BEAUTY: TRIED & TESTED:
Charis Torrance tries out lip fillers.
Fillers seem to be on everyone’s lips (pun intended) these days, with more and more celebs admitting to having had a bit of help with their perfect pout. I tried it for myself and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
Whether it’s Angelina Jolie or the Kardashian/Jenner clan giving you pout envy, here’s a disclaimer: they weren’t all #bornwithit. I’ve always been jealous of my best friend’s full lips, so when the chance arose to try out lip fillers, I put my hand up.
Lip fillers are dermal fillers that are injected into your lips by a cosmetic surgeon (that part is important; having them done by your friend’s cousin’s neighbour is not a good move) to plump them up. There are various substances that can be used, but the most common is hyaluronic acid, the effects of which are temporary.
Although lip fillers are pretty innocuous, they have a bad rep, due to some people overdoing it (hello, trout pout) or going to the wrong person for the procedure. I did some Googling and ended up in a dark place on the internet where all the fillers-gone-wrong horror stories live. My excitement quickly turned to fear. When I arrived at Skin Renewal Aesthetic Clinic in Constantia, Cape Town and was asked how I was doing, I replied, ‘Terrified!’. I was quickly reassured that any complications were rare.
In the consultation room,
Once the border is done, the worst is ove; all that's left is the inner lip. And in just 15 minutes, it's over.
Dr Dominique Myburgh applied a numbing gel all over my mouth and took me through what to expect while we waited for the gel to take effect. If you are very squeamish, they also offer dental blockers, which numb the entire mouth, but that’s recommended only if you’re terrified of needles.
Like most clinics, Skin Renewal uses hyaluronic acid-based fillers. ‘Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in your skin and its main function is to absorb moisture and hydrate,’ says Dr Myburgh. ‘So it’s seen as a more natural product that you are injecting into your lips or fat pads.’
She adds that we also have an enzyme in our body that breaks down the hyaluronic acid. ‘Because there is more movement in the lip area, the filler will start to break down in eight to 12 months.’ The filler is injected into the lips to add volume, as well as in the border of the lips for more definition.
After going through my medical history, dos and don’ts and the risks involved, it was time to get started. Firstly, Dr Myburgh marks the spots she’ll be injecting with a white pen (you can end up with tattoos if you use black ink – eek!).
Skin Renewal follows the MD Codes for their procedure. These were guidelines created by worldrenowned plastic surgeon Dr Mauricio de Maio on where best to place the fillers, and how much filler is needed to get the best results and natural proportions. ‘You should keep your natural proportions the same: the bottom lip needs to be fuller than the top lip,’ says Dr Myburgh.
For me, she chose Juvéderm for ‘a plump, pillowy pout’, and started by injecting the borders of my lips. I braced myself for the pain. It’s not the most comfortable experience, but the injections are quick, and I’ve had worse – it was bearable. The filler also contains lidocaine, so after the first injection your mouth gets even number. The most painful parts are towards the centre of the lip. Once the border is done, the worst is over; all that’s left is the inner lip. And in just 15 minutes, it’s over.
I felt quite strange walking out of the clinic; my lips were fairly swollen – talking was a weird experience. And once the numbing cream wore off, they hurt a bit. But by the next day the pain was gone, the swelling was down and my lips looked great – especially with a bold red lipstick, which I wore for date night. The best part was that they were noticeable enough that my friends and colleagues complimented me, but so subtle that strangers couldn’t tell I’d had some ‘work done’.
In two weeks, I’ll go for a follow-up to check that the filler has settled properly and that everything is even. ‘Some patients prefer the look of their lips immediately after the injections, so they may want to add a bit more filler once the swelling has gone,’ says Dr Myburgh. ‘We don’t do more than one syringe in a sitting; it’s only after the swelling has gone down that you can see the full effect.’
I definitely understand the fuss and am even considering going in for a retouch after eight months.