Five Lifetimes Before 35

“You don’t need Botox, you’re only 34”

Yeah, maybe. But I feel like I’ve lived about five lifetimes already and my skin has been there for all of them.

1st Lifetime – Sun Safety (or lack of it)

I grew up in South Africa, where “Slip, Slop, Slap” wasn’t exactly the vibe. As the pale kid, I was always sent off to put on more sunscreen while everyone else roasted happily in the sun. By my teens, I’d graduated to rubbing baby oil on my skin and lying out for hours just for a slight tan. No one was warning us about skin damage back then, melanoma was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

2nd Lifetime – Smoking

This one makes me cringe. Cigarettes were cheap in Africa, and you could smoke everywhere. I brought the habit back with me to Australia where it was way less glamorous (and way more expensive). Nothing like the grim cigarette packets here to kill the vibe of pulling out your “ciggies” in the club smoking area. Except at The Beat somehow it was still cool there. Finally quit in my late 20s, but my skin didn’t exactly bounce back.

3rd Lifetime – Teaching

If you know, you know. Yard duty in the boiling sun, behaviour management, endless meetings, late nights planning… the stress really does leave its mark. I swear I’ve carved permanent lines into my forehead from resting my head in my hands at my desk. And nothing makes you feel younger than a student asking, “Miss, are you 50?”

4th Lifetime – Parenthood

Everyone told me I’d never sleep again. They were right. It’s been the most fun, love-filled, exhausting era of my life but the dark circles that started in my clubbing days have been locked in for good. No cucumber slices or early nights are fixing these.

5th Lifetime – One and Done

One of our first dates - he cooked me lamb and we dressed up for a little date at my house.

At 34 (and with my husband at 44), we’ve decided we’re one and done. No more pregnancies, no more post-partum. It’s actually a freeing feeling, knowing I can start putting some energy back into myself and my marriage, while still giving the best of me to our little one.

So yeah, maybe I don’t need Botox. But after five lifetimes, my skin shows every chapter I’ve lived: sun, smoke, stress, joy, love, and exhaustion.

It’s not just skin.

It’s my story.