 37 and you need to be shooting up your face. You don’t need to wear so much makeup or have such a constant blowout.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

In 2020, Jennifer said something similar about injectables. She’d admitted she gets Botox and doesn’t like the “frozen face” results. I know some people in the industry who started with injectables way too young. They said *they* thought they were wrinkling young and that’s why they intervened. But they got used to that look and needed more. They couldn’t accept aging and their faces took on different shapes by the time we were in our 40s. Jen’s got a point about waiting. A little tweak isn’t an issue. But I feel for anyone who can’t look at their face aging without panicking. I agree with Jen’s thoughts on makeup too, but that’s because it works for me. Scaling back de-aged me the most so far. Maybe that’s my inability to do makeup correctly. Jen also talks about what a luxury it is to have her hair person do her hair. I think she sees it as if your hair is always done, you never get used to it not being perfect. I never do my own hair, but would like to walk around with a blow-out every day.

Something else I didn’t catch on to before now is how much Jen talks about exercising. She brings that up in these self-care fluff pieces often and she talks about getting a sweat up. It makes sense, she looks great. And a good sweat is great for skin too.

Photo credit: Avalon Red , Instagram and Cover Images

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55 Responses to “Jennifer Garner: be cautious when it comes to injecting your face”

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  1. Becks1 says:

    I love her Pretend Cooking Show. I love seeing her kitchen, her dog sometimes makes an appearance (golden retrievers FTW) and its clear that she actually does know how to cook and is comfortable in the kitchen. It’s a cute segment/series.

    She has a good point about the injectables. I’m not ready for anything like botox yet, but my big fear about doing anything even in 5-10 years(since I’m not opposed to it in theory) is that once I start I’ll keep going and I’ll look like one of those 50 or 60 year old women desperately trying to look 20 and just being a mess. But a little botox once a year should be fine, right?

    • Jessamine says:

      I’m not morally/ethically opposed to any kind of cosmetic procedure, but I’ve never even gotten a spa facial. Now that I’m about to turn 40 I don’t have too many actual lines on my face but everything is starting to “droop” for lack of a better term so I’ve started considering options … but my greatest fear is that once I start I’ll lose all objectivity and good sense.

      • ClaireB says:

        I’m in my 40s and have found microcurrent (I have a Nuface) combats the facial droop really well. You have to be consistent with it, but it plumps the skin and perks up the underlying muscles without injections or surgery. I absolutely recommend it.

    • L84Tea says:

      Her pretend cooking show is one of my favorite things on Instagram. Her “Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili” a few years back is the video that got me hooked. I love that she’s usually got wet hair, or is wearing her glasses, or is just generally dressed like someone comfy at home doing something they enjoy. Jen comes off like one of the most authentic people in Hollywood. The video from this past Christmas where she almost set her kitchen on fire was hilarious.

      • Becks1 says:

        omg anytime she makes anything of Ina’s I just love it. She’s so funny about Ina.

  2. Emmi says:

    I’m lucky genetically, thanks parents. At 38 I don’t really have lines, maybe a few very tiny ones around the eyes. But I can definitely tell that elasticity is on its way out the door. LOL Everything gets softer, thinner. I don’t want to inject anything into my face though. I understand why people do it but for me, it’s just too risky. Fillers don’t always dissolve entirely. Botox just a tiny bit left or right of where it should go can affect the wrong muscles. A friend of mine who’s in her 60s woke up the next morning and half her face was sagging. No thank you.

    I do take very good care of my skin but I just don’t trust the injections.

    • L84Tea says:

      I don’t trust them either, but then again I’m also not fond of medication in any extreme ways either. It all scares me. I’m a good moisturizer and Tylenol for my headache kind of gal.

  3. Abby says:

    I’m 38 and not really interested in Botox or filler right now. I listened to an episode of This Podcast Will Kill You talking about botulism and Botox, and I don’t think that’s something I want to do. I take care of my skin, and I am noticing lines a little bit, I don’t want to do anything more drastic at this point.

    However, I think about spot treating my double chin a lot. I think it’s called Kybella. I am down to a body weight I’m happy with (after losing 25 lbs of post-baby weight), but the area under my chin, I don’t love. It holds fat and I hate that! Any of you ever done this? I don’t know anyone in real life who’s had this done. But that would be the only injectable I would do at this point.

