Skin care

How My Mom Suckered Me Into Seeing a Fancy Beverly Hills Dermatologist

It was all she wanted for Christmas. I had to go.

by Emily Popp

4 of 8

You Have Beautiful Eyes...That Need Restylane Injections Dr. Shamban is showering me with compliments, and I'm starting to get a pretty inflated ego. But then with just one word, she pops my pretty bubble as if it were a milia on the corner of my eye.

The word is "filler."

"You mean, like an injection?" I ask. "Yes, you have gorgeous eyes, but I think a filler would look very nice on you. It's a Restylane injection under the eyes that fills in the hollowed out area, creating a fat pad." She continues, "You are missing a fat pad underneath your eyes, but that can be remedied with a filler."

I stare into the handheld mirror and examine my fat pad-less face. I try to puzzle out what I've just been told. "You have beautiful eyes...that really could use a Restylane injection or two." Not exactly the world's best pickup line, but she's right. Dr. Shamban has zeroed in on my dark circle insecurity. I would sooner walk out the door in my bra and underwear than not put on under eye concealer. But I always just thought I had dark circles; I didn't realize it was the thin skin under my eyes that was creating that illusion.

Now, I'm sure these injections would help my fat pad predicament, but it doesn't matter, because they're way, way out of my price range. I recently cut Caramel Macchiatos out of my budget, so there's no way I can afford $900 Restylane injections every 8 to 12 months. Dr. Shamban explains that my under eye circles are "background noise" and distract from my eyes, which is true. But paying for $900 injections would create their own form of background noise...as in, I wouldn't be able to afford rent.

So, the good news is that I have amazing pores! Yay! The bad news? I'm all hallowed out and need Restylane injections. I figure you gotta be prepared to win some and lose some when you walk into a dermatologist's office in Beverly Hills.

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Older comments

Thank you.

by Monique3 Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 09:15PM Report as inappropriate

Interesting to know price of undereye injections! Very good writer!

by StayinYoung Friday, April 12, 2013 at 05:40PM Report as inappropriate

Lovely article and sorta funny!!!

by Zeaundra Monday, March 25, 2013 at 02:32PM Report as inappropriate

Very nice article. $900 for Restylane is quite reasonable. I'm assuming the doc was recommending a modest amount for that price. Her mother seems caring, but quite overbearing. She's 27, not 7.

by robyne00 Friday, March 15, 2013 at 04:05PM Report as inappropriate

i do not need the services of a dermatologist at this moment but i did I would not hire someone so expensive

by stacy45 Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 08:00PM Report as inappropriate

wish i could go to a nice beverly hills derm

by treehugger1997 Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 02:23PM Report as inappropriate

haha, moms...

by AstridB Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 05:52AM Report as inappropriate

Just a question--if the dermatologist said she had beautiful skin, why inject her with Restylane? This is what keeps me from trusting certain members of the medical industry--money, money, money! I did enjoy the mother-daughter conversation immensely.

by GigiSD Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 08:57PM Report as inappropriate

This was very a great article!

by Chris213 Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 07:14PM Report as inappropriate

good article, love the transcript of the phone call! haha

by sportimonki13 Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 02:57PM Report as inappropriate