My Surgisil Permalip Lip Implant Journey. Long and Detailed... - London, GB

After several months of research and plucking up courage, I booked my permalip surgery and now it is suddenly 1 week before the procedure!! I have had juvaderm ultra (1ml, then 1.3ml) before, which gave me a taster of having lips just a tad fuller. However the effect of this wore off after about 2 months so this habit could prove costly! Also, I always got lumps after the injections which can apparently build up over time creating scar tissue. So I'm cutting out the injections and trying for a more permanent option. My before pics shouldn't have any filler left, but there is a slight chance there is some residual left in there, but regardless you can see how small my mouth is.

I have booked a "see and treat" consultation with Mr Roy Ng in London. I'm confident this is the best option for me as I have done a lot of research myself beforehand so don't think I need any more time to reflect. However if after the consultation I do, I will re-book. In my head, after looking at people's before and after stories on here with similar lips to mine, I'm hoping to be offered 4mm top and bottom but let's see what my surgeon suggests. He's the expert. I'm worried my mouth is too small for any of the sizes?!

Hubby is supportive of my choice, he's not quite sure why I am doing it and constantly tells me he loves my lips as they are, but he loved my lips with juvaderm so I've assured him it will be a similar outcome but permanent. If either of us absolutely hate it, I'll get them removed. He's coming with me. Mum is sad and upset, but she was about my breast augmentation 8 years ago and now she thinks they look great. Sister thinks I am the biggest weirdo and that I need therapy... Dad I am not telling, he would freak out at the cost and the butchery, really wouldn't get it and I don't want to put him through unnecessary angst. If he notices (I can go 2 months without seeing him) I'll say it's a new plumping lip balm! Best friend, who loves new procedures is excited to see results. Other close friends (who are not surgery advocates) I am only going to tell if they notice. Only as they have my best interests at heart and I'd have to do so much explaining about the procedure so they didn't freak out and stage an intervention! Who knows, maybe they'd be right to?!

I have absolutely LOVED this site for reading everyone's stories so I hope I can be as much help! I am planning to update my journey regularly for you to see the progress (and tbh, for me to see it documented out in front of me) and I'll probably need a lot of reassurance. If anyone is going through recovery at the same time, please get in touch, I'm such a worrier it'll be nice to have someone to worry and obsess over lips with! Fingers crossed this story has a happy ending!

On consultation for permalip Dr Ng recommended the 5mm to me. His reasoning was any smaller would not be wildly noticeable as I already had shape to my lips. However he let me know the risks associated with the 5mm and as it related to an elongating of the Cupid's bow, this did ring alarm bells. I like the fact with lip liner I can make my lips look quite pouty and doll like. This is much more preferable to me and my partner than the longer, thicker (sausage) lip look. Also, with the 5mm in a small (in length) mouth, ridging can occur on the upper lip and lips will be more straight. He advised that with the 4mm you have the chance to essentially dress them up or down, with makeup. I thought this sounded like how I treat my breast augmentation. With a padded bra they look huge, with no bra they're modest yet full and I've always enjoyed this about them. However the down side of the 4mm is that they're much less noticeable. Looking at and touching the implants, the difference between 5mm and 4mm looked vast! I thought the 4mm were the 3mm! But he explained the 3mm are completely pointless so weren't on display. Whilst I was so excited to be offered the 5mm, looking at it I just couldn't imagine it in my lip and looking natural and was really leaning towards the 4mm. Mr Ng explained that if for any reason the implants shift position, a re-do is included in the price. If I decide the 4mm is not big enough I can also pay £500 to get the procedure redone with the 5's. All aftercare is included in the price as is an explant. So I decided to go ahead with the procedure.

I should mention that I really warmed to Mr Ng (and Belinda the nurse who kindly explained all my meds to me and assisted in the operation and Serena the patient care coordinator who was so prompt at answering my queries prior). My consultation was ever so relaxed and informative and nothing felt pressured or hurried. I was given all the information, pros/cons of both sizes and plenty of time to decide. Even though I had booked a "see and treat" appointment, he made it clear that if I needed more time, I could leave it that day and rebook. I'd made my mind up though. 4mm top and bottom it was...

(Two hours post op)
I am unrecognisable the swelling is so severe! Just unlucky with that, apparently some people will swell hugely, some won't at all and there's no telling. I'm 32, healthy and a non smoker. Mr Ng was wonderful, really calming and reassuring that this was a totally normal reaction for some people. I have a little bit of blood around the incision sites and corners of my mouth, however I'm so swollen I can't inspect the incisions so I don't know if they are wide open or anything, or if the blood is normal? Theres a lot of white patches, red patches and the beginning of what looks like blue patches. My lips are tight! Like they feel they will burst. Not easy. Not nice.

(Five hours post op)
I'm finding I NEED all the painkillers I can safely take! Then the pain becomes manageable, but as they wear off the pain is about an 8/10. With the drugs, more like a 5/10. I'm ice-ing for 10 mins a time, every hour. The pain you get from resting ice on your lips for 10 minutes is preferable to the pain when the ice is not there I'm finding! Incision sites are really stinging, but I can't see what's going on there, I'm imagining the worse, that it's wide open and my implant is sticking out but this is highly doubtful! The colour of my lips has gone back to normal (ish) now.

(Seven hours post op)
Somehow, the pain is only about 3/10 now. It would be wonderful if it stays like this! However I'm led to believe the worst is yet to come.

Without this site and all the research I'd done, right now I'd be freaking out and getting myself to A&E! It's such a dramatic look!