Hi all! As you may have read on my blog yesterday or seen on my Instagram, I got my lips done yesterday! This is not something that came out of the blue, I've been thinking about this for years. So after doing some research before finally doing it yesterday, I realized there are not many real stories on how the procedure is done, before-after shots, pro's and cons etc. That is why I would like to share my experience with you!
I wrote yesterday's article to tell you what I was gonna get done and why. The clinic I went to is the EnFace kliniek in Nijmegen, Holland. I had the appointment around 4PM yesterday, and after a night sleep I can tell you guys all about my first 'cosmetic' procedure! I went with my mom and she took some photo's, which I might as well share with you guys! I was not nervous at all, so when I came in the assistant asked me to lay down in the chair and soon the doctor came in with what I called new lips in a box, haha. 1,5 ml of Restylane is what we agreed to use for my top lip.
Restylane
Restylane is a FDA-approved dermal filler made of a biodegradable, non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid. It is a natural substance that is already present in your body and it provides volume and fullness to the skin. Because it is a natural product, there is no chance of getting allergies. It is a temporary filler which will slowly dissolve in a period of 9 to 12 months, depending on each person.
The treatment
The doctor explained that there is some numbing fluid in the product itself, so it would start working after the first few injections. I have two tattoos so I thought 'if it's just as painful as that, I'm gonna be ok!'. I am not gonna lie, after the doctor desinfected my lips and put in the first injection, my eyes teared up. Soon after that the injections got less painful. He did one side first so I could see the difference. After about 5 minutes it was basically done, my mom, the doctor and I agreed that the result was really good so we did not use any more product. We just used 1 ml of Restylane. It did bleed a little bit, but that stopped after 5 minutes.
When I got home...
My lip was pretty much numb for 30 minutes so when I got home I took selfies and I was all happy and smiling, but still putting ice on it every once in a while. When the numbness wore off it started to really hurt, because well, your lips are very fragile tissue and a needle has been going in and out for 5 minutes so it felt very bruised (no actual bruising though) and it was swollen a little bit. Eating, talking and especially laughing really hurt so I took some ibuprofens and cooled it with ice again before I went to sleep. When I got up this morning it was still a bit swollen and painful, and I have tiny tiny marks of where the needles were inserted. It should all go down within 24 hours after the treatment so I'm just going to wait and see :)
I underestimated it a little, as you can probably tell from my previous post. I did not talk about the part after I got the injections, because somehow I did not think it was gonna hurt. It does, but when I look at my new lip I am really happy I did it! For a next time I will just remember that you do kind of need to recover from it, since talking and eating can be painfull afterwards and you really do need to cool it with ice. But other than that, it is totally worth it!
Pro's & Cons
I have to say, I am REALLY happy I finally got this done! I think if you want something really bad, it is hard to find something negative, and I really can only think of two things.
Pro's
- Gettig your lips done with Restylane is completely safe, you won't get any allergies and it will dissolve after months. If you don't like the result, know that it won't last forever!
- It adds fullness and volume where you like it. (Can be used in other areas of the face as well)
- It looks very natural. Silicone based injections on the other hand, can really become a mess and leave you with very uneven lips and infections because it is not a natural product!
- Small procedure, as in: it does not take long at all to plump up your lips with Restylane! It took 10 minutes for me...The 'recovery' time is just one day, as it's sore and maybe swollen or a bruised for 24 hours.
- It is not pain free. I've heard some people have had numbing cream beforehand, so if you know you don't handle pain too well, make sure to ask for some numbing cream. There was some in the actual syringe, but it didnt work until after the first few injections. So yes, it is pretty painful at first!
- Price. It depends on each clinic, the amount of product, the area where you want the filler etc, but getting your lips done can cost you anywhere between €250 and €500 euros. Even though I'm sharing all this information, I don't like talking about prices, so long story short: it is quite expensive considering you might need to do it again after 6 to 12 months, if you want!
I am very happy with the results and I am absolutely gonna do it again when I need a little touch up :) I think it looks very natural and seen from the side, my top and bottom lip are equally full. I think that drags away the attention from the bump on my nose. Perhaps that's just my imagination, but regardless, I feel like this small procedure is definitely a BIG improvement!
What do you guys think??