    • Andrew's_Nemesis says:

      I’ve had fat dissolving injectables in the chin area and after one session, it deflated by half! Another session and I’ll have the jawline I’ve been craving for twenty years. It’s a little tender afterwards, but no biggie.

    • Trillion says:

      EXCELLENT podcast! I love them!

    • cerise says:

      I’m super curious about Kybella or aqualyx as well. Has anybody here tried it? Please share !

  4. Penelope says:

    Man this page likes to rag on the injectables. Both Botox and fillers fade, they aren’t permanent and you can find yourself a reputable medispa where they won’t turn you into a Valley of the Dolls lookalike. Botox lasts 3-6 months and fillers about 9-12 months. The fact is that lots of women get these regularly and they really boost confidence because if you don’t freeze or reconstruct your whole face, you just look like you got a really good sleep or that was a great vacation you just got back from. You don’t have to let yourself completely go to age gracefully; you can change the things you don’t like about yourself so you feel better and there is nothing wrong with that. Injectables are fine if you approach them as anything you approach in life – everything in moderation. But don’t wait, that’s terrible advice. Gift it to yourself for your 35th birthday or any birthday after that.

    • North of Boston says:

      “you don’t have to let yourself completely go to age gracefully …”

      I don’t see how choosing to not get cosmetic facial injections equals letting “yourself completely go”

      • Facelift says:

        I’m very happy to let myself go with no surgery whatsoever!

      • liz says:

        Thank you for saying what I was thinking. I’m 54, and have never had botox or other injectables. or any plastic surgery. It’s just not who I am. If someone else wants to, it’s their body, their face, their choice. Religious use of moisturizer and sunscreen has the extent of my skin care routine for decades. I run 4 miles a day, 4 days a week (enough to allow me to eat what I want without worrying about how my clothes fit and not so much that my joints object). And I’m happy with myself the way I am right now.

    • Emmi says:

      Most of us talk only about ourselves. We’re not “letting ourselves go” just because we are not hyped up about injectables.

      As I wrote above, even biodegradable fillers don’t always dissolve entirely, at least not in the time frame that’s advertised. Permanent ones are an entirely different beast. They scare me. Me. Personally. You do you.

      My issue isn’t cosmetic procedures. It the fact that we treat them like face cream at this point. You inject something into your body. Something that doesn’t belong. Adults should be allowed to do whatever they want with their own bodies but the conversation around these procedures is concerning.

    • Totorochan says:

      I let myself completely go and now…. I’m floating! Help!

    • Tiffany:) says:

      I think people have bad views of injections because there are so many bad examples of it (like Real Housewives), etc.

    • Betsy says:

      And if I choose to just accept and love myself, is that letting myself go, too? Or must we absolutely intervene?

    • BrickyardUte says:

      Hail to my good skin Celebitches with your good genetics and taking care of your skin in your younger years. Sadly I am the idiot that used to tan in my early 20’s and even though I switched to spray tan before turning 25, I still got skin damage and wrinkles.

      I’m 39 and I love Botox. It makes me feel pretty and I enjoy putting on makeup in the morning deciding what kind of fun look I am going to throw out for my video conferencing that day. I tried filler once under my eyes and besides being to expensive to keep up, I decided that was not my look. But that’s my jam and I support anyone to do what makes them feel good, whether it’s botox, filler, makeup, exercising, Korean skincare products or just washing their face.
      I think Jen looks amazing! I also think Jennifer Lopez looks amazing and I have a strong suspicion besides also living a healthy lifestyle, that she has partaken in more in injectable’s etc than Jen G. And my hats off to both because they each look like they feel good about themselves. Cheers all!

  5. Seraphina says:

    Closing in on 50 soonand thankfully I have olive skin and took care of it too (thanks to my derm doctor 25 years ago who put the fear of Jesus in me). Taking care of yourself is so important. Hydrate, sunblock, hat wearing and vitamin C along with retinals. Yes it’s work but it pays off.
    And makeup ages the face. I’ve scaled back and thanks to COVID, have gone very minimal. My cousin looks way older due to all the makeup she wears. It’s not a good look.

  6. nemo says:

    I’m in my mid 30’s and I don’t really have lines, thanks to genetics and protecting my skin from the sun. My mom, in her late 60’s, had her face-lift about 7 months ago. She looked fantastic before, and I feel bad for her because she was panicking about aging and some minor changes in her face for over 10 years, things that I couldn’t even see before she pointed ’em out.
    Maybe it’s easy for me to think this way right now, but…beauty doesn’t fade, it only gets a different form. And I’m not a fan of the filler/Botox look(s).

