POSTED UNDER Lip Lift Reviews
Kind of freaking out - worried I’ve made a huge mistake
UPDATED FROM limmymc
2 months post
Nose Change
I'm now heading into my 11th week and still on the roller coaster. Once and a while I'll think it looks good and feel better about my decision. Mostly though, I still have regrets, the biggest being the change in the perception of my nose.
I didn't really relialize how much an LL could change the perception of your nose and this is all about shadows. My surgeon put some of the stitches up my nose, cutting off the sills. Let me tell you that prior to this surgery I had no idea what a nasal sill was and now it's one of my biggest obsessions. Nasal sills curve under your nostril and cast shadows that make a difference to the appearance of your face. When they are cut into or shortened, they mess with the shadows. My nose appears bigger, the columella appears to hang down and my nostrils appear bigger. I emphasize 'appear' bc its not necc that these things structurally changed, but more that the shadows cast by your facial features (or absence of them) does have an impact. I've seen this pointed out by some of the more knowledgable surgeons and even bought a white paper online that suggested that this happend in about 1/4 of patients.
When I brought up my changed nose to my surgeon (via email) his assistant answered me 'Dr x doesn't know why you think your nose looks different as he didn't do anything to your nose') Which now is a MAJOR red flag to me bc if you are denying that a nose could change after surgery you prob shouldn't be performing them. My Dr. had an oustanding reputation for other surgeries but where I live there aren't a lot of surgeons specializing in them (unlike say - LA) so I made a mistake in hindsight.
For work I spend my days on zoom and obsess about how different I must look to people bc when I see myself back in the screen i don't look like me. I traded my long philtrum insecurity for a nose insecurity. And in addition to that my scar is stiff and my smile has totally changed - it's too hard to smile with teeth and if I do, my nose looks massive.
This is my long way of saying that if you are going to do this, address the nose and nasal sill question with your surgeon. But also know that despite the super strong rating of this surgery that it is not a lock. I know there's still time for this to turn around but I'm not sure it's worth the mental anguish I go through on a daily basis trying to convince myself that I look normal.
I didn't really relialize how much an LL could change the perception of your nose and this is all about shadows. My surgeon put some of the stitches up my nose, cutting off the sills. Let me tell you that prior to this surgery I had no idea what a nasal sill was and now it's one of my biggest obsessions. Nasal sills curve under your nostril and cast shadows that make a difference to the appearance of your face. When they are cut into or shortened, they mess with the shadows. My nose appears bigger, the columella appears to hang down and my nostrils appear bigger. I emphasize 'appear' bc its not necc that these things structurally changed, but more that the shadows cast by your facial features (or absence of them) does have an impact. I've seen this pointed out by some of the more knowledgable surgeons and even bought a white paper online that suggested that this happend in about 1/4 of patients.
When I brought up my changed nose to my surgeon (via email) his assistant answered me 'Dr x doesn't know why you think your nose looks different as he didn't do anything to your nose') Which now is a MAJOR red flag to me bc if you are denying that a nose could change after surgery you prob shouldn't be performing them. My Dr. had an oustanding reputation for other surgeries but where I live there aren't a lot of surgeons specializing in them (unlike say - LA) so I made a mistake in hindsight.
For work I spend my days on zoom and obsess about how different I must look to people bc when I see myself back in the screen i don't look like me. I traded my long philtrum insecurity for a nose insecurity. And in addition to that my scar is stiff and my smile has totally changed - it's too hard to smile with teeth and if I do, my nose looks massive.
This is my long way of saying that if you are going to do this, address the nose and nasal sill question with your surgeon. But also know that despite the super strong rating of this surgery that it is not a lock. I know there's still time for this to turn around but I'm not sure it's worth the mental anguish I go through on a daily basis trying to convince myself that I look normal.
Replies (11)
Thank you for your comment and I hadn't heard of lipliftjournal but will look her up. Thank you for suggesting that.
I myself am on my 7th day. Got my sutures out today. And my incision is super aggravated pissed off inflammed! I’m super nervous about the healing of the incision. I dunno I don’t regret my lip lift as my lips look so good. It’s just the incision that has me super worried. My Dr did assure me that she will give me free session to help with the scar. Good luck.
May I suggest some time with a makeup artist? I’m not minimizing or ignoring your concerns in the least- but I do think some changes in makeup can help alleviate some of your Zoom anxiety.
I'm totally open to that. I do put coverup on the scar. What were you thinking? I don't think you are minimizing my concerns btw and appreciate any advice and feedback.
I used to teach skincare and makeup for Aveda, and my reason for suggesting a pro makeup session is that it’s much faster to have a pro show you what to do to create your best face forward in your work.
