Fillers.
I don’t really know the perfect way to start this blog post but I think it’s important to say I did NOT get fillers because anyone implied I needed them. I did NOT get them to look like a different person. I did NOT do it for anyone else other than myself. My experience with Skin By Lovely was absolutely amazing and I am so excited to share the results, but first I am sharing my story of why I got fillers and then I will move on to the good stuff.
Not that long ago something sort of drastic happened to my face. My eyes suddenly aged about 10 years. It literally felt like it happened overnight. I suddenly had these huge bags under my eyes. So I looked up some lifestyle reasons this could be happening.
– Lack of sleep I slept pretty well but focused more on making sure I was getting a good solid 8 hours a night
– Diet I decided to eat a mostly plant based diet and watch my salt intake
–Smoking I don’t smoke so this did not apply
– Drinking I drank but not excessively but I decided to monitor my drinking even more.
I applied the changes and still my eye bags were there, if not getting worse. So I opted to see a fancy Beverly Hills dermatologist (I was living in LA at the time) He initially flat out told me it was probably hereditary. COOL. He offered some insanely expensive topical eye cream which I bought and ran out of a month later. I didn’t see any results and also realized I would be spending about $1,400 a year on something that MAYBE would work in 3 months?
So then I got product crazy and started trying everything that had a positive review on Sephora, Ulta and recommendations from friends. But none of them worked and I spent more money than I would like to admit on topical treatments. With a few I saw maybe a 5% improvement but they also came with dry under eye skin, burning, redness and lots of other not so fun things. That area of skin is super delicate and sensitive and mine had been put through the ringer.
It turns out most under eye creams cannot fix the problem. The reason a lot of us get under eye bags is because we lose the happy yummy good fat under our eyes as we age and usually that’s the first place we lose it. Bonus, the rate of how quickly you lose it can be genetic. Yes, some topical under eye products can work to plump the first superficial layer of skin or help depuff the under eye area but I basically had lost a ton of that yummy youthful fat under my eyes and there was no way around it. Nothing topical would replace the fullness because the problem was under the skin.
So then add mommyhood. It’s true what they say. You don’t sleep. I mean…you DO but it’s not the splendid restful full 7-8 hours sleep I would once get. I could see the exhaustion on my face and I personally was not a fan. I am a person that if I look good, I feel good. My skin was starting to change from the hormones dropping and I was awaiting the hair loss (which happened this week). I do not feel I need to sacrifice my own self confidence to be a mother and I’m fine with folks thinking I’m shallow or superficial for getting fillers. With my skin breaking out I went back on my oral acne medication. With my hair loss I am now taking vitamins and so with my under eye bags, if there was a solution….I was going to take it.***
I want you to look at this picture. It’s pretty obvious there is a difference. When I showed this to friends before posting this they said “You just look more rested”. Which is EXACTLY what I wanted. I wanted it to be subtle to the naked eye. Do I love the results? YES. But did I have fears about getting fillers? YES. So below I want to address my own personal fears about fillers.
I didn’t want to look not like “me”
I really just wanted to look like the ‘best version’ of myself. I had actually had a session of fillers to my under eyes done previously in LA before my wedding by a different cosmetic office and while I did love the first round of results the person who did them was very quick to add all the other places they would like to do more and other cosmetic procedures they thought I could “benefit” from. Skin by Lovely is the exact opposite. They listened to my concerns of areas and offered insight on what they felt would be the best treatment to get the results I desired but they are also very conservative to give natural looking results. They never once pushed other procedures onto me. We also had multiple sessions to see how the filler settled and how I liked the results. They really wanted me to not only be happy with how I looked but also were cautious to not overfill in areas to avoid bruising and unnecessary redness.
I was scared it would hurt
I forgot the feeling of having them done but Skin By Lovely did an amazing job of offering a ball for me to squeeze, queuing deep breathes and icing the area before hand. Tereasa (who does my injections) is always checking in on me to see how I am feeling during the procedure and would let me know if I should expect a certain sensation. It honestly doesn’t hurt. A few times there would be a small pinch sensation. It does feel odd. There is numbing solution in the filler so once the injection is done she would apply pressure with her fingertips to fill in the areas and since the under eyes are a bit delicate it just feels a little weird.
What is this stuff they are putting in my face?
Of course I had reservations of what was being injected into me. So what IS Restylane Silk? It is a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler FDA-approved to last 6-8 months, however it may last longer depending on your anatomy. Also, it metabolizes. Tereasa did an amazing job answering why she choose that product specifically for me and how it works.
How long does it last?
Results will vary but usually a year and depending on how your body metabolizes it, it could last up to two years.
Needless (but not needle-less haha jokes) to say all my concerns were addressed by the staff at Skin By Lovely and while I love the results it’s the extra above and beyond they go to that will keep me coming back to them and referring them to friends that have inquired about treatment. Their staff is attentive and caring. Their offices are beautiful, warm and inviting. They even offer an amazing range of topical products and offer samples.
Skin By Lovely offers complimentary consultations in both their Portland Oregon and Santa Monica California offices. They also have an awesome blog with skin tips and tricks so make sure to follow them on social media for updates and giveaways.
Skin By Lovely Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skinbylovely/
Skin By Lovely Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkinbyLovely/
9 Comments
You are always beautiful. Happy you’re happy. ????
You are always beautiful. Happy you’re happy. ????
You are always beautiful. Happy you’re happy. ????
Love the post! Can you tell me how long it took for any initial swelling/ bruising to go down? Thanks for the thorough review!
Hi Susie!
I didn’t bruise the first two treatments. I did have some minor bruising this last treatment/touch up but I was able to cover it with makeup the following day. I did take arnica the first two times and Skin By Lovely provided me with arnica patches after that helped a ton. It was a bit red after treatment every time but that would disappear by the second day. They also provided me with an oral medication to help swelling. I would recommend treatment done on a day where you can be makeup free for 24-48 hours after if you’re looking for under eye treatment.
Love the post! Can you tell me how long it took for any initial swelling/ bruising to go down? Thanks for the thorough review!
Hi Susie!
I didn’t bruise the first two treatments. I did have some minor bruising this last treatment/touch up but I was able to cover it with makeup the following day. I did take arnica the first two times and Skin By Lovely provided me with arnica patches after that helped a ton. It was a bit red after treatment every time but that would disappear by the second day. They also provided me with an oral medication to help swelling. I would recommend treatment done on a day where you can be makeup free for 24-48 hours after if you’re looking for under eye treatment.
Love the post! Can you tell me how long it took for any initial swelling/ bruising to go down? Thanks for the thorough review!
Hi Susie!
I didn’t bruise the first two treatments. I did have some minor bruising this last treatment/touch up but I was able to cover it with makeup the following day. I did take arnica the first two times and Skin By Lovely provided me with arnica patches after that helped a ton. It was a bit red after treatment every time but that would disappear by the second day. They also provided me with an oral medication to help swelling. I would recommend treatment done on a day where you can be makeup free for 24-48 hours after if you’re looking for under eye treatment.
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