  7. Watson says:

    Nothing wrong with injectable’s, as long as you do it when you’re older and do it judiciously. Great results can happen as long as you practice restraint.

    I do take issue with these 20 year olds pumping their faces full of stuff like Kylie jenner. Now they look the same as the 40 plus year olds that overdo the same procedures, but ironically, none look younger, just odd.

    • El says:

      I tried Botox and fillers for the first time this year aged 57. I love it. I still look like me, but with a good night’s sleep. No one even knows or notices that I’ve had it done – not my kids, husband, friends ☺️. I did it because I’ve had a tough few years and emerging from them looking old, felt like a kick in the teeth.

      The upside is that it’s helped me with my overall mental health. You can’t just rely on injectables. So I take vitamin c, use low budget face masks & serums. Drink more water. I practise more self care. I matter to myself – finally.

      • Gelya says:

        I am turning fifty-one soon. I am thinking of getting Botox for the first time. I have taken really good care of my skin. I wear the toxicity of other people’s abuse in my face. I can see it in that small worry line, or lack of sleep wrinkle. I don’t want their history on my face. I know Botox will help me so much with my self esteem and mental health.

      • candy says:

        Awe I love this! Glad you are practicing self care. A good reminder for all of us.

  8. Lala11_7 says:

    So many of my FAMILY & FRIENDS over the past two years HAVE GONE INSANE WITH THE FILLERS!!! I have BEEN BEGGING ALL OF THEM TO STOP IT! We ALL have compromised immune systems….high blood pressure…hypothyroidism…autoimmune disease ALWAYS stack….and other underlying issues & the blowback from this…I fear….will NOT be good…

  9. Ann says:

    Even in my 20s, I had “the 11s” between my eyes. Constant frown lines which became embedded. I got Botox for them starting in my late 40s and I get it in that one area only 3 times a year at a dentist that offers it. They’re still there ten years later, but no longer near as noticeable. It’s been worth it to me.

    • Chaine says:

      😦😦😦 I would be super uncomfortable with a dentist doing injectables!

      • Megaladondon says:

        Dentists are very practiced in Botox because they use it to treat issues like TMJ. I know a few people that go to dentist for their tweak.

  10. Hootenannie says:

    I turned 30 a few months ago and have already got several fairly deep lines across my forehead. My mom has always looked old for her age, but she doesn’t wear sunscreen and she smokes a lot. I thought surely if I was good about sunscreen and didn’t have bad habits, I would be fine. I try not to obsess, and I know we all get lines, but I have to admit it makes me very insecure when friends my age look the age they’re supposed to look and I look so much older. I’m really concerned about what I will look like in 10 years, 20 years, etc.

  11. Sandra says:

    The first time I remember seeing her was in daredevil or the spin off movie she stared in. She was in an action move a few years ago iirc. She kicked a lot of butt!

    She has a lot of experience working and training hard, I bet those workouts ARE crazy.

  12. Roma says:

    As Catherine Deneuve famously said, at a certain age you have to choose between your face and your ass. I’m carrying a bit more weight than I’d like, but in my 40s and my wrinkles are nearly non/existent. Plumpness for the win!

    • Becks1 says:

      LOL! I think this is my current saving grace. I’ve gained about 10 pounds in the past 3 years and while it bugs me, I do think it makes my face look younger bc I don’t have any wrinkles really. (I’m only 40, there’s time for them to come, lol.)

  13. Joanna says:

    I’m 46 and been getting Botox for a few years. Gets rid of the crows feet around my eyes. I have tried fillers in the past but it is too expensive for me to do on a regular basis. But I was pleased with the results. People kept telling me I looked well rested. The fillers just gradually wore off and same with the Botox. Neither drastically change your face unless you have someone who overdoes it. Like the housewives who have too much filler. That’s a doctor who won’t say no. I may look into fillers in the future again as I have a skinny face and it’s getting more hollowed out w age. I’m trying to keep realistic and do stuff I can keep up as I get older and retire.

    • Sunnydaze says:

      I LOVE my Botox! I’ve had a very pronounced wrinkle on my forehead since 16 – so.pronounced makeup would settle into it.. For years I had so much stigma against cosmetic procedures and I feel absolutely ridiculous for it now. Microneedling saved my complexion (and I rarely use makeup now after refusing to so much as get gas without concealer). Botox made me want to take pictures again, and I actually LOVE my skin now. I never thought people would compliment me on a bare face, but at 39 I have no intention of stopping. Super excited to do fillers for the sag under my eyes.

