Lip lift with Dr. Farhad Rafizadeh

I can’t believe I just got a lip lift. I went back and forth on my decision literally up until the point I was sitting in the chair. I was so nervous I was making a mistake, but I’m confident only 2 days later that I will be happy with the results. Of course, I won’t know what it truly looks like for a few months and haven’t even seen the stitches yet so I will post updates with pictures. That way I can share my full experience with anyone else looking to get this procedure.
My reason for getting a lip lift was because I disliked my top lip size and shape. It always disappeared in pictures when I smiled. The distance between my nose and top of lip was about 19 cm on one side and 20 on the other. I asked Dr Rafizadeh to correct this asymmetry and give me a more balanced look. He is a real artist so I knew I was in good hands. We discussed taking off about 3 cm with a 1 cm difference on each side. He hid part of the incision inside my nostrils but not much due to the shape of my nostrils.
So far my post op care has consisted of keeping my head elevated (even while sleeping), eat soft foods, and take it easy. I was told not to ice or remove the tape. If the tape was to come off for any reason I would have to keep bacitracin on it. I was also told to stay away from any blood thinners. My biggest complications are keeping my lips moist and figuring out new ways to brush my teeth.
My nose, upper lip, and even cheeks are swollen, but not as badly as I expected. It was painful the first day, but tolerable after that. 7 hours post op I did experience a throbbing pain on my right side as blood seeped into the bandage, but it stopped after a few seconds. I noticed the right side was more swollen than the left. The office reassured me that this was nothing to worry about. On day 2 I have noticed the swelling has evened out and is starting to go down. I am excited and nervous to see what’s underneath the tape. Stitches come out on day 6.

Swelling in the surrounding areas has gone down and the tape is still on. I have been cutting back the tape as it starts to curl up which makes it a little more comfortable. I wash my face with warm water, soap, and a face scrubber at least twice a day, but have been cleaning the immediate area with peroxide and applying neosporn on any exposed areas quite often.
I was so nervous my fiancé was going to think I ruined my face especially these first few days, but it’s actually the opposite. He thought I was crazy for doing this, but is now complementing my judgement and thinks it definitely enhanced my face.

The tape started falling off from washing my face too often. Good news, I finally got to peak at the scar underneath and nothing looks infected. Bad news, I’m freaking out a little and wondering if I made the right choice. Everything looks great, but I’m worried about the scar and wondering if the risk is worth the reward. I think these feelings are common after surgery. I read some horror stories of the scar changing for the worse 6 months after the surgery. I also read that the younger you are, the more collagen you produce and the more likely your scar will become hypertrophic. Still loving the results and I am so happy I went with Dr. Rafizadeh. I am surprised at how symmetrical he made my lips look. The right side has less volume and my teeth are slightly crooked, but the top lip border looks amazing. Stitches come out tomorrow and I am looking forward to talking to Dr. R about scar aftercare.