Last month I travelled to Norman, Oklahoma to visit my daughter for a mom’s brunch at her sorority following her initiation. It’s a six hour drive. The first four hours feel fine but the last two are definitely challenging. My back starts to really hurt, my right hip and leg start to feel numb, and I get sick of listening to whatever music or podcast has been keeping me company, regardless of how interesting.
I arrived at the Courtyard Marriot in pain and thirsty (who wants to down water and have to make bathroom breaks off I-35 all the time??). I was meeting Juliet, some of her friends and their mothers, for dinner shortly after I arrived so I dragged myself and my makeup bag into the bathroom to refresh myself. As I eyed my haggard reflection in the mirror, dehydrated and down lit by fluorescents, I thought, Oh God, I’m NEVER going to be able to leave the aesthetics industry!
All I could see was poor skin texture, sunken holes under my eyes, and a face in serious need of filler. Once you start to have skincare and injectable treatments, and use professional grade products, and see the benefits, it’s pretty much impossible to stop. For the last three years I’ve lived in an anti-aging bubble. When filler starts to diminish or the Botox is wearing off, I remember I really am aging. Ugh! Lucky for me I have the talents and treatments available at Body Tonic.
What has been bothering me most lately is my tear trough area. My whole life I’ve had dark circles under my eyes. But as I get older, the orbital rim to the lateral sides of my eyes has become visible, creating what looks like a dent above the cheekbone. This is created from the fat pads in the face slipping downward and the collagen in our skin diminishing as we age. I HATE when my eyes look tired. Eyes are such a focal point of the face, and to me, I feel like it ages me sooo much, as well as makes me look tired. I never thought I’d have such a problem about the physical changes from age, but I do.
Yesterday I noticed Iris had a cancellation. I texted: Do we have time for my tear troughs? Iris: Yes!!!
It felt like Christmas. I ran to her room and applied numbing cream. In less than half an hour my orbital rim was hidden again thanks to dermal fillers and Iris’s talent.
Gina and Iris do many tear trough enhancements each week. We get a lot of inquiries about this treatment, not just because it’s popular but because it’s a very delicate area and not all injectors are comfortable undertaking treatments in this area. And of the ones who do, honestly not all are turning out successful results.
What can this treatment accomplish? Filler under the eyes can diminish dark circles, camouflage puffiness and fill in the “dent” created when the fat begins to slip away from the orbital rim.
Is everyone a good candidate? Mostly. The skin in the eye area is thinner and more delicate than almost anywhere else. A consult will decide if this treatment will work well for you (factors include: your baseline, skin quality, and the result you are aiming for). According to Iris, my skin is thinner than most and so she adapts her technique to fit my needs, and generally uses Belotero which is the most delicate filler available (smallest molecule, thinnest product). For me, she focuses the filler to the lateral areas of my eyes rather than inward towards my nose. This means I don’t always get as much dark circle coverage as I’d like but it’s a trade off and I’ll take great results over an attempt at perfection. (If too much filler, or the wrong filler is used, the filler can be visible under the skin and appear a little lumpy or even look like under-eye bags). This is what I love about our injectors: caution and knowledge always render natural-looking results.
Bruising, swelling, and lasting results. This area is the most prone for possible bruising and swelling. We advise all clients to refrain from blood thinners for two weeks prior to the appointment to minimize this. Results can last from 6 months to a year, depending on your own metabolism and which product is used (Belotero, which is what was used for me, lasts the shortest amount of time of any filler due to it’s delicate structure. Restylane can last up to a year).
Does it hurt? Oddly enough, not really. Numbing cream is applied before treatment and you really only feel the initial injection. It’s just a weird sensation having a needle near your eye. You can close your eyes, or look up towards the ceiling, to minimize any anxiety about that. Often time though they use a cannula so really the only thing you feel during the procedure is some pressure.
Thank god for needles, hyaluronic acid, and Iris and Gina!