      I think the big piece, instead of when is the best time, or why can’t someone just be happy and accepting is for what reason do you want it? Is it something that will break the bank, something that could jeopardize your health, something you’re doing for other external factors? Or is this something that will give you confidence, correct a long standing source of frustration, make you want to be your more authentic self? Look, if you’re happy with no intervention, cool. If you want injectables, cool. Find a good provider, do some self reflecting and live your best life (and maybe don’t lie about it and pretend it’s due to otc soap when you’ve got an esthetician on speed dial, and then make bank off of said drugstore cleanser).

  14. morningjacket says:

    I implore all of you—femme and masculine identifying folx alike—to please check out Jessica DeFino’s Substack “The Unpublishable” in which Jessica, a former beauty editor, takes down the (patriarchical, oppressive) beauty-industrial complex.

  15. Sasha says:

    Jen is so low-key (at least she consistently comes across that way) that I sometimes forget how incredibly pretty she is. Anyway. I’m sure what she’s saying is good beauty advice in general but there’s an element of pretty privilege too. You start off with a great foundation then sure you can maybe hold off on tweaks and treatments for longer *shrug* No hate though, I think she’s lovely.

  16. C says:

    I feel like people are either “wrinklers” or “saggers”, as it were (I mean, everyone gets lines, but there are different ways different faces age). Due to genetics I think I’m going to fall into the latter category. I’m in my early 30’s but worried about jowling later on, so I’ll be keeping options like microneedling in mind. I don’t know if Botox would do much for me in any case.

    • Chaine says:

      My family are saggers too. I had a round of RF micro needling on neck/chin/jaw at 47 and it definitely noticeably firmed up my jawline but it’s been a few years and I need to go in for it again.

    • North of Boston says:

      That’s a funny observation and I think you might be right. One side of my family has saggers, the other side is wrinklers… not sure where I’ll land.

      One thing I wanted to mention, if anyone is noticing a lot of wrinkling developing quickly, it might be worth getting a general check up.

      A friend of mine in her 40s started joking about her Irish skin, wrinkling like her aunts and grandmother (who all smoked like chimneys… friend doesn’t). Her hair also started to thin out. She just figured it was aging, but routine bloodwork showed she’d developed diabetes (also typical in her family) … her blood sugar had been running high for months, which can be incredibly damaging to skin (and hair follicles). Once she got it treated and managed, her hair slowly got thick again and though some of the wrinkling stayed, some eased and she stopped developing more or if did so much more slowly.

      Hormones shifts, and other out of whack bloodwork stuff at menopause, peri menopause can have similar aging effects, that if you get the underlying issue treated, the skin, hair effects ease.

  17. Pork Chops and Applesauce says:

    Generally speaking she seems fairly down to earth, and I’ve always liked her well enough. With that said, please look at old pics of her and tell me she hasn’t had some injections on her upper lip, and something with her gum line as well.

    • Lens says:

      She’s shown pictures of herself as a kid-teenage years and she’s always had big lips top and lower but she used to have a gummy smile early in her TV career. I don’t know what you do for that but I read the article and she doesn’t say don’t do anything because I haven’t she just said to wait as long as possible to do injections or you may go overboard.

      • Pork Chops and Applesauce says:

        Hmmm, I’ve seen pics of her in HS, her upper lip was most definitely thin, at least much thinner than it is now.

  18. candy says:

    At 37 I’m starting to notice a few changes. I didn’t like them at first, but I decided to age naturally. I don’t see a lot of botox or fillers that look subtle. Mostly I can tell that people are getting these procedures and I think you just end up looking the same age with plumpness. Also, I worry about the longterm. I think a lot of famous people look worse, kate middleton, nicole kidman, so many to think of. And these are the people with access to the best possible cosmetic teams. I hate the way fillers move around or look lumpy! I’ll pass.

  19. Granger says:

    I have a couple of friends who get Botox regularly, and I just don’t know how they (or any other “regular” person) can afford it! I have a good job and I can’t fathom spending that much money every three-four months on my face. And then it feels like such a slippery slope to me — like after a while, do you feel like the Botox isn’t doing enough, so that’s when you venture into more invasive procedures, and end up looking really strange?

