Copa
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That does sound like a lot, @TheLadyE. And like it was probably pretty scary! But hopefully a diagnosis means your health continues to improve. It’s wonderful you got a new job and promotion through it all, though.
On the subject or COVID, I’ve been feeling increasingly under the weather for a few days now. We were out of town so I did take a test before going back to the office, before I felt like I had something. It was negative and two additional tests since have been negative. I thought my time had finally come after dodging it for three years. Might go get a PCR test to be sure, this is the first time that slight tickle in my throat or minor sniffle has actually turned into a full-blown… something. It could be a bad cold. I had a horrible night of sleep.
@TheLadyE Happy belated 40th! I’m glad you posted — I wonder about how you are doing sometimes! So how are ya!?
So the wedding I was just at, the bride is slightly younger than I am (33) and the group of gal pals I know her through ranges from 26 to 38, most of us ranging from 33-36. Anyway, at the pool one morning, us 30-somethings were talking about changes we’ve noticed as we’ve gotten older (for me, it’s stuff like running hot at night and my eyelashes on my right eye break off) and laughing about how we all packed hangover remedies because none of us can hang like we used to. The look on the 20-somethings’ faces was priceless. This thread is like the digital version of that for me, but I like knowing what I might expect next! I have friends who skew a little older, too, but they’re all just approaching 40.
Will also add, watching the 20-somethings take pictures of one another was hysterical to me. The way they all know their Insta-worthy poses and angles.
Also, I’d honestly freak out if I went up several dress sizes in a short period of time.
We recently switched to a brand of sheets called Sheex. They’re performance wear-inspired and we saw them on some “best sheets for hot sleepers” list, then realized they’re the same brand the boyfriend’s stepmom uses and we liked them when we visited. They’re supposed to help keep you cool and wick sweat away if you’re a sweater. I can’t say I’ve noticed a tremendous difference, but maybe worth reading some reviews.
Salem in October sounds found! I’d love to visit New England in early fall.
We also usually go on some kind of trip in January or February. I like getting out of the cold this time of year, Chicago winters are brutal and its nice to break it up. We’ve done Hawaii, skipped a year, and Mexico the past two years. Both times in Mexico, we did a few days in a city and then a few days at a beach before heading back. Our few days at the beach this year was for a friend’s wedding. I wish we’d had one more day there, to get a day in without any wedding events on the agenda. I was not built for multi-day wedding celebrations, but had a blast.
I’m mid-30s, so not going through perimenopause, but in the past few years I’ve started to get really hot at night. The boyfriend and I are never hot or cold at the same time. Every night when we get in bed, I’m freezing and he’s a furnace. But I guess after I fall asleep I heat up because I kick all the blankets and sheets off, I’ll toss and turn if it’s too hot for me. By morning, I’m comfortable and the boyfriend is freezing cold.
I always take my gel polish off at home, usually the “wrong” way. If dip manicure requires going back in to remove it, it’d not be for me. It also seems quite pricey to me, at least from the numbers I’ve heard friends throw out. I usually get a solid two to three weeks out of my gel manis in any case. I’m sure the UV light isn’t great, but I do it sparingly and also feel sure I more regularly expose myself to other things that can’t be great for me.
As a side note, we just spent a week in Mexico. I didn’t burn and I am so pleased with that. I’m generous with sunscreen and am a floppy sun hat wear-er, but find I often burn a little notwithstanding if it’s the first sun exposure in awhile.
Many women seem to have shifted from gel to dip manicures. I was many years late to the gel mani party and when I discovered it, did it regularly for maybe a year. I now only get it done if I have an event coming up. I’ve never done a dip manicure and honestly don’t even realllly know what it is. I’m sure one day I will try it and I will once again be very, very late to the party.
@RangerChic A friend who is my age (mid-30s) just got her work headshots redone and was kinda surprised to see her fine lines in it. She sent me four pics and asked which one I liked the best and she said she was leaning toward the one with her glasses on because they cover her bags and wrinkles. An easier solution than cosmetic dermatology for sure!
I think most people would not have paid much attention to my “before” under eyes. I’m connected to some of you on IG and I’m sure if you scroll through any pics from 2022 or before, you’d not notice. The lighting at the derm’s did not hide anything, which I’m sure is by design (like, even I look at the “before” and think “ugh, wow – it looked like that?” and I see myself every day!). I am happy with the results, though, because I did notice, particularly in the mornings when getting ready for the day. I’ll update again when I get things touched up/”finalized.”
So I have no idea how to embed photos onto this site and wasn’t sure a good sharing platform, though I know a few years ago the engaged commenters were posting wedding dress photos with ease so I assume I am the problem. Anyway, I created a finsta to share my under eye filler progress photos: https://www.instagram.com/copahasafinsta/.
The top photo is the “before,” taken the morning of my procedure. I have under eye brightener on in it, which, LOL. The bottom is the after. I did not notice until after filler that one eye is (and was) a little more hollow/darker. There’s still some darkness and always will be, but I’m pleased to look normal tired now. I’d consider doing a little more, but this is about as unflattering as lighting gets so I these results are enough if nothing changed.
I’ve noticed my mom’s eyes have changed a lot as she’s gotten older. She looks a lot like her mom did in old age now, especially the eyes. I’ll have to see if I can track down some older photos of both of them but I thiiink the hollow under eye genes are from them.
Ooh, okay, just realized there ARE pics pics in my patient portal. And boy are they humbling, the lighting hides nothing. They take pics of patients at various angles making different faces (furrowing, lifting your brows, smiling, etc.), so I have quite the collection of goofy pics. They haven’t uploaded today’s yet, but I will figure out a way to post my peepers on here once they do. I didn’t notice until now that the left eye was always a little worse. I kind of assumed that to be the case when I noticed one eye looked better than the other as the results started to settle. Someone at this office also uploaded a normal looking one of me in less severe lighting for my portal profile picture and that feels like such a small kindness, haha.
I was nervous! There are a lot of horror stories online, though I suspect many of those are from procedures done at med spas. I only wanted a board certified dermatologist or even a plastic surgeon injecting my face. I eventually figured a consult couldn’t hurt since I didn’t even know if I was a candidate. Anyway, I liked my derm right away. She listened, answered every question, addressed every concern, explained everything thoroughly. I was in when she told me we could take a gradual approach. It was also cheaper than I would’ve expected and the maintenance required is far less than something like Botox.
Anyway, I’ll see what I can do with pics. I’m sure I could cobble together my own before/after, but the lighting in the derm’s office shows the before in a way I’m not sure any of my personal photos would.
ETA: Maybe a year or two ago, a woman went viral-ish for her eye drooping from Botox. She got that done at a med spa in Chicago, and eventually went to another place in the city to get it corrected. That terrified me! I guess one of my friends goes to the place where they corrected her botched procedure. Link: https://www.today.com/health/botox-side-effects-woman-details-ptosis-after-botched-injection-t212898
Yet another update nobody asked for. I had my ~2 week follow up appt with my derm today. She mentioned that my right under eye is more full than my left, which I’d noticed on my own, so I plan to make a follow-up appt to get things evened out and maintain from there. I don’t think anyone else would notice, but may as well do it well/right from the outset. I had to rush to work after today’s appt, but at the next one, I’m planning to ask if I can nab copies of the before/after photos. I’d totally post a link to pics of my eyes on this site. The results seem so subtle, but comparing the before and after today was actually kind of cool to see how a little goes a long way.
I was told anywhere from 12-24 months between treatments is pretty standard for maintenance, but how fast the filler breaks down varies a bit by individual.
