For all those who ever considered “going under the needle” for that perfect pout…here are a few facts and helpful tips from a professional medical esthetician who's seen it all!
Anyone who was not naturally blessed with full, beautiful, luscious lips or anyone who would like a little enhancement with fuller lips, can now go to a medi-spa and get them “filled”. “Injectables” (referring to botox and dermal fillers in the industry) used to be sort of “hush-hush” and no one was supposed to know if she got “it” done or not!
Hell, why keep it a secret? Why not be proud of doing all you can to keep yourself looking as good and as young as possible?
Here’s a little breakdown on Dermal Fillers:
There are permanent, semi-permanent and dissolvable fillers. The first two, although long lasting, are not used much anymore due to the lack of being able to “fix” them if anything goes wrong, which leaves “dissolvable” fillers. These are all Hyaluronic Acid based (HA), which is a sugar that exists naturally in our skin so there is no danger of rejection or interaction.
Fillers are generally used to add volume to areas which have lost volume due to aging and a loss/breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. However, when it comes to lips, it’s very trendy these days to have full lips, even if you are not aging and losing volume.
HA fillers have been around for many years and are made by numerous manufacturers, especially in Europe. In North America, the major brands are: Juvederm (distributed by Allergan), Restylane (by Galderma) and Teosyal (by Clarion).
Each of these brands carry various types of fillers with different molecular sizes for filling different areas, i.e. a large molecular size filler would be used for adding volume to the cheeks where as a small molecular sized filler would be used for the lips or under the eyes (tear trough).
All three brands carry nice fillers for the lips; Juvederm “Volbella” is great for smoothing out fine lines in the lips without adding a lot of volume; Restylane “Fine lines” adds moderate volume and Teosyal “Kiss” also adds moderate volume and provides smooth results.
Nowadays most HA fillers are pre-mixed with lidocaine from the factory so no extra “freezing” (or numbing) is required. Just a few years ago, lidocaine had to be added and mixed with the filler manually directly prior to injection.
Most people will start with one syringe of filler for both upper and lower lips to add a little volume without looking drastically different. The price will vary from $500 - $750 per syringe. Most fillers will last from 6 months to 1.5 years depending on each individual’s metabolism.
The benefits are:
- results are immediate: swelling will subside within 2 weeks but results are visible instantly.
- if the results are not satisfactory or there are uneven lumps, etc the filler can be dissolved and the process repeated. An enzyme is injected into the filler and it is broken down immediately.
- you can get the exact lips you always wanted, even if you weren’t born with them!
WHATEVER YOU DO….ALWAYS BOOK A CONSULT FIRST!!
Part of getting ready for Romance Month includes those wonderful spa gifts; this year we are excited to focus on a luxurious product that can be incorporated into any facial:
Our Seaweed Honey Masque
Seaweed has been proven to be a great detoxifier and this specially formulated cream base will revitalize, moisturize, hydrate and detoxify the skin with nourishing antioxidant and potent anti-aging ingredients to increase firming and tightening.
Key Ingredients: Ascorbyl Palmitate • Algae • Honey • Apricot Kernel Oil
This mask can easily be used in conjunction with any facial and will benefit all skin types.