Lip Fillers
Lip fillers are as common these days as getting your nails done. Okay, I might have exaggerated. Thanks to Kylie Jenner (who I definitely give credit to) for the huge--no pun intended--lip filler trend. We may look back and laugh at ourselves but for now I'll enjoy my super juicy, plumped lips.
I've admired girls plump, proportionate, defined lips but hadn't considered it for myself. However, when I saw The Luxe Room's instagram account, I was glued to the beautiful before and after lip filler photos. I got hooked. And fast. I WANTED THEM.
I went in for my first botox appointment where we also talked all the deets on lip fillers. Danielle (from The Luxe Room) explained the risks and was 100% honest about everything--the ups and downs. I scheduled an appointment in 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks leading up to my appointment was filled with questions. "What type of filler do I want?" "What if I was that random person that has blood vessels close to the surface?" "What if I have duck lips?" "What if I don't see the results I want?" I brushed all those aside and got the reassurance from Danielle that I needed. There was NO pressure and I felt 100% comfortable with her.
So let's get to all the details....
What type of filler did I use? And how much?
For my first treatment, I had 0.8 mL of Juvederm Vollure injected. We saved the other 0.2 mL for my 2 week follow up to see if we needed any touchups or where I wanted to add it. On my follow up visit, I wanted more than the 0.2 mL would give me so I decided to have an additional 0.5 mL (half syringe) of Volbella injected primarily on my upper lip to fill in.
My upper lip has always been smaller than my bottom lip proportionately so I wanted to see what the 1 syringe would do before committing to enlarging them more with additional filler. Result? I wanted a little more filler :)
It's great because you can start out small and keep adding. I think the biggest mistake would be adding TOO much in the beginning before easing into the look you're trying to achieve.
Why did I choose the type of filler I did?
Danielle suggested Vollure because it gives the natural, squishy look I was wanting. It can last up to 18 months compared to the most commonly used filler, Ultra, which only lasts up to 12 months. It was more expensive but I really wanted a natural look and feel. It's also known to not lump or swell as bad. I went with Volbella for the extra half syringe because honestly that's what they had in a half syringe and I only wanted half.
How did she inject?
I'm no pro but I would suggest you go to someone who uses the same technique. Danielle injected from the lip border. She uses a tiny needle (insulin small) and did a good bit (like a lot) of different injections all around the lip border. It created such a beautiful natural, defined lip with a little pout! She did inject more into the actual lip part with my half syringe because I wanted it filled in there a little more. However, I would 100% recommend having your nurse/doc inject around the lip boarder as I've looked at a lot of lips and it seems to give the prettiest results.
How much did it cost?
My full syringe (1 mL) of Juvederm Vollure cost $700.
My half syringe (.5 mL) of Juvederm Volbella cost $350.
Plus tip.
If you tell her I referred you, you'll get $25 off your treatment (plus you'll help me with $25 towards my next treatment :) )
I also found a site that can save you lots of money with many providers on lip filler services. Send me your email and I'll send you a link! I've saved around $40 already with it and have more points to use in the future.
How long is the healing process and how was it?
For both of my appointments I went at 9am. If I thought about it, I would've went later in the day so I'd be asleep for more of the initial healing process.
Immediately after, your lips are a little swollen but not bad. You'll probably keep looking in the mirror super happy and take 1000 selfies.
Slowly over the next hours they'll keep growing. And growing. I'd say for me, around seven hours post lip filler, they are huge and at their peak swollenness for the next hours. It's super uncomfortable. I can't say I enjoyed this part...at all. They are so sore and it hurt to eat/drink. I thought it would be easier to use a straw, but I was wrong. It's tender and sore to bring your lips together in a sucking shape. I basically drank water and had it run down my face at times because it hurt to tighten them. I was super ready to go to bed and wake up feeling much better.
Both times, I slept propped up with pillows. The next morning they were less swollen and less sore. Everyone is different but after the initial 24 hours, everything was much better for me.
For the first syringe, I'd say my lips were almost to their normal size around day 5 with day 7 being 100% there. With the second treatment (half syringe), it look longer and is still swollen as I write this (day 9). It can take up to 2 weeks to completely settle and not be swollen. Again I think it depends on the person, technique, and type of filler you choose.
Here's the reality after my first 0.8 mL day below.
I still laugh when I see these because it's super temporary but not fun.
Did it hurt?
Yes! And let me tell you...I hate needles and pain.
Danielle used numbing cream before which absolutely helped. However, the first time getting injected (which was mainly on my lip border) was painful. I think at one point there was a tear rolling down my face. I didn't enjoy it but you gotta pay the price for juicy lips! :) Although it did hurt, it was temporary. I mean...I went back and got another half syringe so...it depends on how bad you want it and what you're willing to do. LOL. When she injected into my main lip area it didn't hurt near as bad! Sometimes I couldn't even feel it.
Other things to note...
Danielle pointed out that if you are looking or trying to become pregnant, your lips can swell if you have lip filler.
Don't wear lip gloss for the first 24 hours post filler. All I wanted to do was lather these perky babes with my favorite lip gloss to get them extra popping! However, there are the tiny needle spots that need to heel which doesn't take long.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
For the photos below, I busted my lip (like insanely deep) in middle school so you can see where my lip is naturally larger there. Because the scar tissue is still there it somewhat affected how my lips took the filler.
For your viewing pleasure...