Editor in Chief of Cosmopolitan Middle East – Milli Midwood – paid me a huge compliment recently. “Can you just be our mascara correspondent?”
I fluttered my what’s-often-mistaken-for-fake-eyelashes and touched all the wood I could find in plain sight (Greek superstitions, I blame my lovely lineage).
My lashes get so much limelight from the general public they could have their own TikTok. When I put on mascara, every last straggler points northwards with aplomb.
What’s historically let them down however, are the prominent depressions underneath my Twiggy lashes – a.k.a. under-eye bags.
No matter if I sleep eight hours or eight minutes, these hollowed out caves take up unwanted residence and make me pay a hefty price in concealers – which only make the caves more cavey. FFS. And now, because we are so aware of every nook and cranny of our face thanks to Zooming all the live long day, I decided to finally evict the bags with little notice because I knew with the passage of time, they would only enter the category of permanent decrepitude, bang in the middle of my face.
So, I searched high and dry for a long-lasting tweakment. I deliberately use that word because I didn’t want to go under the knife and wake up to find my face re-configured face back-to-front. I am a bit of surgery snob – maybe because I’m 30 and youth is still the preserve of my age bracket – I can’t contend with enhancements that require general anaesthetic (yet).
Dr. Dany Kayle, whose clinic is located in plush digs on Al Wasl Road, is like the uncle you always look forward to sitting next to at a family gathering (oh gatherings, remember those glorious occasions?!) A kind and caring character with an eternal optimism that could poof away the pandemic with a simple yet magnetic plea – kind of like the wrenching ‘please sir, can I have some more?’ from Oliver Twist. Having established his eponymous practice in 2000, Dr. Kayle (pronounced kay-lee and not kale) has been the go-to trusted plastic surgeon for decades. But, with recent technology, he has been dubbed Dubai’s Godfather of non-surgical facial rejuvenation.
Traditionally speaking, fillers (hyaluronic acid) are injected in the under eye area to combat hollowness but it gets absorbed and can fade away within 5-6 months. But with a fat filling under-eye transfer, it lasts for 1-2 years (and longer in lucky cases). The under-eye fat transfer involves taking fat from the thigh and injecting it below the lower eyelid, to puff up an area which Dr. Kayle says begins to lose volume as the years pile up. Longevity isn’t only the benefit. Because the filler is coming from your own body, you’re not going to react to it unlike a derma filler which could be an issue. On top of that, fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes are smoothed out with laser resurfacing to give you a more revived appearance.
The process began with plotting felt tip marks around the problem places and a series of on-face and side profile shots for the requisite before and after comparison. The procedure took place in surgery – scrubs et al – since fat was suckered out of my right thigh. My thigh looked like a Mango mated with Marge Simpson thanks to the iodine. Made me tickle and giggle.
Needles are an expectation with this procedure – from the thigh to the eyes – though it’s nothing but a fine prick, genuinely. I’ve had the COVID vaccine and I swear, there is no difference in feeling – i.e. there is barely a feeling. But I’d be lying if I said my threshold isn’t Burj Khalifa high.
After feeling like a massage chair was oscillating on my thigh as it guzzled my fat, I waited for it to be broken down to a more fluid state to then be transferred into my under-eye.
Dr. Kayle injected the fat into the hollows of my under-eyes and it felt like some tubing was having a party, wiggling around until it got comfortable and set in prime position. Yes it’s a weird sensation but the anaesthetic is your guardian angel throughout.
Then came the laser. Not going to lie, it was like many rubber bands catapulted some vengeance on my face but it lasts all of 20 seconds so it’s nothing to squeal about for too long.
As far as after care, a round of antibiotics (that’s for the minuscule pin hole in your thigh) is mandatory, and a vat of Vaseline to soothe the swelling.
Downtime is personal. For me, the overt red appearance was gone after a week but I have sensitive, see-through style skin so it took a while for the effects of the laser to chill out.
So, is fat the secret to a more revived look? Well, the results radiate and I’m using far less concealer thank you very much.
The under-eye fat transfer is Dhs10,000 + laser resurfacing Dhs5,000
Dr. Kayle Aesthetic Clinic, Um Suqeim 2, Al Wasl Road, Al Manara Area, Choithram Service Road, Villa No. 1184, 04 330 6611