She is a true pro when it comes to under-eye filler

I had my first experience with fillers 7 months ago in Dr. Chang's office and despite nearly fainting - turns out the vasovagal response can strike even the moderately brave - the experience and results turned out so well, I found myself in her office again a few weeks ago for a top-up. I received Volbella the first time and Restylane the second time in my tear troughs, nasolabial folds, lips, and chin. And now that I've gone plump, there's no going back, so I plan to see her again in another 6 months!

I found Dr. Chang through RealSelf and what stuck out to me was her continued involvement in education and research - always a strong sign that a cosmetic surgeon has a true passion for what they do. I wanted a doctor who really cared about the science, and this was reinforced during our first consultation when she was willing to reach out to a colleague in Europe about a specific under-eye concern that the US hadn't approved treatment for - apparently, tear trough filler can only get so close to the eye and my concerns were in filling that area, which we didn't end up going ahead with, but I appreciated that Dr. Chang not only went above and beyond to try to find a solution, but was excited to do so!

During that consultation, we discussed my goals to fill my under-eye hollows and try plumping my lips, just enough to "not look filled," I requested, but enough for me to see a small difference in the mirror. Based on that, Dr. Chang suggested a few different combinations of fillers and amounts that would get the desired result but keep the cost as low as possible. She also reigned in my expectations for eliminating my dark circles with filler, which I'm glad for because there ended up being more improvement than she predicted.

At my first appointment, we reviewed my goals and her approach, then she took some "before" photos and applied numbing cream to my upper cheeks and around my mouth. I don't remember how long it took for the lidocaine to set, but it was about 15-30 minutes. Then Dr. Chang started with the tear troughs by injecting from the upper side of my cheeks. There was no pain and barely any feeling, except for a strange sensation under the skin, but that seemed to be enough to trigger a vasovagal response! I let her know I was feeling faint and she immediately stopped and reclined the chair so that I could lie down for the rest of the appointment. Next, she filled my lips and there was more pain with that, but only from the needle itself. She massaged the lip filler and explained the massage wasn't something I would have to do myself as I healed (even though some doctors will include it in aftercare instructions).

We ended up using 8cc of Volbella, and Dr. Chang suggested returning within two weeks to use the additional 2cc anywhere I wanted. My tear troughs healed almost immediately - there was no pain and no swelling I could detect. My lips were another story - they were very bruised (they're also very pale) and a bit sore and swollen for about a week. Afterward, the results were as subtle but lovely as I'd hoped for. My eyes looked less tired and friends told me I looked more awake; the kind of backhanded compliment you *hope* to hear.

Dr. Chang mentioned the filler would last 6-12 months, and since I've always been a fast metabolizer, I knew it would be closer to 6 months for me. Sure enough, I could see the results fading around the 5-month mark, so I made my second appointment.

This time around, I was only going to focus on my under-eyes and try to tackle the burgeoning nasolabial fold on the left side of my face. I liked my plumper lips, but I also liked my less-plump lips, so while it was a fun experiment, lip filler wasn't something I had interest in maintaining. Dr. Chang never questioned my goals and never tried to convince me to do anything I didn't want to, which is another reason I'll continue to see her. And since we were only targeting my tear troughs and the one nasolabial fold (lol), she suggested one syringe of Restylane. Again, I felt a bit faint while she injected (it's amazingly hard to talk yourself out of fainting), but made it through! There was still a small amount in the syringe by the end, so she injected that to the right of my chin, just below the mouth, and I'm glad she did because it created I balance I didn't know I was missing. Dr. Chang has an incredible eye for little details like that.

Again, there was almost nothing to the healing and aftercare experience. The hardest part was the injection itself - after that, everything seems taken care of and I just get to enjoy the results!

I'll admit, I did a lot of poking to see if I could tell the difference between the filled areas and non-filled areas and... nothing. I can only see the difference, and there's nothing to feel (thankfully)! Dr. Chang mentioned there was some leftover filler from the first appointment, and I was already sure there wasn't, so it was just an interesting aspect to the whole filler-experience.

I have full trust in Dr. Chang's abilities and look forward to our next appointment and hearing more ideas/suggestions. For now, I get to enjoy these results and look like I'm not as sleep-deprived as I often am!