I remember the first time I got lip fillers. It was January of 2024, and I’d been in the beauty game a while, yet, fillers still scared me. For starters, needles and pain didn’t sound too enticing, and I really didn’t want to look like a duck. But I did hate how thin my lips were, and I’d been thinking, 'Should I? Shouldn’t I?' for four years.
When I eventually did book my appointment, I was so nervous that I went hand-in-hand with my best friend for moral support. Now, a year on, I leap into the doctor’s chair without so much as a second thought; hurry up and stick that needle in me, babe, so I can get back to my day, please.
This easy-breezy attitude didn't come immediately and I've learnt a lot along the way about everything from my pain tolerance level to common misconceptions.
What to expect ahead of a lip filler appointment
Depending on who you see, the whole lip filler experience might differ slightly. For me though, no matter who I’ve seen, the process has always been fairly similar: I arrive, we chat about what look I’m hoping to achieve, the doctor talks me through any risks, they take a quick picture for their records, and then they clean the area and apply numbing cream before going in with the needles. Afterwards, they take some after pictures (again, just for their records – the images don’t actually go anywhere) and send me on my way. It really is as simple as that, and the pain doesn’t bother me much at all, but I’d recommend taking paracetamol beforehand if you have a low pain tolerance.
Dr. Alicia Gonzalez-Fernandez, who works at Dr. Pamelo Benito Aesthetics in Knightsbridge, likes to do things a little differently by encouraging a “cool off period” between the consultation period and the actual injections. “It all starts with a consultation, very similar to any other medical consultation,” she says. “We discuss past medical history, regular medications, drug allergies, and past aesthetic treatments, whether dermal fillers or anything else.
“Then I give the patient a mirror and ask what they’re trying to achieve. I make sure that they have a realistic view of what we can do. I also highlight any complications, like bruising, swelling, and other less frequent complications.”
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After this “facial assessment,” where Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez and her patients agree on a plan together, this is when she “encourages patients to come back for treatment another day,” to stop them from making any rash decisions. The consultation takes around 30 minutes, she tells me, with the procedure itself lasting just five to ten minutes.
Dr. Alice Henshaw of Harley Street Injectables, on the other hand, tends to carry out her consultations and procedures at the same time, much like I’ve always experienced. “It all starts with a discussion about your goals, where I assess your natural lip shape, texture and facial proportions, before talking through any previous treatments,” she explains. “I’ll apply a topical numbing cream to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Then, using a fine needle, I’ll carefully place the filler to enhance your lips. The whole experience takes around 30 to 45 minutes.”
The takeaway? Every injector’s process is different; it’s worth researching a few beforehand so you can pick the perfect person for you.
How long does lip filler last?
While it depends on the patient, injector and technique, every expert I spoke to agreed: lip fillers tend to last around 6-12 months. “It depends on the person and their metabolism,” says Dr. Ahmed El Muntasar, Cosmo's contributing aesthetics expert, who’s more widely known as ‘The Aesthetics Doctor’ online. Your gender can affect your metabolism, he tells me, and someone who talks a lot or is very expressive might break down their fillers more quickly. “Even someone who’s very smiley will break it down quicker,” he adds.
Dr. Christine Hall of Taktouk Clinic explains that it depends on what type of filler your injector uses. “If it’s a very soft filler, it might just last three months, but that type of filler is usually used on people who are cautious or wanting to try it for the first time. Other fillers can last much, much longer,” she confirms. One thing to note, she warns, is that we used to think filler disappeared much quicker than it does. “Now, with ultrasound and MRI imaging, we know that fillers stick around for a lot longer, but what you actually see in the mirror will last around six months to a year.” Personally, I like to go once a year. This is mainly because I’m busy and I really can’t be bothered to arrange biannual appointments. Also, who has the money? Not me.
Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez agrees: “Even though most of it breaks down over time, filler does not completely go away and a certain amount always remains.” She also tells me that the dose makes a difference. “The more we use, the longer it lasts. Also, using too much too fast may encourage migration. Because filler doesn’t disappear in its entirety, when getting a top up, we normally use a smaller quantity than the one we originally used.”
For me, even after a year, I don’t think my lips look as thin as they did before I got fillers. I’ve definitely begun craving fuller lips again, but the filler isn't completely gone.
