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17 days past LL - update on scar, swelling and lip size
It's been 17 days since my lip lift and I have been waking up every morning wondering how it may look on that given day.
I had a few worries and I want to share them with you in case you wonder about the recovery.
The scar: I was happy because for the first 10-12 days my scar seemed so pale and tiny that I didn't even think I would need to cover it up at some point. Wrong. Around day 12 I woke up and the scar was much redder than before. I got scared and wondered if I did anything wrong, put on too much/too little ointment, or if it got sunburned when I took the dog for a walk. I looked at other LL pictures and saw either scars that were nearly invisible (success) or that were thick and red ( labeled as "botched" by the poster). But then I read more scientific articles about wound healing and the stages of a scar. Girlfriend, it is actually normal and a good sign if your scar gets redder after roughly two weeks. That is the body's healing response and it means that deeper healing is happening. There is no infection (unless indicated by something else) and you didn't mistreat the scar. It's just a stage of healing that will probably last 2-3 months. On some days it will look a bit redder or more swollen, on others, it won't. So all good :) I started putting silicon gel on the healed cut on day 14 and add some ointment occasionally if I feel it's a bit agitated. Also, I add sunscreen for sensitive skin on top of that when I leave the house. It's ok if there is a small scar under my nose in the end, I do what I can to treat it to make it smooth and thin. Silicon gel has helped me in the past. I had a mole in my nose and when it was removed I had big stitches, raised skin pockets and it was very red. After maybe 3 months of silicon gel it turned so light and small - I can't see it unless I look for it.
Swelling:
The area above my lip is still swollen (more on one side than the other). It is less than in the beginning, but it's definitely worth mentioning. I also still have bruises that I treated with Arnica and Vitamin K. definitely much paler, but still there. For a few days I worried my lips were pulled to one side more than before, but it actually evens out slowly as the swelling diminishes. The area is definitely a bit stiff and doesn't move exactly as before the LL yet. And that's totally normal. So downtime is a bit longer than a week or two. I leave the house and don't even bother what others think about the scar, so that's ok. But it does look a bit funny when I talk, mostly due to the swelling and the limiting pull I feel when talking. It's not major, but to say it's just like before wouldn't be right. Oh, and I really find it hard not to laugh without guilt. But I doubt a giggle here or there will really diminish your lip lift. It's important for our well-being to feel some joy.
Lip Size:
The lip went down a lot, I still like it and hope it won't get much smaller. well, it will since there is swelling. It looks nice, you can see that the doctor lifted the sides of the lipa a bit as well. Very curious to see the final result. Of course I wonder if I should have went shorter/bigger - but as of now the result looks very natural and pretty, I think.
This is it for today - I hope my review may help you to feel less worried about your scar if it turned red or if you are on the fence because you wonder how long the downtime may be.
I had a few worries and I want to share them with you in case you wonder about the recovery.
The scar: I was happy because for the first 10-12 days my scar seemed so pale and tiny that I didn't even think I would need to cover it up at some point. Wrong. Around day 12 I woke up and the scar was much redder than before. I got scared and wondered if I did anything wrong, put on too much/too little ointment, or if it got sunburned when I took the dog for a walk. I looked at other LL pictures and saw either scars that were nearly invisible (success) or that were thick and red ( labeled as "botched" by the poster). But then I read more scientific articles about wound healing and the stages of a scar. Girlfriend, it is actually normal and a good sign if your scar gets redder after roughly two weeks. That is the body's healing response and it means that deeper healing is happening. There is no infection (unless indicated by something else) and you didn't mistreat the scar. It's just a stage of healing that will probably last 2-3 months. On some days it will look a bit redder or more swollen, on others, it won't. So all good :) I started putting silicon gel on the healed cut on day 14 and add some ointment occasionally if I feel it's a bit agitated. Also, I add sunscreen for sensitive skin on top of that when I leave the house. It's ok if there is a small scar under my nose in the end, I do what I can to treat it to make it smooth and thin. Silicon gel has helped me in the past. I had a mole in my nose and when it was removed I had big stitches, raised skin pockets and it was very red. After maybe 3 months of silicon gel it turned so light and small - I can't see it unless I look for it.
Swelling:
The area above my lip is still swollen (more on one side than the other). It is less than in the beginning, but it's definitely worth mentioning. I also still have bruises that I treated with Arnica and Vitamin K. definitely much paler, but still there. For a few days I worried my lips were pulled to one side more than before, but it actually evens out slowly as the swelling diminishes. The area is definitely a bit stiff and doesn't move exactly as before the LL yet. And that's totally normal. So downtime is a bit longer than a week or two. I leave the house and don't even bother what others think about the scar, so that's ok. But it does look a bit funny when I talk, mostly due to the swelling and the limiting pull I feel when talking. It's not major, but to say it's just like before wouldn't be right. Oh, and I really find it hard not to laugh without guilt. But I doubt a giggle here or there will really diminish your lip lift. It's important for our well-being to feel some joy.
