Lip Augmentation: Stories

I'd always had a really thin upper lip, so I decided to get lip injections back in January '08. I went in for Restylane, because that's all I'd heard about, but my doctor ended up giving me Juvederm Ultra.

I had one syringe injected over the course of two visits about a week apart (only because I wanted to be very conservative with the initial injection, in case it looked horrible). Most of it went into my upper lip, and a little bit went to the bottom edge of my lower lip to give it a more rounded look. I was wary of the cost because I'd heard these injections only last for a few months, but it's over a year later and it's definitely still there. I can't find the picture I took of my lips right after the injections, but they were just slightly bigger and more swollen than my current "After" picture.

The procedure itself was extremely simple. It began with a dental block, which is an injection to numb the nerves of your face. That was easily the most painful part of the procedure, but it was over very quickly. My entire face was numb while he did the lip injections, and I got to hold a mirror up and watch while he did it and tell him exactly where I wanted more injected, or if it wasn't symmetrical, etc. After the procedure, which took about 15 minutes, they gave me an ice pack and sent me home. I had no pain at all and kept the ice on my mouth constantly for the rest of the day. There was a lot of swelling on the first day, and bruising on the second day, but my lips looked basically normal (if a little puffy) by the third day.

Over the course of the year my lips have gotten slightly smaller, but I actually like them more now than immediately after the injections because they look very natural. I am very happy with the results and would do it again!