If I pout, I can see that my lips still look a little full, but when I’m relaxed, they look almost as thin as they were originally. Even though I’ve only ever had 1ml injected in total, I think there is a teeny, tiny bit of migration – though not enough to bother me or to make other people notice. I reckon I’ll give it another couple of years and then do a reset; I’ll get them dissolved and then start again, just to keep them looking fresh and natural, and to remind myself of what I really look like.
Also, depending on the filler used, you can feel it in your lips like squishy little lumps. I could feel them at first, but now, a year on, I can’t feel them at all.
Things I wish I knew before getting lip filler
Prepare for swelling
Guys, the swelling is no joke and I really didn’t think I’d swell or bruise. Spoiler alert: I did. A lot. And for two days after my appointment, I looked like I had sausages for lips. They looked stretched to their very max, red and shiny and ripe to pop. I felt embarrassed to even walk my dog, lest someone see me and judge me, or think I had a botched appointment.
“Everyone swells,” confirms Dr. El Muntasar. “It’s normal for them to bruise and swell. Sometimes lips even triple in size for the first 48 hours. That doesn’t mean anything bad is gonna happen, it just means that you’re human. They’ll go back to normal with no issues at all.”
They do die down pretty swiftly, but that initial swelling time is intense, and I wish I’d known about it before. Now, I will cancel plans for an entire week after my appointment. Thank goodness I can work from home…
It’s okay to say, “stop”
Truthfully, the first time I ever got fillers, I asked my injector to stop. “But really?” they said, “This much filler will barely make a difference!” I felt so awkward at the time, going against their professional vision, but now I’m super glad that I advocated for myself, because I really liked the results and any more would’ve been too much for me.
“I want patients to know that they are always in control of the entire process,” says Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez. “They should feel comfortable asking questions to their injector – from their qualifications, to the product they're using and why – and they should never feel pushed to do any treatment.”
Dr. Hall, who also works in A&E, says not only is it okay to ask questions, but it’s something you should actively do. “It always really surprises me; when working in A&E, if you put up a bag of fluids or you get out a syringe, the patient will ask what you’re injecting. But with filler, nobody asks!”
It isn’t a cheap procedure
Can someone please explain to me how absolutely everyone seems to have lip fillers when they’re so expensive? At first, because they’re so common, I really didn’t realise how much they’d cost. I figured, if everyone else could afford it, so could I. Oh, how naive I was! After asking all of my experts for their prices, I discovered that a lip filler appointment in London will set you back around £400 to £650.
There are real risks
Because of the cost, it can be tempting to choose someone who’s considerably cheaper, with less experience and perhaps with less training. I get it, but it isn’t worth the risk. “The most important thing is your health and safety,” says Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez. “Dermal filler injections are a medical procedure that can have complications, but the risk of complications decreases when you choose a regulated medical professional with the appropriate training.”
Dr. Hall says that complications can arise even with seasoned injectors, which is why it’s important to choose someone who can then manage them. “One risk is vascular occlusion, where a bit of filler goes into a blood vessel, blocks the blood vessel, and starves that tissue of oxygen. If this happens, you have to reverse it with Hyalase, which is a prescription-only medicine, and it’s something that has to be recognised and treated quite quickly. Whereas you can buy fillers online and you can be totally non-medical and inject it and you are not acting illegally. So, do your research and go somewhere that talks to you about the risks, is equipped to manage the risks, and is insured to manage them.”
The most common lip filler myth
Back when I was flip-flopping between getting lip fillers and not getting them, I would ask people for their opinions, and their answers were always the same: “No, because there’s no such thing as natural-looking filler,” or, “You can always tell.” And so, I ummed and ahhed for four years before finally taking the leap.
Now, a year on from my second round of lip filler injections, I can wholeheartedly say that this is a common misconception. It’s a catch-twenty-two situation, because you’ll never notice correctly administered fillers — they’ll be too well done for you to even see. Ergo, the only filler you’re seeing is filler that’s not done well at all, or filler that’s been done with the intention of looking obvious. Which is why you may think it looks bad. After getting mine, not even my own mum could tell. My favourite party trick is to listen to people slate fillers, then tell them that I have them, and watch the shock on their faces. Whether I decide to have another a top-up or not, having had fillers has really helped me to love my lips more. I feel more confident now, and isn’t that the whole point?
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