SallyAnne

Scottsdale: You sound a lot like me! I like to get the little touch-ups so no one will notice when they deflate a bit. I want it to always look natural and not come in, six months later for a big old shot of product. THAT looks bad, I think. I get half to one fourth vials as well. But this last one was too much, I think. I DO know it'll settle down in a month and I AM going to wait about six months to see the changes. But I'm also going to listen to your kind words -- screw the haters! If certain older, classic actresses were around when resty and juvie was around, would people accuse the beautiful lips of Brigitte Bardot or Sophia Loren or Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe of having injections?! Probably, and they looked gorgeous. And you've got the full Bardot lips down gorgeously! Lucky you!

BTW -- I'm also the same way with my hair! When it starts looking too rooty, gotta get that touched up!

Thanks for the support. You're a valuable member on here. You have such a good view on all this. You've made me feel a lot better today:)

psoldoff: Yes, fingers crossed! I'm confident this will all resolve. Our bodies WANT to get rid of things. I just think this stuff sticks around and mixes things up far longer than these doctors tell us. But in time, we'll be back to our selves. I bet you look better than you think you do too. I mean, my lips have caused me all kinds of panic at times, when I've had a few over-fills and it went away on it's own -- I looked like same old me again. As the eyes are less forgiving, it's not the same, but it IS the same material, so I think it just takes extra time. I had an enormous bruise on my arm from a car accident -- it lasted for months and months. Of course I never felt ashamed because it was an accident, not something I felt silly about (vanity), but it took a long time to heal, and it was ugly! But it healed. And this will too. Our bodies want to heal.

Keep me posted. I'm so sorry this has caused you such stress, but since I understand and empathize completely, it would be nice to lift each other's spirits! And you deserve it!

Peiper Bean: No, thank you! You are a reminder of what this should look like! I think people, especially those who have negative experiences, lose sight of what a good doctor can do. And what kind of expectations the person should have. I did just get a fill about a week ago, and it's too much. My lips looked fine before, and still had enough juvie in them. And yet... I went ahead and asked for a tiny, tiny touch-up. Now I feel insecure and worried, but since it's happened before and it did settle down after a month, I'm just going to try to relax and just go with it. In the meantime, I'm going to remember you anytime I'm tempted to go in for any more early tiny tiny touch-ups. I will wait! So again, thank you! It's experiences and looks like yours that make this kind of thing less scary.

You have a wonderful day as well!

PieperBean: Your lips look like the PRIME example of how a filled lip should look -- natural. Your smile is beautiful and spreads evenly, you don't have the dreaded trout pout, you don't look like a cat, you look like a beautiful happy woman.

I struggle with just getting a tiny bit more and I always feel like I overfill and it bums me out. You look wonderful. This has been an inspiration to me that less is more.

Thanks so much!

psoldoff: Thank you for your post. I wish every woman considering this procedure could read this, because it would really help them research more and weigh the pros and cons.

Too often the doctor makes it seem like such a tiny little thing. "Oh, it'll be fine in a week. It's just swelling. You're overreacting." etc. and so on. They don't consider both the patients anatomy AND their self esteem. I really think doctors should talk to their patients at length about not just the procedure, but how one might FEEL after. Even if done well, some patients get depressed. It's an invasive thing that changes your appearance and it can cause obsession and sadness in people who walked in quite normal and healthy. I also had this done. Once, it was just fine. The second time, a year later, it was a nightmare. Huge bruise, lumps, had some of it dissolved, but that never really helped (probably made things worse), and a year and a half later, I too have noticed more eye bags. Some days are OK, others I wake up and I'm like "Oh my god!" I never had eye bags before, my problem was sunken in eyes. Well, not anymore. I'm pretty sure most of the product is gone, but now I will have to suffer with eye swelling more frequently (especially before and during my period). I also developed dry eye syndrome from this, and I've just had to accept that now too.

Please don't be too hard on yourself. One thing I believe is that, through time, it WILL just heal. Our bodies do heal themselves, but when we have unnatural product placed in there, it can take longer or our bodies will get confused. It's just that it takes so damn long... A lot longer than doctors tell you.

I've had my lips done. Very nicely and sometimes overdone -- but it's always gone away. But the eye area is really tricky. Again, there really should be a long discussion before this is done and it should be done in small steps.

Thanks again, and keep us posted. You've been through a lot. I totally understand.