I recently (last week) had Restylane Lyft used in the cheek and tear trough area with great success, for the second time. The effect is subtle if the appropriate amount is used. My derm does his own injecting and uses a cannula for that area....it minimizes or does away with bruising. I had no bruising either time and it was painless for the most part. He's very experienced in injectables and resurfacing.

Are you able to see the outcome of the PA's work via pictures of other patient results? I had to ease my way into fillers and Botox after establishing trust with my derm, but I'm naturally pretty risk averse.

They recommended Voluma for me. Is there an advantage to Restylane Lyft for you? I will also ask about that. Glad you are happy with you results - subtle is good! I will also ask abou the use of a cannula for the area. Thanks for sharing!

I have been thinking about this subject too. One of my BFFs is a plastic surgeon, though she does not no any cosmetic work, only reconstructive. She is pretty adamant about only using MDs for the work. Otherwise she feels the work is production line and worries about the quality and thoughtfulness of the practice.

I have had voluma for my cheek area 3 times over 6 years. The results are very subtle but noticeable enough that people compliment me on how well I look not knowing about the procedure. Mine is done by a plastic surgeon who works only on faces and I trust him completely. The results have been very long lasting for me. He tells me that at some point I'm no longer going to get the result I am looking for as gravity has it's way with me, but for now this refreshes my face just enough. It was a hard decision the first time. Good luck!

I have had Voluma once and have been very pleased with the result. It’s about time to revisit having it again. Mine is also done by a plastic surgeon. Like jmck, it was a hard decision for me too. I didn’t want to look like a robot-face.

The original plastic surgeon I went to in the practice passed away suddenly about a year or so ago (brain tumor) so I started using another in the practice. It’s taken a little time to adjust to him and how he does things. He has done Juvederm and Botox for me and I have been pleased. I go back in a few weeks and am going to ask about doing Voluma as I think it helped ‘lift‘ my face and definitely made my cheeks look more full.

I think I will seek a second opinion and make sure I understand my options. I guess I am slighlty hesitant about having someone other than the physician do this particular work since it involves the eye/cheek area.

I would be as well, rubyclaire. On YT, there's a "cosmetic physician" in the UK who shows her before and after work. She also explains how to choose your best practitioner for these types of procedures. I recall her mentioning how essential it was that the person have thorough anatomy knowledge. Her background is dentistry. Her name escapes me right now but I'll see if I can find that particular video. She's very thorough in explaining which products she uses and why, btw. You might find useful info on her channel.

I was thinking of Sarah Tonks' channel, rubyclaire. I started listening to the video in question and found her too long-winded so not linking. Lol Here she is talking with Nadine Baggot about the subject. (I must resist the YT rabbit hole today.)

I wouldn't use anyone with less training and credentials than an MD do injectables. I've had Voluma done
once and Botox several times by mine and have been very satisfied with the subtle results.

Everyone seems to mention plastic surgeons. I have a friend who has a dermatology practice and they do a lot of this stuff. Are they equivalently qualified? Just curious as I think that's where I'd go if I were going to look into it - the thought crosses my mind from time to time.

DD1 researches things to death and has had some of the above. She said it should only be done by a plastic surgeon. Also look into fat grafting. It is much safer and longer lasting than fillers.

A friend mentioned to me that fillers come with a warning that if some were to go elsewhere, which is possible, it can cause blindness.

Hmmm...not sure my vision is the price I want to pay for a "more rested" appearance. Yikes

Did he explain why he felt injections were preferable to surgery?

I had a lower lift done about five years ago. It was very easy and the results have been long lasting. I figured I spent as much for a lift as a couple of injections would have run (IIRC it was around $1200)with longer lasting results. I'm not necessarily questioning his recommendation but am curious as to what his explanation was. I think a second opinion is always wise.

My understanding is that because my issues are texture and hollows as opposed to bags, it will be more challenging to get a desired result surgically. I have scheduled a second opinion so we will see where this leads me.

Thanks - I certainly feel more informed.

CBS did a segment on Botox and fillers this morning.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/botox-injection-bars-raise-concern-among-medical-experts-i-think-im-turning-purple/

Again, look into fat grafting instead of fillers.

I asked my doctor about fat grafting and he had reasons for preferring the hyaluronic acid fillers. I can't really remember why...except for needing to get the fat from somewhere else on the body, thus a more intrusive procedure.

Fat from somewhere else in the body? Sign me up. ;-)

Like 3katz4me, I have a friend who is a nurse practitioner who also does dermatology work (botox and fillers, I believe). She's a close friend and has been trained, so I would trust her. My face is starting to droop but I'm hesitant to get started down any path.

I'm in your camp, Feathers11. I just don't want fillers in my face. DD1 researches things to death, and she has read over and over (and it's been proven to her personally) to only get filler done by a reputable plastic surgeon. Even then, it can "lump," requiring more trips to have it dissolved. Also Botox only from a dermatologist. Not a dentist, or even an NP.

Since this is a beauty thread, In May, I had Halo done on my face, neck and chest, Within the week, two friends asked me what I had done/used, and both times I was wearing no makeup. Only advice, get BBL before the Halo (same trip), and spring for the laughing gas (if available) because both are more than a bit painful. I'm going to continue getting BBL quarterly and Halo annually, if not twice a year. Treatments are at a plastic surgeons office.

I have my second consultation today and will ask about all the options available to address my issues. Since I actually thought I would be looking at some sort of surgical fix, the filler option is one I wasn't prepared for and now need way more information.

