Not many people know that I've dabbled in fillers (okay, I've only had tear-trough fillers, but still, little known fact) and I promised myself I would do a blog post about it, but never did. Back in 2019 (August, to be exact), I went to a local med-spa/clinic and got under-eye fillers for the first time as I have hollows under my eyes that I wanted a bit plumper.
The clinic itself was packed (message me if you're in the DMV and want the name), full of people who were obviously pros and veterans in the cosmetic work world, I was definitely nervous because I didn't know what to expect. Skipping past the doctor interaction, I'll go into the details about how it went down: The nurse applied numbing cream on the area where she would put the needle and we waited for it to set in. This was a weird feeling as it wasn't COMPLETELY numb, it just felt relaxed and fuzzy, not sure how to describe it. The doctor came in and explained to me that they were going to puncture my cheek to get to the area in which they would inject the Restylane. I requested that they split up one vial between both eyes to start, as I was still apprehensive about the whole process. The nurse held my hand and they used the blunt needle to enter the space under my eye (more like my upper cheek) and then they inserted the sharper smaller needle containing the Restylane. This process actually wasn't crazy painful, just uncomfortable. Apparently, I had a stubborn muscle on the left side of my face that wasn't willing to cooperate with the needle...OUCH. I had minimal bleeding, but TONS of swelling, I looked like I got beat up or like I had an allergic reaction. The doctor moved the Restylane around under the skin to shape it the way she wanted. After this eye was done, I was allowed to take a look, I saw immediate results which I was happy about momentarily, but I was still bracing myself for the second shot. I knew what to anticipate with the second eye, but it was much easier since this side wasn't trying to fight the needle. After doing the same thing to my right eye that she did to the other, she thanked me for my time and whisked out of the room! This whole procedure took a lunch break and I was on my way. For the aftercare, they gave me a sheet advising me to purchase "Arnicare" cream for the swelling, which is this weird-smelling clear gel that cools and naturally brings down swelling anywhere; this stuff is a lifesaver, I keep it on me to this day for any weird swelling or bruising. She also suggested that I sleep sitting up for the next few nights. Luckily, my then boyfriend (now fiancé) had a super comfortable couch I could sit up in for the next couple of nights. The swelling took a couple of days to go down and I looked TERRIBLE, I highly suggest taking some time off or working from home during the healing time. After a couple of days I was back to normal and LOVED my under eyes, they were brighter, smoother, and fuller. I enjoyed them for a couple of weeks before I got a random bruise right on the place where they injection was. I knew that the doctor had told me this was possible, but after it stayed for almost TWO WEEKS, I panicked and called her. She sent me a prescription for lightening cream, which, WTF? No chance I was putting that junk on my skin, so I stuck to Arnicare for another week and over time it disappeared! Present day: I knew that the Restylane would disappear after about 6 months due to my body's absorption rate, but I'm really grateful for this experience. In hindsight, I'm happy I tried it because to be honest, once they wore off I still loved how I looked anyways! It was an exciting experience that enhanced my under-eye fullness and brightness, but what I'm really happy about are the lasting effects, as I see fillers as a method of prevention. When your body slows collagen production, fillers can help to stimulate that growth even after your body absorbs it! According to board-certified dermatologist Ava Shambam: "Think of the fibroblasts like your hand—they have these dendrites [branched, treelike structures] and when there's nothing for them to hold on to, they kind of crumple down and don't do anything...The theory is that when you inject new hyaluronic acid, all of a sudden they can grab on to it and it activates collagen. I was surprised by it and didn't understand it at first, but the results persisted well after the skin metabolized the product and collagen formation occurred unequivocally."
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Since that one fated day my mother shaved my bushy eyebrows and gifted me her Body Shop makeup brush and M.A.C. blush, my eyes had been opened to the fact that I was flawed. Since middle school, when this had happened, I never left the house without makeup on; in fact, one tidbit of advice my mom gave me from HER grandmother was to never leave the house without makeup on and I followed this religiously. I dabbled in different shades of powder, this cream, and that shadow and after so many different horrible makeup evolutions, I finally learned at 24 that it's completely fine to just be yourself.
Along with the handy skincare tools available, lots of water, and keeping my hands off of my face throughout the day, I managed to get skin that I was comfortable showing off, I can now go to work bare-faced, and in fact people can't even tell the difference! Now, I'm not going to pretend I was always this enlightened, it took one brave day that I woke up and just went to work without makeup for me to begin getting comfortable. Granted, it's okay to put a bit of concealer or eyebrow gel, but it's the fact that I am no longer spending an arm and a leg on beauty products constantly, and I have maximized the amount of time I have before work to lounge or get a couple of things done! I know it's cliched to say, but be comfortable in your own skin! Save the fancy makeup for a night out or a special occasion! After visiting Sephora all those months ago, I began thinking about what I could do differently as far as taking care of my skin. The woman who helped me provided me with a list of skincare products that I could buy in-store to help with all of my problem areas (dry skin, discoloration, acne) After I saw the prices, I decided against buying in-store at that time because what college student do you know who can afford all of this??!! I instead bought just a foundation and under eye concealer, went home and checked online for sample sizes of skincare things to try. I was able to find the Korres Cleanser, Kiehl's under eye cream, and another product (Sunday Riley Martian Mattifying Gel Toner) I had researched that Sydney (my Sephora angel) didn't mention. I assumed that after making this purchase, I wouldn't see any results after trying since all skincare seems to be the same...but for the most part, everything worked wonderfully! By far, my favorite product would have to be the Korres face wash. You only need a dollop of this gentle cleanser and it makes your face squeaky clean (don't forget to apply to the neck too! Whatever you do to your face you should do to your neck as well!)! My face became visibly clearer and softer, my skin tone evening out, and the best part is that it didn't dry my face out after. My biggest complaint with Neutrogena is that it made my face feel tight and stiff as a board after using because of the harsher chemicals, and in my mind "it must be working since my face is tight and shiny after using!" WRONG. Your face shouldn't feel like that, and Sydney confirmed this. With Korres, my face just feels clean and supple. I also liked that at Sephora, they certified it as "clean", meaning that it is free of sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban. It also doesn't have a scent or fragrance! Next, I got the Kiehl's under eye cream which I had reviewed in my Nightly Skin Care Regimen post, and that worked wonders for these bags. Believe it or not, the small sample size from eBay goes a looooong way, I bought it in May and STILL have a mostly full container, just make sure not to overdo it under the eyes and you can make it last a while! Finally, I tried Sunday Riley, which I have heard so many good things about. The Martian Mattifying gel toner is made for big-pored girls like me that need a bit of help. At first, I was only using it before makeup application, but gradually started using it in the morning and before bed and the results were pretty good. My face was a bit sticky after using and it smelled weird but my face was definitely a lot more matte. It isn't as life-changing as I thought it would be, but it definitely works short term for pore emergencies. What I really liked about this product is that it contains Bentonite clay (Sound familiar? Aztec Clay Mask anyone?), and all of these other wonderful natural ingredients that I can actually pronounce (Marshmallow, green tea, Manuka, black cumin, magnolia bark extract)! |