In my quest as a beauty writer, I went to see celebrity aesthetician, Dr Ahmed at his Mayfair practice to find out what would make me look perky, yet natural; alive, but not desperate! I left with a numb face and depleted eye bags!
Open to all kinds of medical advancements, I certainly wasn’t expecting the procedure Dr Ahmed El Muntasar recommended. In fact, I didn’t know that such a thing existed. As soon as I entered the treatment room, Dr A remarked “shall we work on your eyes?” Rather than be offended, I was intrigued as to what could be done to my bothersome dark circles, which I had not even attempted to conceal.
Late nights, lots of coffee and possibly more booze than I should (thanks lockdown!) had taken their toll. Plus the fact I haven’t been away anywhere exotic to top up my tan- which is normally my saving grace in disguising my bags.
Sitting down on the bed, I was talked through a procedure called Tear Trough removal, which sounded rather promising. The tear troughs are depressions which run from the nose and all around under the eye. While some people may be born with a sunken look, skin sagging and the depletion of natural collagen increases with age, giving a concave impression. Coupled with late nights, inconsistent diet and general stress, my face was in dire need of some TLC. And if eyes are the window to the soul, I like to think I’m entering my golden years, so I need to look my best!
Apparently it was a simple non-surgical procedure which could be done there and then, with advantages of no scarring, no general aesthetic and no down time- and it doesn’t alter the geometry of your face, unlike surgery where people can end up looking very different afterwards. Dr A showed me a range of before and after pictures of his clients who have benefited from his magic digits, and he reassured me that filler is widely used in facial procedures for enhancement, so it’s the most natural choice for the eye area too.
Confident that Dr A knew what he was doing, and a teeny bit excited at the prospect of no more bags, I lay back on the bed, and fixed my eye on a point on the wall, while I was injected with hyaluronic acid dermal filler, deep underneath the eye bag. With multiple punctures and a nifty threading technique, the trough was expertly filled from under the surface. I must admit, I was quite a fidgety patient, so Dr A passed me the stress ball to help take my mind off the unusual needling procedure.
In total, the treatment took about 30 minutes, and when I was handed the mirror, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was gobsmacked to the difference. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I didn’t look exhausted. My face was my face but with a favourable filter- a Christmas miracle! Although I felt tender, this was a natural reaction to being needled, and I was advised not to wear makeup, shower or exercise for at least 24 hours- an easy trade off for letting my visage settle down before I caught up with friends.
I settled into my newly padded troughs in no time, and Dr A told me that I should be good for 9-to-12 months with the first treatment, with subsequent top ups being more intermittent as the collagen will be working constantly with the stimulant and regenerate on its own.
If you’re like me and don’t know what is available for aging skin, make an appointment with Dr Ahmed, who has impeccable bedside manner, hordes of regulars who have him on speed dial and a breadth of knowledge about what will work for you. Shame I’ve got to wait nine months to see him again!
Follow him on Instagram – he loves a DM!