I didn't grow up trying on my mom's lipstick or learning passed-down beauty secrets. A California flower child through and through, my mother has always been all about aging naturally, so things like Botox injections, dermal fillers, plastic surgery, or any other face-altering procedures were, if I'm being honest, scoffed at in my family for the majority of my life, written off as things that only serve to make older people look silly.
Of course times have changed, even since I graduated from college nearly 10 years ago. Now, injectables are much more of the norm, and after about five years working in the beauty industry, the pull toward trying filler has become all but impossible to resist. I was especially moved to do so after seeing a photo of myself with my mom during a yoga retreat in Mexico. I've always had puffy undereye bags and some discoloration - it's genetic, and it's never really bothered me. However, the two deep as f*ck wrinkles that appeared under my eyes that radiated out toward my cheeks put me over the edge. I felt like my nightmare of developing Steve Buscemi eyes was coming true.
Since I noticed them, the wrinkles have become a daily source of stress for me. I've tried many different eye creams to no avail, and concealer always seems to settle in those wrinkles by midday, making them even more pronounced. I decided it was time to explore the world of undereye fillers - to which my very progressive and cool mom said, "It's basically the same as self-care, right?" Not gonna lie, I felt very proud of how far she had come in her feelings about skin care.
Thus, like any good beauty editor, I sought out the best in the game to educate me on undereye fillers and pop my injectables cherry: board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon Ellen Marmur, MD. Keep reading to learn more about my experience and see my own before and afters.
My Undereye Filler Experience
The procedure itself took about 10 minutes. I wouldn't say it hurt (if it does, tell your doctor), but it felt very weird, like a slug slowly moving under my skin - mostly it felt like low-grade pressure. Dr. Marmur opted not to use a needle - she went with the cannula method, which uses a thin, flexible tube with a rounded, blunt top to inject the filler. Yes, it sounds pretty scary, but it's actually a much less invasive procedure than poking a needle into several places under your eyes. With the cannula, your doctor makes one single hole and moves the cannula around to place the filler in multiple places.
Keep scrolling for the full rundown of my experience plus before and after photos, from immediately post-procedure to two weeks after my injections.