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- I Got Undereye Fillers, and the Results Are Game-Changing
I Got Undereye Fillers, and the Results Are Game-Changing
by
aviel kanter
POPSUGAR Photography / Aviel Kanter
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 aboutskin 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.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Undereye Filler, According to a Pro
POPSUGAR Photography / Aviel Kanter
Undereye Filler Before and After: Immediately After
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.
When I sent through the “after” picture to my group text immediately after Dr. Marmur was finished, there was a collective “OMG!!!” reaction – so much so that one of my friends made this side-by-side photo within minutes. Not only were the deep-set wrinkles gone, but my eyes looked more open, less puffy overall, and fully refreshed. I was sort of shocked at how much improvement I saw within minutes of getting the fillers.
I was numb for about five hours after Dr. Marmur sent me home, and I definitely felt a bit tender. Once the lidocaine wore off, I felt a little sore and headachy, but it didn’t stop me from falling asleep like normal.
POPSUGAR Photography / Aviel Kanter
Undereye Filler Before and After: 1 Day After
The next day, I didn’t experience any bruising, but I was quite swollen. It looked a little bit like I was having an allergic reaction, but not so bad that I couldn’t go to work. The area around my eyes and cheekbones was pretty tender, and I had to be very gentle when putting makeup on or washing my face. Though it didn’t hurt per se, it for sure felt super weird. I could basically feel where the filler was sitting on top of my cheekbones, and I just felt a little squinty all day. By the following day, the swelling was almost fully gone, and by day three, I was back to normal.
POPSUGAR Photography / Aviel Kanter
Undereye Filler Before and After: 10 Days After
I can officially say I’m in love with how my face looks. I wake up looking “alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic,” as my mom would say, and I don’t need to wear any concealer. My face feels totally normal (maybe I’ve just gotten used to the feeling of fillers?), and there’s no tenderness. I’m still a little shocked at how much difference smoothing out those few little wrinkles has made, both in how I look and how I feel confidence-wise. I’m going back to Dr. Marmur in a few days for a little tweak, but I couldn’t be happier with the results. Consider me a filler convert.
