I Got Under-Eye Fillers And Here Are 5 Things To Know

I got under-eye fillers last month, and honestly, I’ve never felt more confident. But I did keep it a secret from everyone, including my husband, who had no idea because it was a gift from a family member. I also hid it from my best friend, who just generally embraces every line and wrinkle as a natural part of aging. I’m not exactly embarrassed about this, but it did feel kind of vain and it is a lot of money for something not everyone sees value in.

But now, I’m coming clean and sharing what you actually need to know about my experience with this process. I would definitely do it again.

1. Fillers took away the deep redness and hollow look, at least somewhat, that I had under my eyes.

Before I got this done, my under-eye area was so red without concealer. People kept telling me how tired I looked. It was starting to bum me out, and all the water and eye cream in the world wasn’t helping. Under-eye, or tear-trough fillers, really brightened this area for me and helped me look more awake. Instant confidence for this exhausted mama. (But also, can people stop telling moms they look tired? Trust me. We know.)

2. It didn’t really hurt, but you may be uncomfortable.

There’s nothing comfortable about having needles anywhere near your eyes. However, you really can’t feel anything. You’re totally numb in that area of your face during the entire process. There is a small numbing injection you get on each side, near your cheek, but that’s it. Pain is minimal in my opinion.

The doctor made one small entry point near each cheekbone to place the filler using something called a cannula needle. You can feel things going on in your face but it isn’t pain exactly. It’s more like pressure, and I’m not going to lie—it is pretty strange.

You can also experience some swelling or bruising afterward, but I didn’t.

3. It’s expensive.

I got about a “dime-sized” amount of the filler Restylane-L under each eye. That amounts to one small syringe total. There was some kind of special for the month of January in the office, so the procedure cost $550. There’s no way I would be able to afford this on my own, but a family member gave this to me with a gift certificate for the holidays. I’m told prices vary on what product you use, who is doing it, and where you live.

4. I went to a board-certified physician.

You don’t want someone not certified messing around your eye area. End of story. Make sure that you see a qualified, properly trained practitioner.

She also had me come back two weeks later to check everything and do any additional smoothing if needed.

5. No one noticed or said anything to me afterward.

Overall, my under-eye filler is supposed to last for several months. Literally no one has said anything to me about it in the hours, days and weeks afterward. Not even my closest family and friends! Which perhaps is a good thing. However, I see a huge difference in the mirror every morning. I also feel better going out the door without makeup.

For me, that’s had a snowball effect for confidence after months of feeling blah. And really, isn’t that the most important thing?