Restylane: Stories

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My Lips Look Like a Scary Nightmare Right Now...I Guess We'll See - Bay Area, CA

  • Worth It
  • Cost: $500
  • Bay area, CA
  • ouchhhh- 21 hours post treatment
  • ouch- 21 hours post treatment
  • 4 weeks post treatment...look bigger in the picture because it's a close up.
  • 4 weeks post treatment...look bigger in the picture because it's a close up.

Well I've always had a good experience with...

  • 28 Mar 2012

Well I've always had a good experience with lip fillers before. I've had it done last 1 year ago and before that 2 years with another doctor in another state and never had any problem until now. It was my first time using restylane ( have only used juvederm in past) but this doc didn't have juvederm and said restylane and juvederm are the same. So whatever I went with it did one syringe, I wanna say 0.8cc.

The treatment was yesterday. My lips were kind of swollen after not too bad, go home and about 4 hours after the treatment my lips all of a sudden tripled in size. Looks like someone beat the crap out of my lips, no bruising just extremely extremely swollen, could barely drink, had to eat in very tiny portions and chew slowly. Then the pain kicked in. I was taking arnica and ate pineapple which may have helped with the bruising but not with the swelling. I started to question myself last night because of how big they looked and slept horribly.

So its the next day now, 21 hours post treatment, swelling only went down the tiniest bit, the pictures I posted are from today. I'm highly considering going in to have those injections to remove the restylane because from the looks of it the left side of my upper lip is extremely uneven with the right. Just worried because I've never had this kind of swelling anymore, not to mention I can't leave the house looking like this and I'm bored out of my mind and not sure I have the patient to wait this out not knowing if it's just swelling or if it's over injected. Sorry if i'm rambling or all over the place just freaking out. What do you guys think?

It is now 32 hours after treatment my lips have...

  • 28 Mar 2012
It is now 32 hours after treatment my lips have gone down greatly in swelling, I really think it's all because of the arnica pills I've been taking and the arnia gel I've been applying to my lips. My left side of the upper lip still looks bigger then the right but I will see in the next couple days if it evens out. The thought of anything else getting injected into my lips at this point makes me cringe, I think my lips have had enough.. but if it's absolutely necessary I will have to have it injected with hyaluronidase. Just hope my review helps others out that were freaking out like me about swelling, it will definitely go down just give your lips time to heal (they have been put through a lot after all)...

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Comments (16)

