My Restylane Experience

I wanted to do something about my under eye area to help make it look a little younger but I left it up to the CosmetiCare team to choose what would be best. This was my first experience with dermal fillers and I was a little bit nervous! I wanted to share my Restylane experience with you in case you were curious. It really wasn’t bad at all and I’m loving the results!

By Sharon Garofalow

This was my first experience with dermal fillers and I was a little bit nervous! I’ve been enjoying the results from my treatments at CosmetiCare but I did have a little pain with a few of my microneedling treatments. I had no idea what to expect so my stomach was doing flip flops! So I wanted to share my Restylane experience with you in case you were curious. It really wasn’t bad at all and I’m loving the results! 

As part of CosmetiCare’s Ambassador program, I receive treatments and share my experiences with you on my blog and social media.

What is Restylane?

Restylane is a dermal filler designed to smooth out wrinkles and add volume to specific areas. Made from Hyaluronic Acid (which helps us fight aging and sun damage) Restylane can be used to help fill out targeted areas of the face to help you to appear younger.

As we age, we lose our own available Hyaluronic Acid and our skin begins to dry out which plays a part in the formation of wrinkles, folds and lines. Restylane shows immediately (unlike Botox that takes about a week to really kick in fully), and lasts for about 8 months. There may be a little bit of downtime due to swelling and bruising so it’s important to know that going in!

What You Should Know Before You Get Dermal Fillers

If you are thinking about getting dermal fillers, you definitely need to set up a consultation! I learned that there are a number of products out there and the one you need depends on a number of factors. Your consultant can help guide you to the right product based on your needs. There are also a number of other factors that will help you choose what is right, especially if you are doing dermal fillers under your eyes. Fillers, including Restylane, can sometimes increase your chances of getting sinus infections in people that are susceptible to them! Who knew!

Before Photos of Restylane

Like I mentioned above, I was nervous. Originally I thought I was going to get a filler called Velloure. I had an original consultation, months ago, to discuss the treatments I wanted to get this year and we settled on Velloure. I wanted to do something about my under eye area to help make it look a little younger but I left it up to the CosmetiCare team to choose what would be best.

The Process of Getting Restylane

I’m naturally chatty when I’m nervous and made sure to let Kat, my injectible expert, know. She used some numbing cream on me to help make it hurt a little bit less. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that small step! We also used a cold pack right before the injections which helped a little bit more.

While we were waiting for the numbing to set in, Kat and I were able to talk about what my goals were for the treatment. She told me that after looking at my before and after photos that CosmetiCare keeps on file, she felt that Restylane would be a better product for me. Again, I really loved that she took everything into consideration and made a judgment, using her experience and expertise, to ensure I got the best results. 

Because of where my veins lie, she also decided to use a different type of needle to do the injections that would lessen the chance of bruising after the fact. 

The Restylane injections didn’t take very long, maybe about 15 minutes. She worked on one side first before moving to the next and finally went back to do some touch-ups. It hurt a tiny bit. It was totally tolerable and I was so relieved.

You can see in this photo that my skin texture could still use a little bit of help. I’m scheduled to get a CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing treatment at CosmetiCare in a few weeks and I’m SO EXCITED!

Once the product was in, she used the pressure from her fingers to sort of mold it where she wanted it to be. This is what I looked like when it was done. There was a little bit of redness and tenderness. And each side of my face had those little red dots where the needles were inserted. There was a mild tenderness but I wasn’t in pain. 

This was me a few minutes later right before I left CosmetiCare. The redness went away pretty quickly but the soreness stayed for a few days. If you scroll back up to see my before photo, you can see a difference, especially in the dark circles. I had concealer on, obviously not the right one, as the after looks way better and Kat had removed my under eye makeup!

After Photos of Restylane

Thank goodness Kat is so good at what she does because I didn’t even think about having any downtime when I made my schedule for that week. I had to be somewhere (and take photos) the very next day and I was nervous about what my face might look like. I didn’t have any bruising at all! I still had a bit of swelling and tenderness but as you can see, it looks great!

Kat also said that Restylane doesn’t really help with dark circles, but I really think it did! Maybe it’s because where it added some plumpness helped to take away extra shadowing near my eyes. Maybe that part won’t last for 8 months, but I’m really hoping it does! 

This photo was taken a few days after my Restylane treatment. I think the final results of the Restylane are pretty subtle. You can see that I still have some little folds under my eyes. I don’t think there is anything except for surgery that would get rid of those.  Even though I thought I was doing dermal fillers under my eyes, it ended up to really add some volume to my cheeks. When I compare the before and after photos, it’s kind of hard to see a huge difference. I think the Restylane helps to give me a more youthful appearance but you really can’t put your finger on why. Which is what I think is the mark of a great non-invasive procedure!

While the results do show immediately, it could take up to 3 weeks for it to find its final resting place. I have a small area under my right eye that is a little bit lumpy. I’m sure I am the only person that can tell. I brought it up at my CO2 laser consultation and she said to give it more time to settle. The CO2 treatment could help soften it a little bit more too. But if you have any issues with your results, it is nice to know that you can have the Restylane dissolved!

Have you tried fillers?? I’m super happy with my Restylane experience at CosmetiCare! If you have been thinking about trying out a procedure, make an appointment for a consultation today!