Just a quick disclaimer: This is not an invitation to tell me what I do or don't "need" to do to my own body, so if you came looking for somebody to attack for wanting to be happier with their appearance, you are going to be disappointed as I don't care for negative opinions! Also, there will be no graphic images of needles entering lips so if you don't like that stuff, you're in luck. If you did want to see that, however, I'm very sorry to disappoint you.
So on to the important part, what it was actually like. Here is a photo of my lips both before and after the lip fillers. I had 1ml of Intraline filler, about two thirds of the syringe of filler was injected into my top lip, as that is what I wanted to change most. I didn't have an issue with my bottom lip, I just wanted my top lip to match more. 1ml was a good place to start, but I still think I will get another 1ml done within the next few weeks as I would still like my top lip to be fuller in the sides.
I had my lips done by Kirsty from Retreat Aesthetics who cover most of the North West of England. So yes, I am in the UK, but I hope that even if you aren't, this will be helpful for you anyway.
I thought I should probably mention that I have 10 tattoos and a few piercings, so while I can handle some pain, my pain tolerance isn't particularly high. I am actually a bit of a self professed wimp. That being said, if I had to rate the pain out of 10, I would probably say it's about a 4, but it is short lived and bearable, and definitely worth it.
Before the actual lip fillers, a topical numbing cream is applied and left on for about 15 minutes until it starts to work. This bit felt strange as my lips tingled and the inside of my mouth did start to go numb so I couldn't really talk. I was very nervous (but on the surface I looked calm and ready) lol, but Kirsty reassured me, and we began.
The first injection came as a bit of a shock as I had worked myself up for the pain but wasn't sure exactly how it was going to feel. It was pretty painful even with the numbing cream, and I wouldn't ever do it without some form of numbing. It was a succession of quick sharp, stinging pains, and oddly, the left side hurt more than the right, and the bottom lip was the most painful part. I did start to feel a bit faint part way through (hey, don't judge me, at least I'm being honest with you) and so we stopped for a breather and Kirsty was very nice about it. I should add that it is an eye waterer. My eyes were streaming, which was embarrassing but apparently it happens to everyone. All in all, it was over relatively quickly and even though I've made it sound horrendous, it wasn't too bad.
The next day, there was some swelling and my lips bruised, but nothing unbearable and I was able to go to university and I didn't look like I had just had lip fillers.
I will definitely be getting it done again, and I am very pleased with the results from the first go, and I will update accordingly once I have had the second lot.
I hope I have given a detailed enough description of the procedure, and I hope that if you're considering lip fillers, I haven't put you off too much.
Big love,
Bekki X
