Although I had pretty full lips prior to my injections, my lower lip had always been disproportionately large compared to my upper lip. When my mouth was closed, I had a nice pout. But when I smiled, my top lip would fuck right off like I offended it.
While it wasn’t my most prominent physical insecurity, it was something always in the back of my mind when cheesing for pictures or putting on a sickly-sweet smile in the name of customer service. So, when I had the opportunity to enhance my cake-hole, I took it.
Obviously, the first thing I did when weighing my options did my research. Going into anything blind — especially exams and first dates — is rarely a good idea. I got to looking for where I could potentially get them done, what kind of costs I should expect, the healing process, how painful it would be and the different types of lip injection products there are. Surprise: there are quite a few.
My life was made easier when a friend told me that she was planning on getting her lips done during a study date we were on. She knew the nurse, would get a great deal and several of her friends had gotten them done at the same place with awesome results. After she went through with it back in December and I saw her end results, I wanted them even more.
So, I did a little more research. Like how much of the product you might want to get (there are different portions of the product you can get injected). My friend and her friends that she went with ended up only getting 0.5 mL. And they looked perfect.
Despite my friends’ great results, I wanted my lips a little more pronounced. So, I talked to the nurse and asked her what she would recommend. She told me that most newbies preferred to get less; while I took her advice into consideration, I didn’t want to waste my money in case there wasn’t as dramatic a difference as I wanted. When I sent her a picture of my lips, I was relieved to hear that my lips could handle more because they were bigger. With next-to-no or smaller lips, its best to slowly work up or else they will look botched.
So, I decided to go with 1 mL because I really wanted to achieve the results I wanted and there was only a small difference in price between the two — so why not go all-out?
Just like some people are drawn to eyes or hair — I have always gravitated towards lips. I love me a guy with nice juicy puckers and I wanted them for myself too.
I called the nurse and asked her on a Thursday when the earliest available date was to get them done. She gave me a couple of dates — the closest being the Saturday after my call with her. Naturally, I booked it right there and then because I wanted them done ASAP.
Before going, I looked at the different shapes of lips I wanted and what would best suit my face. I didn’t want to come out looking like Donatella Versace: I wanted a natural enhancement to my lips, with a little more of the product targeted at my upper lip and cupid’s bow.
I looked up reviews regarding the lip injection product that I would be using, which was Stylage. There were many great reviews which helped ease my doubts, especially when they were compared to Juvederm. Stylage was said to come out looking softer and more kissable, while Juvederm was typically more firm and all about the density (not to bash Juvederm, this is still a great product that I will probably test out in the future).
Then, I looked up what the procedure would entail and how potentially painful it would be. There were a lot of mixed reviews, but for the most part, it was compared to that of a tattoo or even a piercing. Since I have a very high pain threshold, I wasn’t all that worried in the first place, but it was nice to get an idea of what it would feel like before diving in. Some people said it was pretty painful, while others said it was only minimal discomfort.
Going in, I felt pretty confident. I knew exactly what I wanted, had a general idea of what to expect — and more than that, I was super stoked to complete my first step to becoming a hoochie mama (kidding, but seriously).
However, of course, when I rolled up to the clinic I got a wave of anxiety: cold sweats, non-stop fidgeting — the whole shebang.
The minute I met with the awesome nurse, I attacked her with questions and immediately began to ramble about anything and everything because I was so nervous. She was very patient with me, and as we got to talking my nerves quickly switched to eagerness.
After going over everything that I should know, she applied the numbing cream to my lips and the surrounding area. We chatted for fifteen minutes or so for the effects to fully kick in, and then she rolled up with her needles.
I kept my eyes closed at first, figuring the sight of them would be the worst part. She told me that at the beginning she would say “poke” before each injection and when she muttered that very word for the first time, I tensed up.
Until I realized I didn’t feel a thing — despite the fact that she told me it would be relatively painful.
I’m not kidding you, there was legitimately no pain throughout my experience. For others there definitely was, so thank gosh for my pain threshold. I laid relaxed and completely unbothered, even when she got to my cupid’s bow, which she said would be the most painful part. Still, I didn’t even flinch because it was about as painful as puppy kisses.
When it was over, she thanked me for being so relaxed because it made her life that much easier. She was able to really focus on the details and when she was finished I was very pleased with the results.
I was also told to expect a fair amount of bruising and swelling, but I only experienced this for the first two days. After that, my smoochers were just fine.
Overall, if you are thinking of getting them done — GO FOR IT. The experience was amazing and I couldn’t have been happier with the end results.