How a £450 salmon sperm injection - a beauty ingredient used by Jennifer Aniston - banished my eyebags

Answering the ­FaceTime call, I caught sight of myself on the screen and gasped. I'd forgotten to put concealer under my eyes, and without it I look like I've been up all night at best, in a ­boxing match at worst.

Think purple-grey dark circles ­giving way to hollowness with a hint of saggy, crepey skin and more than my fair share of fine lines and ­wrinkles for my 43 years.

I can't even blame my two children because these days, aged six and nine, they're both sleeping through the night. In truth, I put my under-eye baggage down to never quite recovering from the sleep ­deprivation I suffered when they were babies.

As a beauty editor, I've tried it all in a bid to turn back the clock, from retinol and caffeine-laced eye creams to micro-needling facials and ­moisturiser made from snail slime.

But even I baulked at the latest new 'miracle' ingredient said to banish tired under-eyes: salmon sperm.

Bethan King's under-eye bags before injection

Bethan's under-eye bags after injection

As improbable as it sounds, a revolutionary new injectable treatment, containing, yes, a salmon sperm derivative, promises to banish dark circles, plump fine lines and rejuvenate the under-eye area. Ameela is a light, water-based gel and treatment costs £450 a session. With results said to last up to a year, it's being touted as a game-changer for those not keen to go under the knife.

I'm not entirely sold on the idea, but ageless beauty Jennifer Aniston admits she tried a salmon sperm facial. And if it's good enough for Jen, it's good enough for me.

So how does it work? 'Salmon sperm contains a very pure and lightweight polynucleotide, a substance that actually triggers the body to regenerate itself,' explains aesthetic doctor and GP Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, who offers the treatment at his clinics.

'When Ameela is injected into the under-eye area, it stimulates cells called fibroblasts to naturally increase collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production.

'So it doesn't just help to plump out hollow under-eyes, which is how tear-trough filler works. Instead, it works to improve skin tone, ­thickening it, brightening it and increasing the blood flow — all of which helps diminish under-eye bags and fine lines.'

But why salmon sperm, ­specifically, and how do they, umm, extract it, I ask? He explains that the sperm is a by-product of the food industry, obtained from farmed salmon. After the salmon's ­reproductive organs have been removed, the sperm is extracted, then it's processed and filtered to extract the DNA.

'Salmon sperm DNA is very similar to our own,' says Dr El Muntasar. 'It has a higher and purer ­concentration of rejuvenating polynucleotides than other fish. So while there are other fish sperm treatments available, you might need five sessions with, say, cod sperm derivatives, while with salmon, you can see a significant improvement in the under-eye area after just two or three.'

Until recently, tear-trough filler, which costs anything from £300 to £500 per treatment, has largely been the only non-surgical option for under-eye ­rejuvenation, but I've always shied away from it.

I know it can be risky; if it's not carried out by an experienced practitioner, it can cause ­lumpiness in the under-eye area, scarring and, if it's mistakenly injected into an artery or blood vessel, even blindness.

It can look ­unnatural, too. If the filler migrates from the intended area it can give a puffy appearance. So Ameela appealed because the treatment doesn't simply fill out hollow under-eyes, but tackles the purple discolouration and fine lines by encouraging fresh skin cell growth to combat the problem. And I'm promised it's much safer as a procedure, too. There can be side-effects, such as swelling, pain and bruising, but these are expected to subside after a few days.

'Tear trough filler, which I also work with, only tackles hollowness — so if that's your only problem, it might be the best option,' explains Dr El ­Muntasar. 'But if you have a combination of a bit of hollowness, dark circles and thin, crepey skin under your eyes, Ameela is the better option.' Yet when I mentioned I was ­considering the treatment to my husband, he looked horrified.

'Salmon sperm? How on earth can injecting that into your face be a good idea?' he exclaimed. When I explained how it all works — and how the sperm's extracted — his face was a picture.

I'm not entirely sold on the idea, but ageless beauty Jennifer Aniston admits she tried a salmon sperm facial. And if it's good enough for Jen, it's good enough for me

Squeamishness aside, I loved the idea that in two or three sessions, I'd potentially be waking up bright-eyed and refreshed. So I booked a consultation with Dr El Muntasar at his Mayfair clinic. After examining my eye-bags under bright lights, he offers his verdict: 'The skin underneath your eyes shows normal signs of ageing for someone in their early 40s — there's some thinning of the skin in that area, fine lines under eyes, some skin hollowness that gives a slight sunken appearance under the eyes and the beginning of crow's feet.'

Most people need two to three treatments to get the best results. He suggests I'd need two, two weeks apart, costing £900 in total.

I had my first treatment in ­February. And yes, my first question to Dr El Muntasar was: 'Will it hurt?' He explained that rather than using a needle to inject the Ameela gel around the eyes, he uses a fine cannula that is inserted only once into the fleshy skin in the upper cheek to deliver the gel to the under-eye area.

So I'd have two injection sites, one in each cheek. He says: 'If Ameela is ­dotted around the eye area with a needle, it can bruise significantly, but with the cannula injection technique, this is less likely.'

Dr El Muntasar told me to expect some mild discomfort when the cannula was inserted and the gel injected — as well as some mild swelling under my eyes and tenderness for a few days after.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. But I barely felt the cannula being inserted. As the Ameela gel was injected through the cannula, it did sting. But to be honest, I've had eyebrow threading treatments that felt more painful. It was quick, too, about five ­minutes per eye.

My under-eye area looked puffy afterwards but there was only a tiny pinprick mark in each cheek where the cannula had been. Pictured: The salmon sperm being injected into Bethan’s under-eye area

My under-eye area looked puffy afterwards but there was only a tiny pinprick mark in each cheek where the cannula had been.

Over the next couple of days, the skin under my eyes did look a bit more swollen. But within a week it had gone back to normal.

Two weeks later, when it was time for my second treatment, I could already notice the purplish tinge I'd always had under my eyes had faded slightly.

My eyes looked even puffier after the second treatment, and took a week to settle down. But four weeks in, I'm delighted.

For the first time since my 20s, I look well-rested. The dark, purple circles have almost vanished. The skin under my eyes is now a similar colour to the rest of my face. I still have some fine lines, but the area looks much plumper. My husband said he was surprised the results looked so good — I'll take that as a win.

I've had a few compliments, too, from friends who say my skin looks amazing. I love that it's hard to pinpoint what I've had done. But if anyone asks, I'll ­happily spill the beans. Come this time next year, I'll definitely be booking myself in for more salmon sperm. In the meantime, if you want a catch-up, do feel free to FaceTime me.