My upper lip was so small (and with age related " smoking" lines) that whenever I smiled it just disappeared. I have high, prominent cheekbones and defined smiles lines on each side of my mouth (which I like) so my tiny mouth gave me the strange appearance of having no teeth at all. Also the folds along each side of my nose made long shadows that made my otherwise lovely face look drawn and sad. After looking at some pretty amazing pictures of Juvederm for lip enhancement and the lines, I was determined. I posted no pics because I think there are enough out there to help us make a decision but also drive us crazy with worry ! KEY TIPS gleaned from my own experience: 1. Go with the total understanding that your body is unique in all ways and it will need different things and it will respond in different ways to this procedure. Set your expectations accordingly! Start small.You can always add more. 2. Choose you Dr. carefully. Spend the extra money to go to someone who is really well versed in fillers and injecting and who you really feel good with. The best are those Docs who you tell you not only what the benefits are but what the limitations might be. This stuff is pretty damn great, but it's not perfect all the time. Also, get the numbing cream. It helps you not wiggle or jump in your seat which can bump the Doc. 3. Also, go alone to your own procedure! I have read so many reviews on here about people going with friends for support and " ending up getting it too!" and being really unhappy or having a bad experience. If you are really are nervous, take a friend but make sure this appointment is about YOU! This is your face! Take it seriously. 4. Like #1, your body is unique: swelling, bruising, odd shapes, lumps and bumps and uneven or distinct changes will vary from person to person post procedure. It REALLY ( REALLY) takes at least 14 days for your lips to get settled, even out etc. Docs or friends who tell you otherwise are only setting you up for freak outs! Ride out the changes and inconsistencies as you heal. Regular icing, oral Arnica and not touching your face will really help. My lip ( .6cc of 1 syringe) went through so many stages and it lasted 14 days!! I suffered the roller coaster of worry like many others and I looked at millions of pics of post procedure as well. It didn't help. By the time I had my two week follow up however, my top lip was perfect. I decided to have my bottom lip done (.6cc) then. The swelling and bruising experience in this case was totally different! More bruising and much less swelling and hardness and no soreness. I am now day four and it all looks pretty good! Nasolabial folds (.2 cc each side) are gone as well! Good luck!
I have had filler a handful of times over the past 5 years but not consistently. I have found my reason to be consistent. Dr. Lavanya Krishnan. She is the perfect blend of professional and personable. She expertly injected my lower lid area. She did such a great job that I felt confident trying new areas and have never looked better. I do not look tired, I look refreshed and rested. If you are looking for the best jive dream and Botox go see Dr. Krishnan. You will not be sorry, you will be a loyal follower.
Dr. Krishnan prescribed me isotretinoin, but unfortunately failed to demonstrate patient empathy from the initial consultation, through monthly check-ins, and all the way until the last. Worse still, she was not aware of the recommended safe cumulative dosage range overwhelmingly established by medical literature. She ended up severely overdosing me given my height and weight, and it only took me a simple PubMed search to confirm the medical consensus, so I was quite surprised that she would make such a simple but devastating mistake. I saw her 7 years ago, and every single day since she overdosed me I have regretted stepping foot in her dangerous practice. Due to her negligence, I experienced significant permanent hair shedding through my entire head and body, exacerbated inflammatory steatocystoma multiplex, skin craters, and permanent loss of night vision. With every subsequent visit she recommended treatment that made things worse every single time. After 3 rounds of this, enough was enough. Throughout this experience, she had a disturbing complete lack of empathy or patient bedside manner. With each followup treatment that made things even worse—and she charged extra for—she would simply keep suggesting further treatments that would make thing even worse, and of course, charge more. Had I known back then what I know now, I would have sued for medical malpractice, but unfortunately it is past the California statue of limitations. Please avoid at all costs.
Hi there,Recovery time is dependent on the strength of the chemical peel. With "stronger" superficial depth peels and "lighter" medium depth peels, you can often expect 5-7 days of peeling time. The peeling typically begins about 24-48 hours after the peel is applied. Prior to the start of peeling, your skin will begin to feel "tight" and wrinkled. Never forcefully pull any skin off after a chemical peel. You must allow the skin to peel off on its own. Use gentle cleansers and moisturizers for several weeks after the peel. Lastly, make sure to use sunscreen and practice sun avoidance after your peel.Hope this helps!
Hi there,Recovery following IPL is dependent on the aggressiveness of the treatment and on your skin type. I typically advise my patients to expect 1-2 weeks of recovery time. You should expect red spots and areas with blood vessels to become more red and swollen for a few days, often looking like a bad sunburn. Areas with pigmentation that are targeted for treatment often become darker and start to "flake off" after a few days. Typically the face heals faster than the chest and arms. The most important tips to remember during the healing process are sunscreen, sun avoidance and adequate moisturization. These measures will expedite healing and prevent unsightly scarring and pigmentary abnormalities. Hope this helps!
Hi there,There are lots of different factors that could be responsible for the uneven results including injection technique, desensitization to product, strengthening or weakening of muscles due to age thereby necessitating differing amounts of product on each side, etc. If your eyelid seems droopy only after injections, its possible you could have lid or brow "ptosis" - a side effect of botox caused by aberrant injection of the product or unwanted diffusion of the product. Take a look at any "before" pictures of yourself and make note of any eyelid or crow's feet changes in these pictures. If your lids are even in the "before" pictures, it may be worth it to show your injector the differences you see. Hope this helps!
I agree with some of the others - you have naturally full and beautiful lips. I would not recommend lip filler injections for you, but if you are very keen on doing so, I would recommend less than a full syringe of Juvederm (which is usually 1cc). In fact, I may only use 0.5cc and place the majority (if not all) of that into the top lip. I would also stay away from vermillion border injections as you have a very well-defined vermillion border (this is the lining surrounding the lips). Good luck and be sure to visit an experienced injector with particular expertise with lip injections. Hope this helps!
Hi there,It typically takes about 7 days for Botox to show its effects. I would wait till the 2 week mark and if you are still not satisfied with the results, please make an appointment with your injector for evaluation. It is possible that that you just need more product this time around. Rarely, patients can develop antibodies to Botox which make the treatments less effective. In that case, there is an alternate neurotoxin on the market (Xeomin) that theoretically does not cause the development of antibodies and should still be effective. Hope this helps!Lavanya Krishnan
