I’ve never held back when it comes to sharing my beauty secrets, whether my favorite cleanser or the latest professional treatment I tried. This is my job after all, and I’m a big believer in practicing what I preach. Ask me a question and I’ll give you an answer (and anyone who knows me personally will attest to this).
My relationship with injectables goes back to 2002, when I got Botox for the first time. I was 26, enjoying my beauty-editor life in New York City and intrigued by the idea of a shot smoothing out the “11” that was beginning to make its presence known between my eyebrows. Well, it worked, and I’ve been getting regular Botox and Dysport injections ever since. I’ve also tried Radiesse and Voluma to keep my nasolabial folds to a minimum—but one thing I’ve never tried was filler in my lips. That was until two weeks ago when I paid a visit to a long-time colleague (and friend) Dr. Steven Fagien in Boca Raton to give Restylane Silk a whirl.
I told a few friends about my plan and everyone kept saying that lip injections really hurt. I wouldn’t say I was nervous since it seems like almost everyone has done it at some point, but I was definitely relieved when Dr. Fagien explained the process, which included numbing injections (which would also help minimize swelling) before shooting me up with the Restylane.
If you’ve ever experienced lip-numbing via injections, you know how wacky it feels. If you haven’t, let’s just say it makes your lips feel HUGE (I was able to see mine when I looked down) and talking is kind of embarrassing. However, this is a small price to pay for feeling little more than pressure when the filler is injected into your lips. I did feel a bit of pain when Dr. Fagien injected the corners of my mouth and my philtrum (that vertical groove the runs from your nose down to the cupid’s bow of your lips), and I’d say Dr. Fagien spent 10-15 minutes injecting and inspecting my lips, injecting a bit more and stepping back to assess (over and over again).
I was nervous to look in the mirror because my still-totally-numb lips felt enormous. I had mentally prepared myself for the worst but was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t look the least bit scary. (I had also prepared my son just in case I looked beat up when I picked him up from school.) My lips were definitely a little swollen, and this is what I looked like when I got in the car. Not bad, right? (I kind of wish they still looked like this, which is apparently a common request when patients go back for their next treatment.)
I was still pretty numb after a few hours, but I didn’t think twice about leaving the house—and I was already wondering why it took me so long to try lip injections because I LOVED how they looked. When I got to school, my son said it didn’t even look like I had anything done (and frankly, he seemed a bit disappointed that he didn’t get to see me looking jacked up). The numbness totally wore off at about the same time, and then my lips started to feel sore. Any sudden pursing hurt (way more than anything I felt while they were actually being injected).
I went to my son’s basketball that night and looked completely normal—albeit with a much plumper pout. I was still significantly sore, but had absolutely no bruising to speak of. The next day, my lips were still a bit tender—but I was so obsessed with them that all I wanted was to wear a super-shiny gloss. The soreness lingered through Sunday (my treatment was Friday), but by the end of the day my lips felt like my own again.
Here I am almost two weeks later, and now that I’ve done it I’m totally hooked. I even made a note in my calendar to book another appointment with Dr. Fagien in six months because I wouldn’t consider going to anyone else—and I don’t ever want to go back to my old lips again!
While I was there, I got Dysport as well. It had been a year since my last injections (for no particular reason) and although I had regained full facial movement, I don’t think my face looked all that bad. But I did forget the sheer joy you feel when it kicks in a few days later—so much so that I understand why neurotoxins have been proven to have a beneficial effect on depression.
Now I have a smooth forehead, nary a line around my eyes, subtly lifted brows and plumper lips that are all working together to make me look that much more relaxed and refreshed. Other than looking better and feeling better about myself, my main takeaway is that I can’t believe I waited this long to get Dysport (again) and try filler in my lips. Though barely perceptible to anyone else, these small improvements have made huge difference as far as I’m concerned!
P.S. I’ve been totally off lipstick since I got Restylane Silk, and all I want to wear is a shiny clear gloss. I’m loving the Plumping Lip Treatment by Replenix because it’s super-moisturizing, not sticky and it gives my new-and-improved lips a little extra oomph (not that they need it).
