Lip Fillers: What’s It REALLY Like Having Them?

  • Claire Louise

Time for a little bit of honesty, here! As part of a piece for the Telegraph, I was invited to have lip fillers and cheek fillers a few months ago.

Here’s a before and after lip fillers pic, although I’ll admit part of the bottom one is just a couple of days after when they were at their biggest!

lip fillers before after

Despite being a staunch feminist, I have a highly curious mind and I am always intrigued about any kind of beauty procedures; having a keen interest in the fashion and beauty world.

I believe that the way you look and present yourself to the world is an individual choice. However, I also believe that you should undertake any changes with an educated mind – one which knows that a ‘quick fix’ won’t solve all your problems. If you’re hoping that you can instantly solve any insecurities with cosmetic alterations, unfortunately you can’t.

As an already confident person who is happy with the way she looks, I undertook the procedures for reasons of enhancement, not to change my life. To clarify, I did NOT do this for better selfies or to copy celebs. I just thought it was pretty cool and a temporary way to change something to see how it would look.

Obviously, I cannot and will not promote cosmetic augmentation as a solution for everyone, but I can offer my insight on what to expect and do.

You Should Do Your Research

I went to Omniya in Knightsbridge, London, and I couldn’t recommend them enough. When I was considering the procedure, I Googled them, I read reviews, and I even watched videos on TV. There aren’t many better endorsements than being featured on national TV shows like This Morning.

Making a decision to alter any part of your appearance shouldn’t be a spontaneous one – if your reasons are spontaneous, like mine (I simply thought ‘why not?’) then that’s fine, but the finer details should be fully looked into. A bad procedure can ruin your looks – and even more important things like your eyesight!

Choose quality above price, and look for real and visible proof of results and happy clients, too.

You Should Talk Through The Procedure At The Clinic

Dr. Sarah Tonks did my lip and cheek fillers, and she was an absolute star. She was lovely, and put my mind at rest. Plus, you’ll note – she’s a doctor. Find out about the person who will be performing the work for you, and their credentials. You don’t want to end up with someone who got a qualification off the Internet!

You should discuss results and what you want from the whole thing. I had just 1mm injected into my lips, and because my bottom lip has already always been very full, the majority went into my top lip.

I also discussed wanting the appearance of higher, fuller cheeks for definition and the concept of wanting to reduce my bags in the process!

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A good practitioner will also go through the risks (which are very rare, but real) with you and tell you the type of chemicals you are having injected into you, so that you’re informed.

They will be supportive and put your mind at risk, but ultimately, they’ll leave the decision to you.

There Will Be Some Pain!

During the procedure, you’ll have needles in your face. I’ll be honest – it’s hardly a picnic! Some numbing agent goes in with the filler, but you will feel it, and it’s a bit odd! It isn’t unbearable, but it’s not comfortable either.

The day after, you’ll be bruised. I’ll admit, I panicked SO MUCH when this happened to me, but it’s temporary, and the swelling will go down!

The Results Aren’t Permanent

Personally, I was quite happy about this fact before my procedure. I told myself that if things went wrong, it would only last between a year and 18 months. Since having them, I wish the results lasted longer, mostly because I’m happy with how they turned out! I’ve already noticed a slight decrease, but perhaps I’m just used to it now.

There’s Nothing To Be Ashamed Of, Either Way

A lot of people in the comment sections on my article were very cruel, making judgements about how myself and the other young women featured in the piece must be lacking in intelligence, or empty airheads. Newsflash? There’s absolutely no correlation between the way you look and how clever you are. In fact, I find it hypocritical when people say this, supposedly standing up for women. How is shooting down another woman for her individual choices defending women? It’s not. If you are naturally beautiful or you’ve opted for some help, you have so much more to you than your looks.

You Won’t Suddenly Change Your Life

The results of these types of procedures can be subtle (like mine, I barely notice my cheeks!) or more obvious, like a lot of celebrities. However, just because some people have a really different face afterwards, it doesn’t mean that you will.

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Even if you do, it doesn’t mean you’ll be happier, more attractive, more likely to have a career in modelling, or anything else.

If you think that might be true, perhaps you need to seek help on some other things before you try to change your face.

It’s your life, to live how you want.

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Posted by Claire Louise

I'm a creative writing obsessive who likes to affectionately think of herself as a hurricane. Among the organised chaos, I can be found thinking about fashion, food, feminism, music, travel or my kidnapped kitten.