Thanks to the hordes of beestung lipped ladies (and some gents) dominating social media, lip filler is currently one of the most popular non-surgical tweakments around.
Even in the age of the face covering, the trend shows no sign of slowing down. Some people say this is because masks disguise the fact that you’ve had your lips done allowing for discreet recovery time.
For those with thin or uneven lips, lip enhancement is a gift from the gods. But we’ve all seen and heard the horror stories, and the fear of ending up with duck lips or an obviously overdone look can be a worrying prospective for patients.
Thankfully, the trend is definitely moving towards a super-natural look using medium-depth fillers that will have even your closest friends wondering, ‘have they or haven’t they?’
World renowned lip specialist Dr Rita Rakus of the Dr Rita Rakus Clinic in London feels that celebrities also play a part in lip filler trends: "The influence of celebrities should not be underestimated – there is a trend in patients wanting to achieve a certain look with lip filler, often inspired by a celebrity figure, bringing in pictures of famous faces to their practitioner and requesting to mimic how their lips look. However, it is important to discuss with your doctor how a particular look will suit your face and features."
And with the likes of Kylie Jenner now opting to dissolve her over filled lips, here at SO we are seeing more and more ladies looking to correct, dissolve and restart their lip filler journey from periods of overfilling too quickly with low quality fillers resulting in sausage like ducky lips. The trend is most definitely moving towards a more natural, youthful, hydrated, 'has she/hasn't she' lip treatment.
We have been known to put our patients on a 'filler ban' too. As medics we believe we have an ethical responsibility to be always acting in our patients best interests. With social media showing a constant stream of filtered, photoshopped models, it is SO easy to get sucked into a world of comparison and a persons self perception can easily get distorted.
Non-surgical aesthetics procedures are currently unregulated in the UK, SO for safe and successful results, and like everything we stand for at SO it’s essential you do your homework. Read reviews and only book in with a qualified, accredited and reputable practitioner, dentist or nurse for your procedure. Do not be tempted to get lip filler at a party or anyone's home.
It is important to choose a reliable practitioner who will be able to advise you on what you need to achieve your desired look. It is also important to spend time in consultation with your practitioner, discussing the desired results and running through the treatment process in detail to understand what is possible and what filler options are most suited to your needs.
During your consultation, you are quite within your rights to ask about the brand of filler your injector plans to use, how much they will be using and what will happen if things don’t go to plan.
Other things you can check are the product’s packaging for a CE mark – this indicates it has been deemed to meet EU health and safety requirements. Also, if the product was bought from a reputable pharmacy. And YES there are such things as counterfeit lip fillers!
What should I consider beforehand?
Along with who you will choose to administer your filler, think about how much larger you want your lips to be.
You’ll pay per syringe for your lip filler – one syringe is around 1ml of filler. This is usually enough for most people. If you are unsure how much to go for, a good practitioner will be able to advise on the most balanced look according to the size of your natural lips and facial structure.
If you’re new to lip injectables, a ‘less is more’ approach is best, it may be that you require 2 or 3 treatments over a time period of at least 3-4 months. You should never have more than 1ml put in in one session. The lip is a delicate structure and cannot cope with it. The swelling and bruising will be excessive and the filler could migrate into the tissue above the lip resulting in a very unnatural look.
If your lips are small, thin or ageing has contributed to loss of volume, the aim will be to gradually build up volume rather than producing a noticeable size increase straight off the bat. If you want to give your lips more definition, you might want to have the filler in the lip vermilion border – the outside edge.
How long does lip filler last?
Thankfully, permanent silicone is no longer used for injecting lips. Nowadays, lip filler is made out of hyaluronic acid, a substance that naturally occurs in the human body. Because of this it is not permanent and your body will slowly metabolise it over a few months.
How long your filler lasts is very individual from person to person, but it’s important to manage your expectations. On average lip filler will last between six months to a year, depending on the product used and the amount injected.
Does getting lip filler hurt?
Ask most people and they will say no. It may feel uncomfortable though. At your procedure, a topical anaesthetic cream will be applied beforehand to take the edge off the injections and ease discomfort, lidocaine is also incorporated into the formula of the lip fillers we stock.
When the practitioner gets to work you will feel a scratch and you may feel the needle moving under the skin. You should be out the door within 45 minutes. Straight afterwards your lips may feel a lot bigger, as the injections do make them swell.
What do I need to do for aftercare?
In short, not that much! Your practitioner will probably put a cold ice pack against your newly enhanced smackers straight after your procedure to help minimise bruising and swelling.
If you feel sore when you get home you can do the same again, but do not take anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen.
Any swelling should subside within a day or two. Don’t touch or massage your lips, as you may inadvertently move the filler around.
To prevent bruising, avoid smoking and alcohol for a couple of days after getting your lip filler. It’s also best to avoid the gym and sauna for a couple of days as you need to keep your lips clean (and sweat free).
What happens if things go wrong?
All of the products we use are completely reversible. SO, if the results aren’t what you expected you can return to have your filler dissolved with an enzyme-based reversing agent called Hyaluronidase or Hyalase. Your lips will be back to their pre-filler state within a few days.
If you would like to have a chat with us about this or any other injectable treatments then get in touch with us for a chat or to book a consultation 01905 969798 or email info@soaesthetics.co.uk