I didn't grow up trying on my mum's lipstick or learning passed-down beauty secrets. A California flower child through and through, my mother has always been all about ageing naturally, so things like Botox, 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 have become much more of the norm, and after about five years working in the beauty industry (and turning 30 last year), 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 mum during a yoga retreat in Mexico. I've always had puffy undereye bags and some discolouration — it's genetic, and it's never really bothered me. However, the two deep AF wrinkles that appeared under my eyes that radiated out toward my cheeks put me over the edge. To be honest, 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.