Let's talk about Kristin Davis' filler removal
+ Margaret Cho is live, livid, and loving midlife freedom
Fed up with fillers
Is dissolving injectables the next big beauty trend?
And Just Like That is back for its third season, and the only topic more popular around the watercooler than the characters’ outfits is their faces. More specifically, everyone’s talking about Kristin Davis, who plays the perpetually perky Charlotte York Goldenblatt.
Criticized in the past for her puffy, “overfilled” face and lips, the actor has recently embraced a more natural look after having her fillers dissolved. “I have done fillers and it’s been good and I’ve done fillers and it’s been bad,” she said in an interview with The Telegraph. “I’ve had to get them dissolved and I’ve been ridiculed relentlessly. And I have shed tears about it. It’s very stressful.”
She’s not alone. Many celebrities have felt the stress associated with trying to maintain their bankable looks in a society that is quick to criticize them for aging naturally, and even quicker to ridicule them for trying to do something about it. It’s a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation that’s caused many big names like Davis to push back. Courteney Cox and Ariana Grande are just a few of the folks who have been transparent about reversing or cutting back on cosmetic enhancements and the trend is catching on.
“As mainstream celebrities have been dissolving fillers and getting reversals, it’s only natural for the masses to follow,” says cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Su in an interview with Style Magazine.
Marta Paul, owner of Nova Aesthetics in San Antonio, Texas, agrees, saying, “Yes, we are definitely seeing a trend in patients choosing to dissolve their filler. Many are now recognizing the overfilled look and either want to start fresh with new fillers, or biostimulators, or are now seeking a more natural appearance.”
How do fillers work?
Fillers rose to fame as a way to address the volume loss in the skin that occurs with age. Sagging cheeks, drooping jowls, sunken undereyes, and thinning lips are the areas most commonly addressed — and most commonly overdone.
The problem is not necessarily with the filler itself, but with the injector. Placement matters, as does using the right filler for the job. Skilled injectors will have a variety of product options to choose from and will know which one is best for the area being treated. They will also be current on the latest techniques and tricks to achieve the desired outcome without going overboard.
“Seasoned injectors will take the time to assess each patient individually and tailor their approach based on each patient’s unique anatomy,” says Paul.
Most importantly, a skilled injector will know when to say “enough.” Just because a patient wants more doesn’t mean they need it, and it’s up to the practitioner to pump the brakes rather than plump the lips.
“One of the most common mistakes injectors make is not knowing when to say no to a patient,” says Paul. “Too many injectors chase the money instead of chasing good outcomes.”
What to know before you reset your fillers
Before you rush to have your oversized pout pricked, there are a few things you should know so you don’t end up with an even bigger problem. First, just as injecting filler properly is an art, so is dissolving it.
“It requires treating at various depths and areas to effectively address both original placement as well as any possible migration,” explains Paul, who recommends finding a practitioner who is proficient in ultrasound to ensure that the old filler is being dissolved at all depths.
Next, ask your injector about pain management. According to Paul, the enzyme that is used to dissolve old filler can produce a burning sensation when injected, which is extremely unpleasant.
Women are 32% more likely to serve as company president before becoming CEO, according to a new report
On their way to top-tier CEO positions, women often take an extra step, according to a new analysis by the Eos Foundation.
Across the S&P 500, women CEOs were 32% more likely to spend time in a role as president before being named chief executive. Citi chief Jane Fraser, Clorox CEO Linda Rendle, ADP chief Maria Black, and Otis chief Judith Marks are just a few of the women who made stops as presidents on their way to the very top.
Men, more often, skipped that step and went straight from leading a business unit to becoming CEO. Twenty-nine percent of male CEOs went from a business division job, while only 23% of female CEOs did (Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin are two among them).
Margaret Cho is live, livid, and loving midlife freedom
By Laurie White
I joined the church of Margaret Cho in 2002, when I picked up a copy of I’m the One That I Want, her book based on the smash off-Broadway show of the same name, fell in mad Gen X love, and inhaled whatever Cho material I could find on the still-infant Internet.
Luckily, she is among the most iconic and prolific multi-hyphenates alive — a best-selling author, actor, standup, and activist, with a slew of accolades including five Grammy nominations, an Emmy nomination for her turn as Kim Jong-Il on 30 Rock, and spots on Vogue’s Top 9 Female Comedians of all time, and Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.
Cho began performing in clubs near her San Francisco home at 14, winning a local comedy contest at 16, and a sweet slot opening for Jerry Seinfeld. Smash tours I’m the One That I Want and 2001’s Notorious C.H.O. became feature films, and she continues to act in series television and films, including 2022’s Fire Island on Hulu, and summer, 2023’s Prom Pact on Disney+, plus many guest-starring roles on shows like Hacks, Law and Order: SVU, and Netflix is a Joke comedy specials.
I got a chance to meet Cho when she made an appearance at a conference party in NYC in 2012, and she was so warm and nice in that weird scene that I came out to her, in some mumbled approximation of “Thank you so much for being open about who you are, because it’s really helped me a lot …mumble mumble… I’m queer too, BYE!”
Even then, I didn’t know many out women in my age range. Her representation and willingness to tackle identity and human rights to simply exist meant a lot, no matter how poorly I mumbled it, and how little I understood then where I was headed.
And who in the hell else is going to understand public blurting of important private information like Margaret?
In July 2023, Cho kicked off Live and Livid, her first full-scale tour since the pandemic, and she’s doing another leg of the tour this year as well.
“It’s really exciting to be able to go back and tour, to do theaters and to really get into it,” she says. “I think this year has really been about touring, especially for these amazing people like Beyonce, and of course Taylor Swift and Madonna. And I wanted to add my voice to that.”
Cho notes that she and Madonna are both recognizing 40 years of performing in 2023, and while it’s definitely a party, the message matters most.
“I’m celebrating 40 years of doing my art,” she says. “It’s a show that celebrates that, but also is very heavy on trying to find a way to make sense of our lack of rights, the assault on gay rights, trans rights, and drag. To find a way to combat that, and also to survive it.”
I am 50 and noticing changes in my face. I might use Frownies, but that's the extent. I would love fuller lips, and my under-eyes are now changing. Trying to age gracefully... trying.
Who cares