Living in LA it’s nearly impossible to escape the quest for perfection. This is a city that worships youth. In a town teeming with fresh off the boat models, it’s hard not to want to turn back the clock a few years. Especially when I look in the mirror and see all the traces of life left on my face. Smile lines from the good times and deepening creases on my brow from the not so good ones. I can’t get those years back, but at least I can try to erase the evidence, right?
So when I was asked to review Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon Dr. Karan Dhir, I jumped at the chance. Not only is he double board certified – something that’s key to look into when choosing a doctor – he’s also an assistant clinical professor at UCLA-Harbor. These days injectables, like Botox, are available everywhere from the dentist office to the laser hair removal shop in the mall. And while I’m usually all for bargain shopping, there are certain things you should splurge on – like your face. Of course, even Dr. Dhir’s impressive credentials couldn’t alleviate my fear of needles. Luckily when I got to Dr. Dhir’s Beverly Hills office his nurse immediately put me at easy. Jasmine explained that the needles weren’t much bigger than a mosquitos stinger, so I would barely feel a thing. And she was right, the injections turned out to be less painful than that time I got my eyebrows threaded.
Another worry I had was Dr. Dhir himself. I’d never been to a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon before, but I did binge watch all of Nip Tuck. Was he going to be like those crazy TV docs and make me list off all the things I don’t like about myself? Nope. Instead Dr. Dhir opened by telling me about the nose job he’d had at 18 and how it had allowed him to feel better about himself. “Having that procedure gave so much more confidence and that made it easier to achieve my other goals. That’s what I strive to give to my patients.” His sincerity and candor was refreshing and when he explained that his philosophy was all about keeping the look totally natural – aka no frozen face syndrome – my final fear was alleviated. Because Dr Dhir believes “less is more” when it comes to injectables he always asks his patients to come back two weeks after their appointment to check on the results. If they want more he happily provides it at no extra cost. Considering how stingy doctors can be with their time (hello, billable hours) it’s safe to say this isn’t the standard practice. But it certainly made me feel better about taking the plunge into the world of plastics.
It’s now been three weeks since my treatments – I had my forehead, between my brows and around my eyes injected with Botox – and I could not be happier with how it turned out. My forehead is totally smooth, my crows feet have been annihilated and my eyelids – which were beginning to droop – are back where they belong. Because Dr. Dhir was so careful not to overdo it I’m happy to report that I have full range of motion and can make all my usual expressions. But, the best part of all? No one noticed. I got compliments like, ‘fresh’ and ‘well rested’, but not a single friend guessed I’d dipped into the Botox. Several people have commented on how happy I look and I can’t help but agree. My Resting Bitch Face is gone and so is the evidence of three years of heartache.
