I have been getting Juvederm in my lips for almost 2 years now and I am sick of messing with it so I have decided to get Permalip. I have recently moved to a new city and went to a different injector. She did such a bad job that it was really the push I needed to do the surgery. My normal injector was AMAZING, but it is just too hard for me to drive 3 hours just to get my lips done so I was trying to find someone new and that was a huge mistake.
My surgery is set for this Wednesday (January 25th) and I am extremely terrified. I had gotten Alloderm put in my lips many years ago (they perform this surgery the exact same way) and it has scarred me mentally as the dr I went to was absolutely horrible and I felt the last half of the surgery including being sewn up. When I told him, he just said "can you just wait? I'm almost done". The dr I chose this time is absolutely amazing and very sensitive to the trama I have going forward with this procedure. He has been nothing but kind, understanding and sympathetic with me.
Normally, I get about 1 1/2 syringes of Juvederm in my lips, but we decided on the 4mm top and bottom because I have a very small face and he thinks the 5mm will just be too big.
I have tried to find pics of my lips before I have done anything to them and I hope you can tell the difference because now my lips don't look as small as they used to. I don't know if I have scar tissue or what. I got the filler dissolved recently to do the surgery, and they also look slightly stretched out to me. I am also posting pics of that. Also note that my lips are a little asymmetric and always have been. I just want to make note of that before I get the implant because I know it will not change that.
I will update as I heal along the way. Although I am so scared and nervous, I am also so excited at the thought to not mess with my lips anymore.
Updated on 25 Jan 2017:
I just got home from the procedure. That was not as painless for me as it has been for others! The numbing injections have completely worn off and my lips are THROBING. Going to take my pain meds and rest.
Updated on 26 Jan 2017:
Since I'm feeling so much better today, I thought I should share more about the procedure itself. First of all, I have a VERY high pain tolerance. I've had all 3 of my kids naturally with absolutely no pain meds--just a measure of pain I can tolerate just fine. Let me tell you, this was not pleasant or as painless as I was made to believe. I did not feel the dental block at all. They were completely painless, but the pulling and tugging was horrible. It felt like he was going to pull my lips right off. They said I had a lot of scar tissue in my lips so it was harder than normal. For some reason, the numbing injections kept wearing off so he had to stop 3 times for more shots that he gave in my lips--I felt those just fine. I left the office less than 5 minutes after the procedure and the numbing was wearing off fast. By the time I got to my car, my lips were throbbing in pain. Yesterday was very painful even with medication. Eating and drinking was impossible. All in all, the procedure took about an hour from start to finish. If I were to do it again, I think I'd opt to be asleep.
Updated on 26 Jan 2017:
After a very sleepless night, I woke up with gigantic lips. Not only are my lips swollen, but my entire lower face is swollen. I def feel like "what have I done to myself" going on. As far as pain goes, it is almost completely gone and I don't feel the need to take pain killers. Eating and drinking is still a little bit of a challenge but so much better than yesterday. I'm hoping some of the swelling will go down as the day progresses.
Updated on 27 Jan 2017:
My face is still pretty swollen, but my lips are looking really good! I woke up with some light bruising around my top lip, but it doesn't hurt and the pain in my lips is completely gone. It's still really hard to open my mouth to brush my teeth or eat, but drinking is way easier today. The swelling and the pressure in my lips improves by the hour. I can literally feel the swelling going down. So far, I am really happy with my lips! No complaints from me other than I'm starving and haven't really eaten in 3 days lol
Updated on 28 Jan 2017:
My swelling has really gone down today. My lower face is the most swollen for some reason and only my lower lip on the left side is a little swollen. I can start to smile again and eating and drinking is much easier today. My lips are quite so tender to the touch either. I love the size of my lips and I am so happy I did this.
Updated on 29 Jan 2017:
I can smile now, but not fully. My lower lip (left side) is still swollen. My lower face is much less swollen today and looks about normal now. Today feels really good. I am happy with my lips and my decision to do this procedure.
Updated on 18 Apr 2017:
So it's been 3 months since I got my 4mm Permalip. I absolutely love my lips and am so happy I did this. This is definitely one of the best things I have cosmetically and highly recommend it to anyone. Just as a point of reference, I have had one syringe of Juvederm up to 2 syringes at various times. My first time doing lip injections I got 1 syringe. I would definitely say that the 4mm is closer to 1 syringe (I think a little more). As I stated in my previous post, I have a very small face and I could not go any bigger. My lips also look even bigger when I wear lipstick for some reason (another reason I am so glad I didn't go with the 5 mm. I would look absolutely ridiculous lol). All in all, this was definitely worth the pain and a few days of hiding from the world. I am so glad I don't have to deal with lip injections anymore--not to mention all the money I'm saving! They feel completely natural. My husband cannot feel them at all. The only time I feel them is when I literally go to touch them. If you're debating this procedure, go for it. You will love it!
Updated on 8 Apr 2018:
So it’s been a year now and I am getting them removed this Thursday. I am extremely self-conscious about my smile. The top implant is too short and was placed to far back which restricts my smile and the bottom implant is too short and too high on one side and the thickest part of the implant is on the other side of my lip making my smile look really weird. I definitely like filler better and do regret getting the implants in my lips. I will update after they are removed so everyone can see what that is like and how I heal.
Updated on 8 Apr 2018:
Here is my smile before any filler or implants—looks so much better