    Still, I’ve definitely thought about it more since I turned 50 last year. My (very vain) worry is that everyone I know will start getting it, and then I’ll be sitting at a table with a group of 55 year old women who all look 40, and I’ll be the only one there who looks my age!

  20. Trish says:

    I absolutely recommend Botox and fillers when you start aging. In fact I think it should be covered by insurance as it does deter my depression about aging. In a world where women are judged on their looks so harshly, we should absolutely get treatments covered to help us feel better. They have payment plans too at most med spas now.

    I can’t do threads cos the pain is too much, but a little filler to raise things and tox on the forehead and around the eyes does wonders.

  21. Jessica says:

    Ladies, I recently turned 45 and literally within that week…all sorts of crazy things started happening. It was like a switch. I was obsessing over it.

    A neighbor of mine has been battling breast cancer (she is 34 and we have some kids the same age)…she is unrecognizable as the treatment has completely ravaged her. After talking to her the other day..I decided growing old and being able to walk down to the mailbox whenever I want (seriously) is such a luxury. Getting wrinkles and sagging is a luxury she will probably never have based on the latest results. I haven’t even looked in a mirror since.

    • Marley says:

      Jessica, thank you for this. It really helps to put aging in perspective when you think of the people who tragically are not able to get older.

  22. Annaloo. says:

    I like her statement,. I think it’s true and good advice. That is gold to encourage people to look away from mirror for true empowerment, bc so many people are saying crap like skin care is all empowerment and culture changing (looking at you Goop). These people are making money off the same “chasing vanity and lost youth” panic but trying to sell it as something we should aspire to. No. peace with yourself, however you look, and getting away from vain insecurity is the ultimate empowerment. Fantastic that people get injectables, but Garner’s message rings a little more genuine and WISER for real, authentic, beauty from the inside. Love it.

  23. Lola says:

    She is so right. I am the same age as Kim Kardashian and look roughly 15 years younger than her. I spent most of my 20’s broke and fretting because I couldn’t afford ANY skincare, even good drugstore skincare was too expensive for me since I lived that close to the line every month. What would I look like in my 40’s compared to all these women who started botox and fillers and expensive skincare, lasers, and peels in their 20’s?

    Now we’re really starting to see the results of that, and Kim K, who has probably done THE MOST anti-aging stuff to her face of anyone currently alive, looks every day of her age and also looks rather freakish. Her best face was the one while she was married to that basketball player 10 years ago. Meanwhile, I’m regularly mistaken for a college student (a homely one – I’m not pretty, attractive, or cute, I just look young). I’m not 100% sure why this happened but here are my guesses. I stay out of the sun and in the shade 100% of the time. It’s EXTREMELY RARE I will ever be in direct sunlight. When I have to be in direct sunlight, I will wear a hat and extremely strong sunscreen. But mostly I just stay OUT of the sun altogether. I don’t smoke and very rarely drink alcohol. Besides that, I’m a vegetarian but not a super healthy eater. I also don’t have kids so I think the lack of added stess from that might factor in somehow. When I was *actually* in my 20’s, I did not look particlarly young for my age then so I’m not one of those baby-faced people.

  24. Lucy says:

    Something I’ve heard from professional skin friends is- wait until your mid forties to do botox, or fillers. Then you have natural wrinkles and then you just look like you’ve aged well as you get older, not like you’re desperately trying to avoid aging. I think I’m going to go that route, because the no sleep kids have done a number on my skin and it lets me be lazy a few more years 😂

  25. Xiolablue1971 says:

    I am 50 and I’ve been getting Botox for wrinkles around the eyes and filler periodically for facial scarring (due to cystic acne) for the past few years. I also get Botox for migraines and I think it made my crow’s feet more noticeable (to me) because there were no lines in my forehead due to the migraine treatment. I am weighing into the comments to say that I began getting Botox when I looked around my work environment and realized that I was a female professional administrator working in an environment that didn’t seem to favor women who looked visibly aged. The leadership in my company changes regularly with the election cycle and thankfully, those people and that particular pressure no longer exists…but it made me acutely aware that fair or not, I am often judged as a working woman based on my appearance and not solely on my competence. There are many reasons why women choose to use injectibles and they are not always an attempt to hold back time for vanity’s sake. Sometimes it is to help remain relevant in the world of work. Just my .02.

  26. Rea says:

    People should re-consider some cosmetic corrections too the actress from Dirty Dancing lost her career thanks to a nose job.