Dr Benjamin Yim Clinic Review: My First Aesthetic Experience with Botox & Fillers (Part II)

It is human nature to want to look and feel good and beauty is a precious asset for the modern woman. Just 3 weeks ago, I had my skin fillers done and really love the subtle transformation and enhancement of my features. I noticed people taking a double take at me as they know I look different but couldn’t really pinpoint what it was. I used to pretend to act busy and walk away when it’s time to take photos but now I am much more confident and natural in front of the camera. 🙂

Having done ample research and talking to friends who have done it, I see Botox and fillers as a minimally invasive and viable option to maintain and enhance our natural beauty at any age.

So would I go for plastic surgeries as Botox and fillers are not permanent solutions? I am very certain that I do not need any surgeries as I am very happy with my natural looks and would not want to be exposed to the higher risks and complications of surgeries.

A few years ago, I also pondered for a long time on whether to go for LASIK, but I decided not to when I observed that doctors who performed LASIK were also wearing spectacles themselves. Up till today, I am still wearing spectacles. 🙂

Here is a photo of myself taken last year in Switzerland for comparison purposes. I used to have such round face that I couldn’t even find my jaw line, which was up till 3 weeks ago….

I will share my personal experience and results with skin fillers in this post. I have shared about my experience with Botox in Part I of the post.

Here are some useful questions that anyone who is interested in doing skin fillers might ask:

There are different types of Juvederm products (i.e. Juvederm Voluma, Juvederm Volbella & Juvederm Volift) for different functions.

What are fillers?

Fillers consist of naturally occurring hyaluronic acid, which is also found in our body and can help to diminish facial lines and restore volume and fullness in our face.

How do I feel after the fillers treatment and what are the things to take note of?

After the fillers, I felt a little sore at the centre (mainly forehead, nose and chin) of my face even after a week. This is understandable as fillers are administered deeper in the mid-layer of the skin to plump and lift cheeks, jaw line and temples to create a refreshed appearance.

I was advised not to use saunas, steam rooms and exercise actively for 1-2 weeks after doing the Botox and fillers as these activities would slow down the healing process. I was also advised to refrain from wearing spectacles and sunglasses after the fillers to prevent forming depression on my nose bridge. You can also sneeze or clean your nose after the fillers and it would NOT get distorted, you only need to be gentle! 🙂

What are the side effects of fillers?

For fillers, side effects are rare but can include redness, swelling and bruising at the injection site. The fillers may also show up under the skin as tiny bumps. The effects of fillers can however be reversed by a hyaluronidase enzyme if you are unhappy with the results. In extreme rare cases, it can also cause blindness due to wrong administration into the bloodstream by the doctor.

How long can fillers last?

Typically, the fillers can last between 12-18 months.

How much are the charges?

Depending on individual’s requirements and the areas that you want to enhance, fillers treatment ranges from $1000 and above.

My Customised Treatment Plan

I was waiting for the numbing cream to take effect before the treatment.

Dr Benjamin Yim noticed my dark eye circles during our first consultation and suggested using fillers at the cheek areas to volumize the cheeks as aging would cause the skin under the eyes to appear darker as the cheeks lose their fullness when fat pads beneath the skin diminish.

The fillers were being administrated:

1. At the nose to raise the bridge.
2. At the chin area to slightly lengthen it, thus creating a slimmer face.
3. At the cheek area as that area has sunken slightly and this would help plump up the cheek area to reduce the appearance of the dark eye circles and give me a refreshed appearance.
4. At my forehead area for better forward projection.

Dr Yim also prescribed a pill for me to take 30 minutes before the skin fillers injection to keep me relaxed as he could sense that I was feeling nervous.

The Final Results

This photo was taken right after the fillers treatment was done.

The results of the skin fillers was instantaneous. Immediately, everyone could see the sharpening of my jaw line and a slightly rounded forehead was created to improve the forward projection of my face. My eye lids and eye brows were also lifted and I now have a higher nose bridge which helped to enhance and improve my natural looks. Again, I would like to emphasize that these aesthetic procedures will NOT give you features that you do not have in the first place, it merely enhanced your natural looks.

I realised the effects of fillers were more prominent, even though the Botox I did 2 weeks ago did help to slim my square jaw, the fillers had an instantaneous effect of slimming it down even further. I was pretty amazed by the enhancement!

With Botox, I do not feel much soreness after 24 hours but with fillers, my face felt sore and sensitive when touched even after one week.

I was extra gentle during this period and avoided doing exercises, facials, steam baths and saunas for the first 2 weeks as advised by Dr Yim.

After the fillers, Dr Yim has explained that no makeup was allowed for 24 hours with the exception of the Jane Iredale skin care makeup which does not clogged our pores and does not contain any talc, parabens, chemical preservatives, FD&C dyes and irritants. This is the brand that major hospitals used for their patients to provide some form of coverage and sun protection after their aesthetic treatment or surgeries.

Priscilla Goh, makeup artist and trainer from Jane Iredale, was there to do my makeup and I really love it that the mineral makeup is also skin care for my face, to help protect, hydrate and nourish the skin.

After the fillers, I was so excited that I took a lot of photographs as I also happened to be at Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa for a staycation that day.

Here are some photos of myself taken after the fillers treatment:

I am very pleased with my subtle transformation (especially that I now have a slimmer jaw line if you compared with my “before” photo above) under the adept skills and keen eye of Dr Yim, who had achieved harmony for my facial features to look fresh and natural!