I got filler in my lips.

And I'm really happy about it.

Years ago, my dear friend (who also happens to be a very talented plastic surgeon in NYC), Dr. Steven Levine, talked me out of getting filler in my lips. Not because I have some plump luscious lips. Far from it. But because, he explained, “everything on your face is in proportion to the rest of your face.” So while if you looked at my lips isolated, would they look fabulous plumped up? Yes, but they would also look out of whack with the rest of my face. That sounded remarkably reasonable so I went along with it. Until one day I didn’t.

Fast forward a few years, and the delights of aging, my upper lip has decided to slowly start disappearing. So I ran back to Dr. Levine and he agreed, a TOUCH of filler could help. Not to give me lips that are unnatural looking, but to give them back a bit of what they lost (and then some, I begged!). When I first walked in the door, my husband was horrified. He didn’t realize that the initial swelling would go down, and he absolutely 100% took the piss out of me, as the Brits says. But when it went down, it almost went down to too natural looking. Did I want them to look slightly ridiculous? How could I possibly have been wanting them to look swollen like they did immediately after?

Lips immediately after.

Since that first filler experience just over 2 years ago, I have gotten it done two more times. Most recently, 3 weeks ago, hence the inspiration for this article. I swore up and down that I would only do it in NYC when I did it…but drumroll please….I did it in New Jersey and I could not be happier with the results. Here are my takeaways, of the experience. What you can expect, what you should ask for, and why it isn’t as scary as you think.

1. What to Expect…when you’re filling your lips:

Expect feeling uncomfortable. Starting with the numbing cream they smack all over your mouth when you get there - once it gets on your tongue and in your mouth, it’s just such a weird feeling. It’s like your tongue is swollen and you worry your throat may close up. But it doesn’t. And also - you need the numbing cream. TRUST ME.

Expect to feel some pain - even WITH the numbing cream. They are, after all, sticking a needle into your lips that are very tender. It hurts like a mother. But not so bad that you won’t do it again. And again and again.

Expect to look a little ridiculous, even if for a day. Think Goldie Hawn in First Wives Club. Although this time around, I truly don’t think it looked ridiculous. Those that know you well (like a husband or BFF), will immediately notice something different, but it’s just for the first 24-48 hours. Once the swelling wears down, ridiculousness should subside.

Expect to be really happy with the results IF you go to the right person. Which is key here. There are a lot of botched lip jobs people. Which also boils down to what you should ask for. So here we go on that.

Numbing cream over the mouth

2. What to ask for:

I’m going to go with my own personal experience here, so adjust as needed to suit your own needs/preferences. I wanted to have slightly more luscious lips than God gave me. Nothing outlandish, because as Dr. Levine told me, it would look weird on my face. And I waited until my lips truly needed it. So what did I ask for? I asked for a very natural looking pout that was not going to be obvious to anyone that I had anything done. And let me tell you - there are dead giveaways. The duck pout being the key here. You can always tell when someone has had bad filler because their upper lip almost sticks out like a duck bill. It has a swoop that is unnatural.

I went to Dr. Eric Bock (a real doctor, not a chiropractor or someone that decided to slap Dr. onto their name) at Alania Aesthetics, and let me tell you he was a gem. I asked him to go easy - and he did. He said it’s a lot easier to add more filler in then it is to remove it. He also made me move my mouth around a lot before he did anything, to see what my lips did on their own. He also put a touch more into my cupids bow which I haven’t had done before but it gave it a more pronounced shape, without the duck bill look. I asked him to make it look like these were my own lips - and he did. The true test is that after the swelling died down, my husband admitted it looked natural. Which he NEVER does. And Molly didn’t even notice because she thought they looked so natural - she always notices. This doesn’t mean that you can’t tell. I can tell. It just looks seamless and God-given, not like an injection. Isn’t that all we can ask for?

Mid-injection, you can see how one side is just a touch fuller…

Night of injection - I don’t hate this plumpness….

3. Why it isn’t as scary as you think:

Does it hurt? Sure. But it’s fleeting. We’ve all heard the phrase “beauty is pain”, which actually stems from a French saying that translates to “one must suffer to be beautiful”. Do I think that I need filler in my lips to feel beautiful? Of course not. But do I feel better when I look in the mirror when I have it? Absolutely. And that is the beauty of, pun intended, beauty. It isn’t a one size fits all. And if you are a person who believes big old lips might not be what you were born with, but you will inflate your lips like a balloon, and that brings you joy, I say go for it.

It also isn’t permanent. Most go away within 6-9 months, and if you really hate it, there are ways to reverse filler. I haven’t done it, nor do I know how, but I do know you can.

I, for one, can’t wait to be back in the hands of Dr. Bock in Westfield, NJ (never thought I’d say that), but I trust him, and I love how he listened to me.

For those that are afraid of starting this journey, there are a few products that I have heard great things about. Dr. Lara Devgan Lip Plump is a gloss-like option that tingles your lips. The Ourself Lip Plumping Duo has gotten a ton of buzz and press, so I need to try it at some point - maybe the perfect option for when I’m due for my next injection ;)

Three weeks post-injection, what these lips used to be…but a bit better.

And if I ever start to look like a crazy person, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me a DM and tell me to look in a mirror, k? Because this community is about honesty and it has to go both ways.

Hope you’re enjoying my twice weekly ramblings. I love hearing from you - always tell me what you like/don’t like. That’s what I’m here for - just doing the Lord’s work.

xx Emese