Thank you for your question. Two important points are to use sterile saline and not sterile water. Sterile water will be painful when injected even if there were no needle involved. Saline is not painful when injected aside from the needle used. The second point is that whenever injections are performed, there is local swelling that occurs. Often times, this effect looks great, but is not entirely duplicated by fillers. The saline solution is absorbed over the course of a day or two. The swelling from injections can last for a week or more. I would only caution you that the effect you will see from saline injections in the face is not a perfect representation of what fillers will look like. If you are thinking about fillers, it is my experience that you would probably like the results. Fillers enjoy a very high satisfaction rate. Another thing you may consider is that if Hyaluronic Acid (HA) filler is injected (Restylane, Juvederm, etc), the effect is reversible if you don't like it. HA fillers are reversed with hyaluronidase in minutes. This is not the case with non-HA fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, etc. See a skilled injector that can give you more detailed information and help you make the best decision for yourself. All the best!