Restylane - New York

Hello, Since April 2008 I have received three sets of Restylane injections in my lips, 1 mL each time. After my initial injection in April 2008, I got another treatment in October 2008 as it is suggested to follow up every six months. I then got my third and final treatment in May 2009 and it is now July 2010 and I am more than satisfied with the size of my lips so I have not sought out more treatments. This is largely due to the fact that if you do the 6 month follow up, I heard the Restylane is less likely to reaborb as quickly or something so its effects are more prolonged. Anyway... about the treatment -- everything went pretty normally (I got the dental block before the injections). I am very squirmish when it comes to needles, especially in the lips since it's such a sensitive area. But for all three times I have managed my way through it. I did get very dizzy during the last treatment so I rested for a few minutes before leaving the office. Only one time out of the three did I get any substantial bruising. The bruising is very hard to conceal but Arnica gel is a savior for ridding the bruising quickly. Once I healed up and the swelling went down, I was pretty satisfied with my look. I get most of the Restylane injected in my top lip so it is more similar to my bottom. My lips are kind of pouty to begin with so I definitely have that "done" look the first month or so but for some reason I like how it fits my face (I have a pretty round face and full cheeks so I like how the lips kind of balance it out strangely enough). My only complaint was the second time I got the injections, I developed white dots (almost like whiteheads) underneath my lips. After some research, I've learned that this is called the "tyndall effect" which occurs when the restylane is injected too superficially within the lips. So apparently what I am seeing is the particles beneath the surface of my lips. Over time this has faded though my lips were very pink originally so it's still noticeable to me when I look very close in the mirror. I do not understand why this occurred since I went to a very experienced plastic surgeon. Maybe the big name plastic surgeons get lazy when it comes to the non-invasive and less expensive procedures? Who knows. Regardless, I am very happy with the shape of my lips and I would recommend this procedure!