My Lip Lift Journey

I visited Dr. Talei in Beverly Hills for the Lip Lift on 6/25/20. This is a procedure I’ve been dreaming of before I even knew it was something that existed! I remember pulling my lip up at age 15 so I could see my teeth, and just wishing it would stay up. The procedure is very pricey (to me) at $7,800. Since I still haven’t gotten to the “finished result”, I can’t fully say yet that it was worth it. However, I do have full faith that I found the best possible doctor for the job. His results speak for themselves, and I’ve been following his work since 2017.I was forced to put a star rating before writing this, which I don’t feel comfortable yet doing. I put 4 stars with hopes that my results will be amazing, however, I can say now that the staff is disorganized, disconnected, hard to contact, and impatient. I’m really trying to give benefit of the doubt as they’ve all just returned to the office from being closed for Covid-19 for 3 months.But for almost $8K, I was expecting top-notch service that sadly is not the case. I want so badly for them to surprise me each time I call or email, but it’s always the same poor service. As business owner myself, the disorganization is hard to deal with. I get passed around when I call, my client coordinator forgot to give me my pain medication Rx, which I ended up needing on day 2 (she blamed the doctor as my surgery was very early and she wasn’t there).I went in last week to get my sutures removed by the nurse (didn’t see doc), and I told her there was something tight in my nose and asked if it was a suture. Without looking, she said there are no sutures inside of my nose. Upon further investigation at home with a flashlight, there IS a suture in there and it’s pulling really tight on my left side. So yeah, little things like this add up to “bad admin”, and it’s definitely disheartening for the price. Final results of my lip lift are yet to be seen. More updates to follow!

I may have spoken too soon on the office staff. The issues I’ve had did happen, HOWEVER, the past few days since I’ve had some questions/concerns on my healing process, I’ve been in touch with the medical concierge in the office. Her name is Bnar (goes by “B”). She’s been SO helpful, attentive, and patient! I’ve really appreciated her help and calming personality. . In fact, she’s lined up a call for me to speak to the doc today about my main concerns (hardening around lips, tightness inside of nose, and difficulty closing mouth completely).
Photos attached of days 9, 10, & 11 process.

The healing continues! For those considering a lip lift with Dr. Talei specifically, please keep in mind that because of the technique he uses, the healing is a slowwww process. He doesn’t just cut the skin, pull it up, and sew it under the nose (as many/most do). He cuts the skin, as well as the muscle so as to release tension. That’s why his incisions DO NOT pull tight, “buckle”, and leave a red, thick scar. However, this method leaves a lot more healing for your face to do below the surface.
As of today, 3 weeks: I have what I call “marbles” above the corners of my lips on each side. Hard balls that I can feel under there, and that seriously make me look crazy when I smile or speak with expression. My nostrils are still a bit widened as you’ll see in a few of my pics this time. Three weeks is when Dr. Talei & his staff say that “strangers won’t know you had anything done”. Well...that may be true because I can easily hide my scar, but these strangers will think you look strange, and odd, and joker-ish if they see you smile or speak. Thank goodness for MASKS!!!!
I FaceTimed with Dr. Talei on day 12 and he encouraged me to trust the process, be patient, and assured me that the final product will look quite different than right now. Which I’m grateful for, cuz I’m not happy with the “result” at this point. I miss my smile SO much. I miss looking normal.
More updates after my 4 week checkup next week!