Just putting coverup on the scar may actually hilight it on camera, and a good makeup pro can help you avoid that- so be sure and talk at length about what you want. I’d also recommend taking your laptop and lighting with you, unless the pro comes to you, so that you’ll be able to observe the changes on screen as they are applying to make up as well as film it so that you can practice it.
Zoom, or any other face to face platform requires a bit of special lighting- you probably already have a ring light set up? If not, you should consider it.
Makeup and lighting can create shadows that minimize things, and light areas that emphasize them- and that’s exactly what you want to do while still healing.
And thank you for understanding what I meant
Just putting coverup on the scar may actually hilight it on camera, and a good makeup pro can help you avoid that- so be sure and talk at length about what you want. I’d also recommend taking your laptop and lighting with you, unless the pro comes to you, so that you’ll be able to observe the changes on screen as they are applying to make up as well as film it so that you can practice it.
Zoom, or any other face to face platform requires a bit of special lighting- you probably already have a ring light set up? If not, you should consider it.
Makeup and lighting can create shadows that minimize things, and light areas that emphasize them- and that’s exactly what you want to do while still healing.
And thank you for understanding what I meant
UPDATED FROM limmymc
6 days post
Triangle shape
I forgot to add that my lips take on a triangle shape when I talk or open my mouth. They were pretty thin on the side and they seem overly lifted in the middle. Is this the swelling or is that bc the composition of my lip meant that it would always look that way?
Also I woke up today (6 days post surgery) and my lips seem to have swelled overnight. Unsure as to what is normal in the healing process. So many pictures of people who look amazing after 6 days.
Also I woke up today (6 days post surgery) and my lips seem to have swelled overnight. Unsure as to what is normal in the healing process. So many pictures of people who look amazing after 6 days.
Replies (7)
To me your lips look beautiful and I think you will eventually love them. I had a lip lift and felt mine were raised in the middle and not at the sides (the bunny look), which is the result you get from most surgeons. I have since read that some of the US surgeons include the sides but I didn't know this at the time. Wishing you well in your healing.
How are you feeling after another week? Hope you are healing well!
I would say I’m feeling better day by day but the biggest thing I’ve realized is that the recovery is much longer and tougher than many reviews would have you believe. I now understand that the final result will take months and that the swelling can last for months as well. For me at least, it was a much more dramatic procedure than I’d realized. I didn’t know my nose and nostrils would swell and still after two weeks I can’t smile normally and the wound is still healing. Three months is a long time to hide from people too. Anyhow - these aren’t complaints so much as I would have valued reading more reviews that talked about how this isn’t just a quick procedure where the swelling will go down in three days and you can be out in public in 10. That has not been the case for me. Thanks for asking by the way!
I’m feeling the same about my lip lift. Will you be adding more pictures? Has the triangle shape gone down at all?
No. Nearing week 6 and feeling sick with regret TBH. Will write up a full summary. I keep hoping that the three month mark shows improvement. I did NOT realize how crazy invasive this surgery was and how much it can change your face. All of the reviews I read made it sound easy breazy.
I am in the same boat. Mine looks like [RS bleep]. I am beside myself. I looked up so much before i did it and couldn't find anything like what j ended up with. Even now, there is only a handful of results online about negative experiences. I was completely blindsided.
ORIGINAL POST
Kind of Freaking Out
I’m on day 5 of my recovery from lip lift and worry I’ve made a huge mistake. I look distorted when I talk and it seems to have accentuated my lower teeth when I talk with no exposure of my upper teeth. I had a 17mm philtrum reduced by 4.5 mm.
I’m reading that peak swelling happens at 3 days and that it should start to settle.
I would be so appreciative of anybody who could share a healing journey where they also felt regret and how long it took for you. I’m in a job where I’m in a ton of meetings with people and worry that my coworkers, friends and family will think I look like a freak.
I’m reading that peak swelling happens at 3 days and that it should start to settle.
I would be so appreciative of anybody who could share a healing journey where they also felt regret and how long it took for you. I’m in a job where I’m in a ton of meetings with people and worry that my coworkers, friends and family will think I look like a freak.
Replies (1)
From experience, this is normal. I was barely able to close my mouth for the first week without straining my jaw unnaturally. After 2 weeks it began to look better. After 3 weeks (what I am at now) I am comfortable going out with friends and being around people. My lip lift looks great. I started with 13mm and ended up with 9mm. The first 1-2 weeks was the absolute worst.
I am sorry for what you are going through, and I appreciate you being so candid about your experience. I think the mental recovery needs to be discussed some more with this surgery (with surgeons I mean)
I wonder if you have connected with another member on here, lipliftjournal, as she has been struggling with the change to her nose as well.