Almost 50, Various Folds Around Mouth and Chin. Cleveland, OH

I originally visited Dr. Goldman to talk about a brow lift and eyelid surgery. He suggested that I might be happy with simply a little Dysport to open my eyes up a little, plus some fillers in deep folds around my chin and mouth. I decided to try this less radical approach first. I appreciated that he looked at me as a whole person, and that he provided thoughtful, relevant options.

The Nurse Practitioner in his office, Margaret, chose Radiesse as my filler. We agreed that my right side marionette line and my right side nasolabial fold were what needed the most attention, but she did also use filler on the opposing sides, plus under my lower lip.

The procedure was very quick, no more than half an hour. I did not have any numbing cream beforehand because the product she used contained Lidocaine. There was some pain, but it was more of a dull burning as opposed to a sharp pain. I did bleed a little bit during the procedure, but just a few drops. She also did comment that I 'oozed' a little bit, but that was normal. Apparently, I sat way more still than some patients do, because Margaret kept commenting on how great I was doing. I admit it was partially that I have a decent pain tolerance level, but partly because I was petrified that I would move and mess up what she was doing :)

I saw results immediately, and was overwhelmed at how much better my chin and nose area look. The filler, and Margaret as she used it, did exactly what I hoped for. They simply soften the crevices. It is a huge difference to me, because I was self-conscious about the lines, but the people who have seen me so far who know what I did are all surprised in a good way about how I just look fresher, not "worked on".

The pros for me are that it was far less radical than surgery, not very painful, and the changes to my face were instant. I love how I look less stern and jowly, and how my face is a little more even.

The cons are that I am bruised a little bit more than I thought I would be. However, I put a little makeup on and went out and I look fine. Also, I am curious how long this will last. If it doesn't last very long, it could get expensive to keep up.

Hi!

It's 48 hours-ish after I got the fillers. I am still bruised, but the bruises are turning the colors that bruises do as they are healing. I'm not very self-conscious about them, but when I go out later I probably will put a little makeup on them. Right now, I am taking a break from working in my garden. I forgot about the bruises, so when an older neighbor came over to chat, I couldn't figure out why he seemed to be looking at my chin so hard. That could be my imagination though.

I would like to recommend that when you get something done, take before pictures as well as after pictures. I woke up this morning and looking in the mirror. The swelling is way down, but I was convinced my face had magically reverted back to how it looked on Wednesday, before injections. I was sure I set some medical history record for fastest absorption of filler. Of course none of that is true, but I had to take a picture this morning for comparison as well as reassurance.

I do feel a tiny, almost unnoticeable, bit of numbness in the area where I had a lot of work done, but it isn't interfering with anything.

Hi again!
I'm 72 hours out from getting fillers. My bruises are clearing up nicely, but I can already see my creases by my chin coming back. I'm kind of sad, I hoped that wouldn't happen so fast. I have a picture from today that I will post. I think things are awesome with my nasolabial folds, but my marionette lines are definitely sharper than they were even yesterday.

I'm trying to look at my face as a whole - and overall I am still happy. My eyes are a little open, my skin is already clearing up from the skin care I got on Thursday, and my crevices aren't bad. But it seems like a big changes in a few days.

I am going to take another picture tomorrow and email it to the nurse who did my injections to get her opinion. If this is the best it can be, I can totally live with that, but I want her professional opinion.

If anyone has any thoughts or experiences about this, I would love to hear about it.