There was nothing wrong with my lips. They weren’t very thin. But nothing like Kylie Jenner’s either. The only way I’d get lip filler is if I got an offer I couldn’t refuse.
And Dr. Melissa Doft, as well respected a plastic surgeon as there is in New York, did just that.
Free. The procedure was free. Hashtag unashamed. Here’s how it went.
Dr. Doft practices out of the Upper East Side. I asked her not to do anything too extreme. I was already satisfied with the general shape of my lips.
She told me she would be injecting a hyaluronic acid filler called Restylane Silk. You can pick up face moisturizers rich with hyaluronic acid at any department store.
What could be wrong with getting some of that into my lips?
I wasn’t worried, as long as it didn’t hurt…
Dr. Doft applied a topical numbing goo. I didn’t even feel the fine needle she pricked my lips with. Then she dispersed the filler with a syringe.
The process is going on beneath the skin so there’s no way to completely numb that part so there was discomfort. But if I can take it, anybody can.
Most of the filler was used on my upper lip—as is typical, considering our bottom lips are generally already plumper than our top ones.
In all, the injection took no longer than 10 minutes. The swelling, though, lasted a bit longer.
Dr. Doft explained the kind of slight swelling I was experiencing was normal and how it wouldn’t last longer than three days. All my swelling was gone after 48 hours.
For the next three weeks, I would often forget even had the procedure. That is until laid on some lipstick and could really notice a wonderful lift to my lips.
Now another three months have passed, and the plump effect has faded slightly. Three month enhancement for 800 dollars? It’s noticeable. But you be the judge.