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So glad I found your post. I just had it done today and everything was fine. After a nap my lips were severely swollen and painful! Couldn't talk or eat. The swelling has now started to subside. I made a mixture of vaseline and ambusol and it did the trick for pain.
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you look great!
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I had restylane injected into my lips yesterday and my lips didn't really swell. To me it looks like not different, just a little, bigger my original size. My dr said he wanted a more natural look but I think I might have liked a little larger. Oh well. I did notice though my upper left side of my lip has a lump. My dr said that might happen and to just massage it. That is now what I have been doing and hoping that makes a difference. I also noticed that my left upper side is a little bigger than the left. I hope it is only noticable to me and no one else. But overall, I am pleased with the results and they do look a little fuller.
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Ok so I slept upright the rest of last night and used a Budweiser beer as a cold compress because I ran out of ice , I must say my lip looks at least 30% better. I'm so relieved to say the least. I'm actually seing if the selling goes down another 20% I'd be happy with my lip augmentation and would definitely do it again,I couldn't and wouldn't have said the same seeing what my lips looked like last night. All in all ladies and gents don't get discouraged if your obscenely swollen the day after Restalyne I'm still recovering and am already pleased ...I'd say just plan some definit down time next time and it'll be fine.
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Thank u so so much for your post !!!! I too woke up after having my lips injected with apox only .03cc of restalyne (bottom lip only) and freaked out at 1am to find my lip had swollen drastically. I've iced it now for a couple hours and it's gone down just a tad but after reading your post Im a little calmer. I had to call into work tomorrow because I look like I've been punched (so unexpected ) I had my injection at noon and left feeling confident even returning back to work for the day but then to wake up at 1am finding a horror in the mirror. I'm hopping this swelling will soon ,very soon subside . I like th full lip look I just hope I can achieve the same once the swelling goes down ....if it goes down.
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I went had Restalyn done want to remove lip wrinkles and my lips looks fuller and I like that but will this help the lip wrinkle ,That was main purpose to have it done..Does anyone know if in time will the lip wrinkle fade or is it just for full lip??Only been one day got them done and I have the lump on the right side of mouth ..Does lips better as filler sets in ???Please anyone that can help answer my questions I greatly appricate it
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Please add a picture of just the lip area so I can see what you mean for certain. I do know that for a few days, an expert can manipulate the product into certain areas better. Not all providers are experts, and they all have their skills and weaknesses. If you send a pic I will be sure what you mean.
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Wow, sorry to hear that that's crazy!
You have to be really careful who you go to, some of these "doctors" or med spas have people doing these treatments will little to no experience. What makes it even worse is if they mess up they'll never admit it and even if they offer to fix it, would you really want them to fix it? Probably not. So finding the right injector or doctor is extremely important.
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Hi there,
I have done some Restylane, 18 months ago in my cheeks, and 3-4 months ago there is 3 lumps under my eye and cheek area, have been to see one GP two surgeons, and paying for all these app, none has clue what to do. They suggesting MRI then under eye bag surgery, which I fined bit drastic, but is on my face and close to my eye. Don't realy know what to do, but for all woman out there, think twice and don't believe they can do all what they say>. At the end of day they are after your money$$$$$
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Actually, I used to get the old kind of bovine collagen years ago, and sometimes (rarely) that would happen to someone. The plastic surgeon I used to use for the collagen removed that lump under my eye one time with a TINY, expert little slit from a surgical knife and neosporin ointment on it. No scar whatsover! Of course, a dermatologist cant do this. But I would consult a great facial plastic surgeon and its just an in-office procedure wit a little numbing cream. 5 minutes. Due to the cost of maintaining an out-patient facility, the price of malpractice insurance, etc, it might cost about $500 or so. You should get the consult even if its $100, and then when you get the full cost, ask your restalyn provider to agree to pay for the corrective, inpatient surgery. It is a chaep fix for him and a REAL
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I forgot to add that, since Restalyn doesnt blend in as smoothly as JDerm, I have this lump inside the right lower lip that sticks out inside my mouth, just a tiny bit. I keep biting that same spot when I am trying to eat! It is very painful and just as it starts to heal, I keep biting it open again! Part of this is the varied degrees of ability with product placement from one doctor to another. It is very precise and can account for evenness, smoothness and how natural you look, and even a vast difference in how long a product lasts. Please post another pic when you think all the swelling and initial product loss is settled . Thanks, and if you have to use anything to reduce the product, please let us know how it works.
BTW yes, Restalyn DOES feel different than JD! But in the nose tip, for me, it is the only thing that works!
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Did you ice at all? I iced the crap out of my lips the entire afternoon and evening after my injections. The swelling is normal. Once they've completely settled in a week you should be quite happy. Please, DO NOT go ANY bigger. They are going to be FABULOUS.
Please pretty please post pics after a week or more. And some smiley shots too. When I had Restylane my lips were lovely when closed but as soon as I smiled the lumps and asymmetry became very obvious. I blame the injector. Word to the wise, have your injections scheduled BEFORE the staff takes their Caesar salad and 3-Martini lunch hour.

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Thanks for the comment. My lips have gone way down thank god. But I would never use restalyn in my lips again. Juvederm is way better. I don't care what the doctor says it's in my lips I can feel the difference not them. Juvederm feels more natural. I will try to post some recent pics, they don't look bad anymore just feel weird.
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Hi, thanks for posting this info and photos. For me, Restalyn was thicker and not so smooth of a filler as Juvederm. I used it in my nose tip with good result, (remember Cruella DeVille in 101 Dalmations Disney cartoon? That is how my nose looked). Also ONE TIME when the doctor got my lips uneven, I could not afford another vial of Juvederm but Restalyn came in a smaller size so I let her finish with that. It was fine but the product dissipates at different rate than Juvederm does, so after 2 years I am still trying to get my lips even! Each visit, they put extra in one side to even it out, and next visit, the OTHER side is too small, haha! Soon they will be naturally even. Only Juvederm in lip area for me now. Restalyn is thicker feeling and I think it does not absorb as smoothly. What do you think? Please post updated photos. You might try using just a little product to reduce the size, but give it 8 weeks according to what I am hearing. Best to you, the part of the face I see in photos is young and beautiful, so hang in there!
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I am sooo glad to hear some of the swelling has gone down!! I would love it if you would post a photo so we can see what they look like at this point.

Hoping they continue to go down to a point that you are happy with them!!

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Wow, they really are swollen. I don't blame you for freaking out. Here is a Q&A to read. A lot of the info doesn't apply to your specific situation, but you will see Dr. Kao mentions the swelling typically lasts 7-10 days so hopefully it will go down quite a bit more for you.

How Long Does Swelling After Restylane Last?

Here are a couple that sound more in line with what you are experiencing:

How to Reduce Swelling and Bruises on Lips After Restylane?

Upper Lip Severely Swollen from Restylane.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing & what you decide to do!

  • Reply

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