Lip Filler and Lip Enhancement

What happens during a lip filler appointment?

The appointment starts with what you want changed, in your own words, and with the injector assessing lip proportion, the border, the balance between upper and lower lip, and how the lips behave when you speak and smile. That assessment decides product and placement; the same amount of filler produces very different results depending on where it goes. Topical numbing cream is applied and given time to work, and most hyaluronic acid products also contain a local anaesthetic, so the injections themselves are more tolerable than people expect. Placement is done incrementally, with the injector sitting you up to check symmetry as they go rather than only at the end. The appointment is short, but the assessment before it is the part that determines the result.

What is recovery from lip filler like?

Expect swelling. Lips swell more than any other area treated with filler, and they swell immediately — what you see leaving the clinic is not the result, and judging the outcome on day one is the most common cause of unnecessary worry. Swelling peaks in the first day or two and settles over the following days. Bruising is common and can be covered with makeup once any injection points have closed. Ice, sleeping with your head slightly raised, and avoiding strenuous exercise, alcohol and very hot drinks for the first day all help. Lumps that can be felt in the first week are usually swelling rather than product and generally settle; anything still palpable after that should be reviewed rather than left. A follow-up appointment is the right place to assess the final result.

Am I a good candidate for lip filler?

Most healthy adults who want more volume, better definition or a correction of asymmetry are candidates. Treatment is not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and is deferred if there is an active infection or a cold sore outbreak on or near the lips — filler can trigger a recurrence in people prone to them, and anyone with a history should mention it, as preventative treatment may be advised. A history of severe allergy, certain autoimmune conditions, or previous reaction to filler all need discussion first. Realistic expectation matters as much as physical suitability: lips that are naturally small will look like fuller versions of themselves rather than like someone else’s, and an injector who says so at consultation is doing the right thing. If filler is not the answer, a lip flip or no treatment at all may be.

Lip filler compared with a lip flip