Lip Size:
The lip went down a lot, I still like it and hope it won't get much smaller. well, it will since there is swelling. It looks nice, you can see that the doctor lifted the sides of the lipa a bit as well. Very curious to see the final result. Of course I wonder if I should have went shorter/bigger - but as of now the result looks very natural and pretty, I think.
This is it for today - I hope my review may help you to feel less worried about your scar if it turned red or if you are on the fence because you wonder how long the downtime may be.
10 days post LL update
It’s healing well, bruising and swelling still there but hopefully Vitamin K cream and Voltaren will continue to help with it.
I had a bit discomfort (itching and pressure) but nothing that made me worry. On day 8 about half of the dissolvables were gone and I pulled the rest (gently) with tweezers.
The area above the lip feels numb and stiff, my smile is certainly not natural yet but it’s also nothing I wasn’t prepared for. It’s very hard to try not to laugh at funny stuff, I don’t want to stretch the scar by accident.
Will put ointment on for a few more days. After 2 weeks I’ll start silicone gel. Scar is a bit red but healing well.
I hope the lip will not shrink away, I like the fullness :)
I had a bit discomfort (itching and pressure) but nothing that made me worry. On day 8 about half of the dissolvables were gone and I pulled the rest (gently) with tweezers.
The area above the lip feels numb and stiff, my smile is certainly not natural yet but it’s also nothing I wasn’t prepared for. It’s very hard to try not to laugh at funny stuff, I don’t want to stretch the scar by accident.
Will put ointment on for a few more days. After 2 weeks I’ll start silicone gel. Scar is a bit red but healing well.
I hope the lip will not shrink away, I like the fullness :)
Loving my Perfect Lip Lift by Dr. V!
I had been tinkering with the idea of doing a lip lift for a few months after reading about the procedure for the first time. I didn't completely dislike my lips, but I had a scar next to my nose that pulled my smile to one side. Not majorly, but enough for me to not like it. Plus, it's almost impossible to ignore the length of your philtrum once you know it could be shorter and improve your look.
Living in the LA area I did some research and decided not to go with a local doctor, for one reason I find it overpriced, and also I wanted to make sure it will be done by someone who does also reconstructive work. I had my nose job done by a physician in Beverly Hills some time back and the high price ticket (and great reviews) didn't match up with my result. So I looked for doctors nationwide and found two in Utah that I considered, their wait time was very long. I got antsy and did more research. That's how I found Dr. Varkarakis. I looked for results that were natural and a technique that wouldn't create a scar including my nostrils. Looked at his Instagram and Facebook posts and it made me realize this is not only a talented doctor but also someone who is passionately involved in helping others. He does a lot of reconstructive surgery and even developed his own lip lift technique that saved a lady's botched lip. It includes working on the tissue and muscles underneath. I can't really explain, so it's best to ask the doctor yourself :)
I called his assistant Alexa, who is such a sweet, warm person! It's a joy to talk to her on the phone and in real life. She will also be the one who assists the Dr. during the procedure, she is simply amazing! I scheduled an FT consultation, paid $75 (will be taken off your bill if you decide to get the procedure) and when I talked to the doctor I immediately knew I was in great hands. He noticed the small lack of symmetry and explained how he could help release the muscle tension. I was excited and said I would love to get an appointment very soon. They made it happen, instead of waiting until later in September, they offered me to come in on a Saturday, just for me. Wow.
I flew there, met the doctor for almost two hours the day before the procedure to talk about all details, I showed my photoshopped "dream lip" and we took before pictures.
On the day of the procedure, they gave me a valium to relax, and some laughing gas to relax some more right when he did the numbing shots. Originally we spoke about taking up to 8mm off, last minute I asked him to not take too much off because I had seen some pictures of a poor girl on RealSelf whose LL was botched and got nervous. He took roughly 5-6mm out and took his time to make everything perfect. I forgot how long it was before, maybe 18mm. I was nervous about being awake during something like this, but it wasn't bad at all. No pain, I kept my eyes closed, too :) It took roughly two hours because he had to remove scar tissue and really made sure that everything would be perfect. How lucky am I! He used dissolvable sutures and they were barely visible.
