I regretted intervening on my face

“At 47, I went through menopause and with that, the skin on my face started to change. Even though I’ve always had very dark eyes, I started to notice that the area around my eyes was becoming very noticeable: it looked darker and deeper than usual. As a result, I looked haggard. Very tired.

In my attempt to find solutions, I tried everything: dermatological creams, nature’s secrets, homemade; but nothing removed this bluish pigment from my dark circles. Until one day someone gave me the contact of a dentist who did facials and had a procedure that promised to remove dark circles, so I went for it.

When he saw my face, far from just worrying about the dark circles under my eyes, he devoted himself to observing every crease on my face. Until that moment, having wrinkles and expression lines did not pose a problem for me because I understood that around the age of 50, my skin could no longer be like when I was 20 years old. In reality, what I was interested in was simply improving the appearance of dark circles. However, she gave me so much information and dizzyed me with so much detail, that I accepted everything she recommended to “improve”. So, I didn’t realize it when I was already applying not only the special product for the treatment of dark circles, but also Botox and hyaluronic acid on different areas of my face.

I went two or three times to do these procedures and then I said no more. I was sorry. The first few days my face was purple and several months passed without me being able to move it normally. I noticed it one day while I was exercising and when I lowered my head forcefully, I felt that the lower part of my lip was stiffer. By the end, I was afraid to smile or grimace because my mouth was twisted.

I understand that many people feel good after these kinds of procedures, but in my case it was the opposite because, on top of that, it was something that I had sworn my whole life not to do. There is so much advertising around female beauty and so many comments related to physical aspects “to improve” that, very often, we accept it because we are vulnerable. Being old, until now I don’t understand why I decided to intervene, especially since I don’t have a problem with my age either. In fact, there was a time when I gave up my gray hair to resist this social pressure.

After having this experience, I understand that, unfortunately, these procedures can become addictive because they have to be repeated from time to time for the effect to be maintained. You start by clicking on one area, but then you have to continue with another and another. And you may never finish. At the end of the day, it’s a business.

Over time, my dark circles got worse. It was no longer just that they were marked, but that they looked like two blue areas, one after the other. So I went to see a dermatologist, I told him about my experience and he suggested another treatment, a little less invasive. But In the end, I didn’t want to do anything. And I understood that the question was rather one of acceptance of who we are. That it’s natural for wrinkles and dark circles to appear over time, and who knows what else. I believe that we must accept these changes and live with them in a harmonious and healthy way. Do not fight them and do not harm us so that the passage of time “does not show”. This is what we must learn: to respect and value ourselves so as not to follow the rules imposed on us.