This story is part of our RealSelf Verified campaign to offer consumers greater transparency into provider qualifications and help them find trusted, patient-friendly professionals.

Reality television isn’t exactly known for its transparency. But when Ashley Iaconetti first appeared on our screens four years ago, on season 19 of The Bachelor, she was refreshingly real—from talking about her virginity to detailing the true effort it takes to look so damn good in front of HD cameras, including lash extension and injectables. She has the big, dramatic personality and blunt honesty that allows one to actually make a successful career out of being a reality star—and indeed she has, having gone on to compete on Bachelor in Paradise (where she fell for her now husband, Jared Haibon) and The Bachelor Winter Games, serve as a red carpet correspondent and cohost The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.

You get the sense that you could ask Ashley just about anything and she wouldn’t rattle off some safe, publicist-approved line. Oh, your beauty secret is water and a good night’s sleep? Suure. “I think it’s good for girls who are Instagram influencers to be honest about what they do, because people are going to be out there asking, ‘How do they look so naturally good all the time?’—and that’s because it’s not natural. Be honest so people aren’t feeling bad about themselves,” she says.

We chatted with the beauty pro—and RealSelf community member—about the procedures she loves, where she’ll never go to get filler again and how important it is to research your doctor.

RS: What was the first cosmetic treatment you tried?

AI: It was back in college, 10 years ago. Filler was less common, and word was just starting to get out around town that it was even a thing, so I did filler a couple times for some weird dents I have in my cheeks—and it didn’t go over super well. Every time I’d try something new or see a new doctor, I thought it would help [the dents], but I think it actually made them worse in the long run. I realized what actually worked [for my complexion] was yellow LED light, Vbeam and spironolactone, which I’m on for acne. The combination of those three really changed the puffiness [in my cheeks]. I’ve also had Botox in my forehead since I was 26—I would sacrifice many, many things, so long as I could have Botox!

Related: The Potentially Serious Dangers of Simple-Seeming Treatments

RS: How has your beauty routine changed since becoming a public figure?

AI: I think at first, I was like, “I want to do this, I want to do that,” and then with age, I look back at pictures and go, “Oh—when you did that, you were too puffy.” I feel like less is more as I get older, and I’ve really fine-tuned what I like having done to my face and what I don’t. I will always love Botox and a little filler in my chin to create a more feminine, heart-shaped face, but I will never mess with filler in the apples of my cheeks again. I love lasers now that I’m getting older, and I love regular facials. I used to be obsessed with lash extensions, and now I use Latisse instead.

RS: What do you look for when searching for a provider?

AI: First and foremost, I look at their before and afters to see if they do good work—and then their ratings, of course. I’m always reading reviews and looking at how many stars they have.

RS: Providers on RealSelf can now become verified if they meet or exceed important certification and training criteria, licensing standards and patient-satisfaction ratings as well as commit to delivering responsive patient service. Back when you were first looking for a provider for your cheeks, would the ability to book with a verified doctor have helped you?

AI: Yes, it would have been really nice to know who was a filler expert. You need to make sure that they’re completely certified. It seems like these days, everyone is allowed to do Botox and fillers, but you need to go to someone who understands the structure and the science behind it.

[Editor’s Note: In order to be RealSelf Verified, providers must earn and maintain a minimum patient satisfaction rating of four out of five stars, show unedited before and after photos of their most well-known procedures, and list their active board certifications.]

RS: Is there anything else you wish you’d known when you first started researching and booking treatments with providers?

AI: Sometimes I feel like they won’t turn you down. If you were like, “I want this [filler] in there,” they should tell you it’s probably not the right filler. It would be nice if doctors would say, “This is not going to turn out the way you want it.” The doctors that I go to now, they will turn you down because they want you to have a better face. They want you to have a good face more than they want your money.

Related: What 10 Plastic Surgery Patients Would’ve Done Differently, Had They Known Then What They Know Now

RS: You just got married—congratulations! What did you do leading up to the wedding?

AI: I got a facial at the Olga Lorencin Skin Care Clinic a month before—that’s where I get all my facials and have for almost three years now. I got my chin filler, which I hadn’t gotten since last October, and fresh Botox. Then I was all set!

RS: Were there any treatments you held off on getting before the wedding, because you weren’t sure how your skin would react?

AI: Yes, totally. My girl Mariana Vergara, at Leif Rogers in Beverly Hills, just did CO2 laser on my mom, and she wanted me to do it too, in May; but it does take some downtime, and I barely find myself with a week where I don’t have any television appearances. When I did have a week where I probably could have done it, it was just too close to the wedding—and what if something crazy happened? What if the aftereffects made me break out? So I [decided] I’d do that later on.

RS: You must get a lot of offers for free treatments from doctors and medical spas. How do you choose what to try and promote?

AI: I do get a lot of offers, but I go only to doctors and nurses I trust and who come highly recommended and rated. I also get done only the stuff I’ve done before at this point. If I like it, I’ll do it over and over, but I’m not planning on experimenting with any treatments besides skincare lasers anymore. I think I’ve found the exact combination of treatments that looks best for me. It’s important to not be tempted and go overboard. I think I did that before Mariana Vergara dissolved the filler in my cheeks.

Related: The Surprising Reason I Tried Cheek Fillers for the First Time

RS: If you could give one piece of advice to friends or family members interested in getting cosmetic treatments, what would it be?

AI: Definitely think long and hard about it. Do your research—and I do suggest RealSelf, because it’s the place that has the answer to almost every single question. I can type the weirdest questions into Google, and there are message boards on RealSelf about it. Make sure that you have a consultation, and after the consultation, take a while to think about it. Sometimes you’ll be in the room and you’ll want to do it right then, and sometimes that backfires.