No pain medicine was needed afterward, I went to my hotel and iced for a long time. I do have a precondition that makes me bruise and swell very easily, so don't be surprised about my swelling. It is certainly unusual. But didn't hurt much, it didn't get too hard either. The doctor called on the evening of the procedure to ask how I felt, the next day we facetimed and 2 days post procedure I had an in person check out. Besides the swelling and bruising everything looked good :)
My nose didn't change besides a bit of swelling in the tip, it made it look cuter because it pointed up for maybe two days. But it already came back to almost normal. Nostrils are not affected at all. The scar only is from one nostril to the other, the scar is very short/small.
My family was a bit stunned, my bf thought I had turned into one of BH housewives, haha. I told him this is NOT the result yet. Swelling has gone down tremendously starting day 4. I iced for the first three days, then change to warm compresses. Have been taking arnica and bromelain, also an arnica/vitamin k topping. For the actual scar I use Bacitracin with a Qtip until 2 weeks after the procedure, then I will start with silicone gel.
You can see the change in the pictures, I am already so happy. The bruising is fading and I love the new lips already so much. Will continue to post updates. Dr. V. seems to me like the best-kept secret for us LL candidates and his pricing is absolutely fair. You will get the best, personal treatment and always deal with him and Alexa directly. They remember everything you mention to them and are so attentive and warm, I will come back for different treatments. It is so worth it.
Living in the LA area I did some research and decided not to go with a local doctor, for one reason I find it overpriced, and also I wanted to make sure it will be done by someone who does also reconstructive work. I had my nose job done by a physician in Beverly Hills some time back and the high price ticket (and great reviews) didn't match up with my result. So I looked for doctors nationwide and found two in Utah that I considered, their wait time was very long. I got antsy and did more research. That's how I found Dr. Varkarakis. I looked for results that were natural and a technique that wouldn't create a scar including my nostrils. Looked at his Instagram and Facebook posts and it made me realize this is not only a talented doctor but also someone who is passionately involved in helping others. He does a lot of reconstructive surgery and even developed his own lip lift technique that saved a lady's botched lip. It includes working on the tissue and muscles underneath. I can't really explain, so it's best to ask the doctor yourself :)
I called his assistant Alexa, who is such a sweet, warm person! It's a joy to talk to her on the phone and in real life. She will also be the one who assists the Dr. during the procedure, she is simply amazing! I scheduled an FT consultation, paid $75 (will be taken off your bill if you decide to get the procedure) and when I talked to the doctor I immediately knew I was in great hands. He noticed the small lack of symmetry and explained how he could help release the muscle tension. I was excited and said I would love to get an appointment very soon. They made it happen, instead of waiting until later in September, they offered me to come in on a Saturday, just for me. Wow.
I flew there, met the doctor for almost two hours the day before the procedure to talk about all details, I showed my photoshopped "dream lip" and we took before pictures.
On the day of the procedure, they gave me a valium to relax, and some laughing gas to relax some more right when he did the numbing shots. Originally we spoke about taking up to 8mm off, last minute I asked him to not take too much off because I had seen some pictures of a poor girl on RealSelf whose LL was botched and got nervous. He took roughly 5-6mm out and took his time to make everything perfect. I forgot how long it was before, maybe 18mm. I was nervous about being awake during something like this, but it wasn't bad at all. No pain, I kept my eyes closed, too :) It took roughly two hours because he had to remove scar tissue and really made sure that everything would be perfect. How lucky am I! He used dissolvable sutures and they were barely visible.
No pain medicine was needed afterward, I went to my hotel and iced for a long time. I do have a precondition that makes me bruise and swell very easily, so don't be surprised about my swelling. It is certainly unusual. But didn't hurt much, it didn't get too hard either. The doctor called on the evening of the procedure to ask how I felt, the next day we facetimed and 2 days post procedure I had an in person check out. Besides the swelling and bruising everything looked good :)
My nose didn't change besides a bit of swelling in the tip, it made it look cuter because it pointed up for maybe two days. But it already came back to almost normal. Nostrils are not affected at all. The scar only is from one nostril to the other, the scar is very short/small.
My family was a bit stunned, my bf thought I had turned into one of BH housewives, haha. I told him this is NOT the result yet. Swelling has gone down tremendously starting day 4. I iced for the first three days, then change to warm compresses. Have been taking arnica and bromelain, also an arnica/vitamin k topping. For the actual scar I use Bacitracin with a Qtip until 2 weeks after the procedure, then I will start with silicone gel.
You can see the change in the pictures, I am already so happy. The bruising is fading and I love the new lips already so much. Will continue to post updates. Dr. V. seems to me like the best-kept secret for us LL candidates and his pricing is absolutely fair. You will get the best, personal treatment and always deal with him and Alexa directly. They remember everything you mention to them and are so attentive and warm, I will come back for different treatments. It is so worth it.
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