What It’s Like To Get Fillers For Dark Circles

I’m a novice to the world of fillers, injections, or anything that includes big scary needles. I’ve managed to skate through life without needing any interventions outside of aggressive sheet masking or electrocuting my face with microcurrent. But, as the world turns, I’ve grown curious about the illustrious world of tiny, approachable tweaks from a derm’s office.

Honestly, it’s these under eye circles that drove me to it. I’ve tried everything—creams, old coffee grounds, cucumbers, and, ridiculously, ice. But an under eye circle is no ordinary nemesis—it requires more firepower than what a tube of goop can offer. And with that in mind, I started doing some research, and by research I mean stalking the Instagrams of every New York fashion girly with taste. You know those girls—they always know the best of the best. The best restaurants, the best vintage reseller, the absolute best derms.

The same name kept coming up in my digital journey: Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton. The board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon, and Epi.Logic founder who happens to have an office five minutes from my Prospect Park West apartment called BKLYN Face & Eye. Marjon Carlos, Telsha Anderson-Boone, and Katie Jane Hughes all go to her. And now, possibly, me? I checked out her CV and some more of her work. I liked her philosophy, and so, I made an appointment.

Her office is on the ground floor of a gorgeous Brownstone overlooking the Park. I was whisked through the initial process of documenting my skin and guided down the hall to Dr. Jeanniton’s office. During our assessment I shared my primary concern: fixing my dark under eye circles. Dr. Jeanniton shared that the dark circles were primarily caused by thin skin and early hallowing around my orbital bone. The long term fix? An eye cream that optimizes cell turnover, and helps boost collagen and elastin. (A retinol and peptide cream is good for that.)

The short term solution? Restylane fillers!

According to Dr. Jeanniton, a well filled under eye doesn’t look voluminous—the goal is to plump just enough to bounce light off of your eye for a brighter look. She also stressed the importance of using a very low hydrophilicity filler—a filler that isn’t prone to swelling too much—in the eye area. You don’t want something that’s attracting moisture under your skin or you’ll end up with puffy skin under your eyes.

She administered my injections using a cannula to make a small hole in my cheek for the needle to deliver the filler. This allowed for more control on where she administered the filler and how much. The pain was sharp but quickly dissipated as the fillers contain an anesthetic that has a numbing effect. After one side was done I saw an immediate improvement in the shape of my cheek as the liquid went into my under eye area.

After both sides were injected, Dr. Jeanniton, to my amusement, started circling me with a flashlight to see how the light bounced off my eyes—this is the It Girl treatment! Per Dr. Jeanniton’s instructions, I avoided makeup, sleeping on my face, strenuous workouts, massages or facials, and drinking for the next 48 hours.

I didn’t experience any dramatic swelling or bruising at all. Thinking I could help head off any bruising I used my Zutta LED Light Therapy to reduce potential inflammation. Dr. Jeanniton warned that contrary to public opinion, fillers don’t completely erase dark circles, and in my case, are best eliminated with a two prong approach with retinol. But that’ll take a few months to quick in. Here’s to waiting.

—Jasmine Marie

Photos via the author