Lip Lift at 30!

It's been 3 months, and I'm really happy with my results! This photo is natural lighting, no makeup on my face, no filters. The scar has continued to heal and look much less noticeable with time. I have also done microneedling treatments on my face and make sure to focus on the scar. I feel like that's also helped with the appearance and I will continue to do that. I will also post a photo of myself with makeup at some point, so you can see what it looks like with full glam.
For me, the recovery has been pretty smooth. Did I initially freak out about the scar in the first month or so? Yea, but I reminded myself not to judge too soon and got over it. You must remind yourself your body takes MONTHS to heal, you have to trust and be patient with your body to do it's job. I've also had other surgical procedures that were much more invasive, if you've never had any work done, this recovery may seem more emotionally difficult, it's all about perspective and experience. I try to be positive uplifting to others about this stuff, not to minimize the recovery, but to say that the end result and the light at the end of the tunnel is what you should focus on, otherwise, we would all scare ourselves out of doing most procedures. I also think being masked and not having people see my scar the first few months helped mentally not think about it so much or have to explain anything to anyone. I would recommend if you're thinking about it, do it now because being around people when it's healing I think would make recovery a bit harder.
Overall, I love the amount of tooth show I have and the shape of my lips, it's the perfect amount. I wanted my teeth to peak a little bit with a resting mouth as I think it's more feminine and sexier. You have to be mindful that the more you take out the more your teeth will be visible, if that's something you don't want or may be self conscious about, you have to be more modest. My lip fillers were weighing down my upper lip a lot and previously had no upper teeth showing when I spoke which I didn't like at all, now people can see my smile when I talk and even a little when my mouth is rested. IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

Dr. Pearson sat down with me before the procedure to go over what my personal expectations were and what I was hoping to achieve. He is very thorough and goes over everything in great detail, asks me what other questions I have, and what the recovery process will be like. He leaves no room for you to feel unsure or anxious.
The procedure itself was pretty smooth and seamless. He drew up the area he was going to remove, applied the numbing medicine to ensure I absolutely don’t feel anything and then he started. I didn’t feel a thing the entire time and he was even talking to me during the procedure which also made me feel relaxed. It was quick and painless!
Also, his office window overlooked the ocean and it was calming to have that view and the breeze coming in, the entire experience was much more relaxing than any of the other cosmetic procedures I’ve had with other doctors. I was initially nervous about going alone and driving home after, but I was in no pain during or right after the procedure and I felt fine driving home after.
The pain starts to set in a few hours later, I took my pain meds so it dissipated, but there was just a slightly uncomfortable feeling to sleep the first night and to eat. I’ve been mainly eating soup and soft foods because chewing hard hurts and puts pressure on the upper lip. I woke up pretty swollen these last 2 days, but I hope I’m past the worst part as I go into day 4.

After having rhinoplasty, I felt like the space between the tip of my nose and upper lip became more elongated, which was aging me and also made my mouth area look more masculine. After looking into tons of before/afters, I discovered that Dr. Pearson is one of the few who specialize in lip lifts in LA and after looking through his work, I felt that he was the right doctor.
After my consultation, I feel even more comfortable and confident with Dr. Pearson. He explained the procedure is done in office with local anesthesia and patients can take a relaxant if they're nervous. He said about 4/5 patients are fine without it and typically drive home afterwards, this made me feel so much better knowing it's a lot less intense than I was expecting. I have my procedure scheduled for Dec 14th. 
I'm hoping to at least take off 5mm. Over time, it will drop a bit and I'd like to avoid getting another one later on so I'm hoping to shorten as much as possible.