Much like potato chips, you can’t just have one.  I’m referring to fillers peeps.  I had my very first injectables and fillers back in January of this past year [see DEFYING GRAVITY], and I recently went back to see Sari Hoban, PA-C at Westside Aesthetics, for a quick touch-up of Dysport on the crows feet around my eyes.  HOWEVER, while I was at it, I consulted with Sari about fixing a subtle asymmetry on my upper lip that was brought up during our first consultation.

The fact that my lips were slightly asymmetric wasn’t that big of a deal.  It’s not like it kept me up at night, but it was something that stuck out in my mind after I noticed it.  I didn’t fix it during the first round due to my deep fear of coming out of the doctor’s office looking like a typical over-injected Beverly Hills housewife.  Fixing my crows feet and smile lines were more than enough.  What changed my mind this time was…well, why the fuck not?  I loved all of my results from my first round with Sari, which were so subtle and natural, so I trusted her to do my lips right.

THE PROCEDURE

Sari applied numbing cream on my lips, which is always the first step since it takes a moment for the numbing effect to set in.  I got a bit of the numbing cream on my tongue, and it made my mouth numb like it would be at a dentist’s office.  She offered me nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas), which is available at no additional cost.  Uhh, YUH.  Sounds like a fun day at the doctor’s office to me, (I’ll discuss more of the nitrous oxide in PAIN TOLERANCE in just a bit).  I also iced my lips right before the injections.

She used Volbella, which is an ultra soft and long lasting hyaluronic acid filler. Sari filled in both my upper and lower lips to balance them out, and it took maybe a total of 5-10 minutes for the whole procedure.

My lips did swell right after the procedure, but it softened after just a day.

PAIN TOLERANCE

I’m not going to sugarcoat this.  Compared to all the other procedures I’ve had done, this may have been the most painful.  Your lips are extremely sensitive because of all the blood vessels.  Even after the numbing cream, the nitrous oxide, (which works quickly but also leaves the body quickly allowing me to drive home safely after my appointment), AND the icing, I could still feel the sting of the needle.

For those who are scared pantless of pain, don’t freak out.  The pain is only milliseconds long.  It was more of the prick of the needle that stung, but once the needle is in the filler itself has a numbing agent that eases the pain a bit.  My personal pain tolerance for any beautification procedure is limitless, so please be forewarned: this procedure can be prickly.

AFTERCARE

Here are the rules: no kissing, no makeup, no workouts, and no usage of straws for the first 24 hours.  Basically nothing that will make your lips do any more work than it needs to other than eating and talking.  Sari applied arnica gel on my lips right after the procedure.  I had a minor bruise on my upper right lip since that’s where I had the most filler injections.  The bruising went away after a few days.

I wasn’t too strict on any of the aftercare steps after the first 24 hours, but I did receive a lip treatment aftercare pamphlet and this is what it suggests:

• Avoid sun exposure as long as redness persists
• If the treated area is swollen, an ice pack can be applied on the site for a short period.  Ice should be used with caution if the area is still numb from anesthetic to avoid thermal injury.
• Minimize exposure of the treated area to UV lamp exposure and extreme cold weather

COST

The lip treatment I had done costs around $500.  It’s a pretty penny, but I was told that it does last a while (9-12 months).  However, since we do use our lips more often than other parts of our face, the longevity may vary.  I’ll let y’all know when I go back for a touch-up.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment below and I can always follow-up with Sari if I don’t know the answer myself.  Also, if you are local to LA and want to visit Sari for a treatment, just mention KANGTHROPOLOGIE to receive a 10% discount on your service.

xx, Linda

Top: Stone Cold Fox (Porcelain print is SOLD OUT, similar look, similar look) / Short: Stone Cold Fox (Porcelain print is SOLD OUT, similar look) / Lariat: Lulu DK

Photographed by Mire Yang