POSTED UNDER Lip Lift REVIEWS
Lip lift with Dr. Farhad Rafizadeh
ORIGINAL POST
Lip Lift with Dr Farhad Rafizadeh
beeautiful7December 6, 2018
WORTH IT$4,000
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.
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.
UPDATED FROM beeautiful7
4 days post
Day 4 Post Op
beeautiful7December 8, 2018
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.
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.
Replies (6)
December 9, 2018
It will only get better. Your fiancé is correct
December 13, 2018
double check with your PS but for now i would recommend NOT using peroxide. my PS recommended a gentle cleanser (i hope youre not using the scrubber on your incision!!) a few times a day + a constant, thick layer of aquaphor.
December 16, 2018
I only used the peroxide to clean around the steri strips after the first day. I did read that it can hinder healing and dissolve the stitches quicker. I have been cleaner the area with hospital grade antibacterial soap on a q-tip. Scrubber was used to clean around the incision. What is aquaphor? Is it similar or better than neosporin?
December 16, 2018
better than neosporin. neosporin is okay but sometimes it has ingredients intending to speed up the healing process. you want this to go at its own pace with no interference. for now it's okay and won't be harmful. i can't recommend aquaphor/vaseline enough!
UPDATED FROM beeautiful7
5 days post
Freaking out a little bit
beeautiful7December 9, 2018
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.
Replies (7)
December 10, 2018
Do not touch the area unduly. You are in very early stages of healing and it looks quite good. How long is your philtrum now vs before?
December 10, 2018
It was 19.3 mm on one side and between 20 and 21 mm on the other. It should be about 16 mm now, but I have not measured. Do you know how often bacitracin should be applied? I try not to let it bother me, but it gets irritated and the neoprene seems to help.
December 10, 2018
Do you see scarring? From the photo, I don’t see any redness, I just see the black stitches
December 10, 2018
Yes, the picture quality doesn’t show the detail, but the scar is definitely noticeable close up. One side looked nicer than the other. Bubbles were forming from the skin healing over the stitches and one side was slightly red. This is all normal though and will go away as it heals now that the stitches are out. I will post a pic with no stitches in a few days once the tape falls off. I’ll see if I can get a better pic quality too.
December 11, 2018
Looking forward to your updates, especially in a month. I hope you're healing well. I'm getting mine done in a week.
Replies (20)