Because I am so reluctant to have any kind of surgery, if the filler option is viable, then I am interested. I also think I want to up my skin treatment game and am looking at Vi Peels and Microneedling treatments. I will probably err on the side of tweaking rather than a big surgical fix like a facelift.

allison - I will ask about fat grafting (if only I had some to harvest, ha ha) and I'm curious about the BBL and Halo you mention. Are these laser treatments?

I will update later today after my consultation. Thanks again!

Halo is a fractional laser. It brings sun damage to the skin (sort of sandpaper feeling) and sloughs off. Works on fine lines. I'll let you read the link. I have only been in the sun taking dogs out, driving, etc for the last 25 years, so not many (if any) brown spots. There was very little down time (minimal swelling when I woke up the next day, and I didn't wear any makeup for a week). To further explain my friend's noticing something, both said my skin looked so good. Here's a BBL link.

DD1 has done micro needling once (she's talking about doing it again).

I had purchased a package of 3 Skin Medica peels at my dermatologist office. Both DD1 and DD2 had previously done. The morning (Friday) after the first peel, I woke up and thought I was getting pink eye. By Day 3, I was swollen and both eyes were red. I had some sort of allergic reaction. By Monday I was fine, but it did freak me out a bit!

Just remember, fillers are technically very temporary compared to surgery. DD1 highly recommends RealSelf.com for researching and reading reviews.

Ask your dermatologist and/or plastic surgeon's office about Black Friday sales. For us, the dermatologist does a twice a year 20% off sale, and the plastic surgeon does 20% the week before Thanksgiving (not surgeries, dang it! LOL)

You all are WAY braver than I...

Update: Back from my consultation. When I told him my underage area was my biggest concern he agreed that is what he saw as well :/. Anyway, he said I basically had two options - filler or lower eyelid surgery. Both had pros and cons. The filler would plump up the trough area to match the fat pads and the surgery would remove the fat pads and pull up the skin. From what he was able to demonstrate for me in the mirror, the surgical option certainly looked great. But apparently it is a more challenging surgery than the upper eyelids and there are more risks. As to fillers, Belotero is his filler of choice for this area and I have never heard of it - unlike Voluma, Restalyne, etc.

So...I still feel i need to do more research and probably one more consultation. Was quoted $2400 for surgery and about $650 for filler. One option is to start with filler and see what I think. Of course filler is not without its own risks. I'm such a chicken about this stuff...

whatsayyou18 - I'd love to hear more about your experiencee with the lower lift. Or anyone else that has had this done. Thanks -

I had Belotero in lines below my mouth and the effects lasted maybe two months at most. YMMV, but it was money thrown away for my issue.

I've never heard anyone (near me, not online) say filler lasted more than 2-4 months. I was also told by Dr that the time is less in an area that moves more, than in an area that doesn't move as much. Lip area vs eye area, I suppose. I've had my upper eye lids done, but not lower. The healing process was not painful, only the stitch removal - which felt like tiny bee stings each time they removed a stitch.

I would be trying filler to see if it even addressed the issue but I would certainly expect to get more than a couple of months out of it. Appreciate your review of Belotero, Ida. Pretty discouraging. Ugh...

I can say that the Voluma in my cheeks has lasted two years. The last time I saw my doctor for Botox (maybe four months ago) he even said he saw no need to "top up" the Voluma yet. I have been very pleased with that particular product.

Rubyclaire, I had never heard of Belotero either, so looked at it on RealSelf.com Seems to be the go-to for under the eyes. It's thinner, so easier to spread, and doesn't lump like the others.

Are you referring to a lower blephorapasty procedure? If so I had an upper and lower done in May if you would like more details.

Thanks cmm, yes the surgical option I am referring to is a lower blepharoplasty. I would love to hear more about your experience. I will message you. Thanks so much.

cmm1964 - actually didn't see a way to messge you so feel free to message me or share here if that's what you had in mind.

(Has the edit issue not been resolved yet??)

Ruby I messaged you and just updated my email preferences. I didn’t realize I had it only to accept emails from followers of which I only have one!

when researching rhinoplasty sp? for DD, I would check out the differently galleries of before and after, under eye surgeries were like night and day...in a good way :-)

I have had Restylane under my eyes and it lasts 18-24 months. It is known to be very effective in that area.

I'm soon in "need" of a Botox top up, but not sure I really want to keep on with it. I've spent a few thousand on injectables over the past couple of years, but I am feeling a bit torn about continuing. I think of all the other things I could do with that money (and I'm by no means made of it!), and am starting to question whether I'm getting as much enjoyment from these little enhancements as I did initially. Tough call.

Ida - I can see that over time the cost of these little tweaks would really add up. Time-wise, monetarily, etc. I find it a pain just to get mani/pedis anymore.

Bunny - did you ever consider a surgical option? Are you satisfied with the results you get from the Restylane in that area? One option for me is to try the filler, see what I think and then decide about surgery. But my gut is telling me I will be most satisfied with the surgical option (provided everything goes well!).

Rubyclaire, I had the surgical option in 2003. Bags no more. But you remove bags/fat pads, you’re gonna eventually develop some hollow areas. Restylane fills those in.

I’m very satisfied with the results I get from Restylane. It’s quite subtle.

Upthread someone mentioned fillers alongside their under eye bags. Bad idea IMHO. When it all decides to sag, who wants more?

Thanks Bunny - very helpful.

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