My Experience Performing Lip Fillers on My Wife – Dr Bela Clinic

The patient whose lips you least want to treat is your own wife. But treating my wife, Brigi, presents triple the difficulty. Another challenge in her treatment is her slim and petite build, resulting in naturally small lips, which are more difficult to treat.

Additionally, a unique phenomenon called Fordyce spots, rarely seen on lips, contributes to the difficulty. Fordyce spots are sebaceous glands that typically occur within the skin and produce oil. However, in some cases, they become visible on the surface of the lip. Failure to consider them during lip filler treatment can cause them to protrude, ruining the desired artistic effect, namely the shape.

Despite these challenges, I have developed a treatment plan, which I will explain in detail. This will help you understand how a lip filler treatment is planned and executed in a safe, professional, and artistic manner.

What Lips Really Are?

Lips hold immense significance for women. They’re not just another feature on the face; they carry a lot of weight in how women perceive themselves and how others perceive them. It’s a beautiful thing when someone feels proud of their smile, and it’s sad when they feel the need to hide it in photos.

Beyond their basic functions like eating, drinking, and talking, lips have a deeper, more emotional resonance. They’re a powerful tool for communication, expressing affection, desire, and a myriad of other emotions. There’s a certain allure to lips, an undeniable sensuality that adds to their significance. Whether it’s through a subtle smile or bold lipstick, women often use their lips to convey confidence and express their individuality. So, embracing and celebrating one’s lips can be a way of embracing and celebrating one’s identity and femininity.

Understanding Patients

Every successful and artistic lip filler treatment starts with understanding the patient. Why are they having the treatment? Why now? What are their insecurities and desires about their lips? How would their new lips serve them? How would they feel and act differently?

I need to understand their fears, too, both medical and aesthetic. What side effects or complications do they fear (pain, bruising, swelling), or what would be an unacceptable look for them?

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The Assessment Phase

It is a complex process considering the face’s proportions, such as the size of lips a face can bear. The position of the lips compared to other features (nose and chin) is also important. The patient’s age dictates whether the lips can be treated in isolation or as a last step of an overall plan. When all this is covered, I arrive at the lip itself.

I check the volume of the lips, their symmetry, the projection of both lips, their proportions to each other (golden ratio), their borders and definition. I check the tubercles, the tiny twin columns above the cupid bow leading to the base of the nose. I check the height, curves, and angles of the lips. It is also important to notice distractions around the lips.

After all these considerations come the

Planning Phase

Planning a lip filler treatment is also a complex process based on all the previous considerations. I need to select the proper fillers for the patient’s tissue type and injection techniques based on the results I want to achieve. Where do I need to widen the lip, or evert it to show more red? Where do I need to add more volume or height? Where do I want to make it more resistant to movement? Where do I want to achieve more definition, a better shape, more curves and fewer angles or vice versa? Do the lips need more support, or are there any distractions around them? These all can and should be considered during the planning phase. Usually, I draw out my plan and show and discuss it with my patient.

 

Treatment Safety

Both the patient and the practitioner should be aware of the two most important risks: vascular compromise and infection. Vascular compromise occurs when the filler is accidentally injected into one of the vessels in the lip. Sound anatomical knowledge and safe injection techniques are paramount to minimise this risk. Similarly, properly cleansing the lip, using a clean technique, and the patient avoiding touching the lips post-procedure are important factors to avoid infection.

The Treatment

I conducted the treatment after applying a numbing cream, which made the procedure comfortable and tolerable. I used a decanted syringe, which means that the filler is refilled into a high-precision syringe in a sterile way so the injections can be delivered in a much more detailed manner. I started on the upper lip from the cupid bow toward the corners of the lips. Precisely selected entry points, carefully determined angles, and slow, steady injections followed by moulding massage to form the filler into the desired angle and shape. The lower lip, the corners of the mouth, and other small details around the lips were also treated.

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Final Touches

When the treatment is concluded according to the plan (slight modifications during treatment are possible), I check the lips while resting, smiling, and showing a kiss. I check it from the front and from the profile. If I am happy, I ask the patient, too. If either of us can see any details that need to be corrected, I add that final touch.

There is a final massage, cleansing the lip, and I apply some Arnica gel for a glowing look.

I explain the post-treatment dos and don’ts. A cold pack application can help with the inevitable swelling. Bruises are possible, although my wife didn’t have any. The patient shouldn’t touch the lips to avoid infection. Due to the numbing cream and the numbing ingredient in the filler, avoiding hot food or beverages is important to avoid accidental burns. It takes a few days for the lips to settle completely and normalise. For this reason, I don’t recommend a lip treatment before any major social event.

Conclusion

I used 0.8ml Teosyal RHA2 filler during the procedure. My wife’s lips are fuller, nicer, and in proportion with the rest of the face. I like the 8D lip design technique because its versatility allows the design of all types of lips. Only my personal taste draws some limits because I am only willing to do natural-looking, artistic lips. Out of proportion, sausage lips have no place in my world.

Embracing and celebrating one’s lips can be a way of embracing and celebrating one’s identity and femininity.

This is what my wife has to say about her lip filler treatment:

My Lip Filler Experience, By Brigi

I’ve never been blessed with naturally full lips, and as I’ve gotten older, they’ve only gotten smaller. It’s just a part of aging, like how skin loses its plumpness and elasticity. So, when I had the chance to try lip fillers, I jumped at it. I consider myself lucky because I know Dr. Bela’s work well, and I trust his commitment to top-notch quality. I’ve seen firsthand how much effort he puts into staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest treatment methods.

I wanted a natural look

When I talked to him about what I wanted, I made it clear that I wanted a natural look. I didn’t want to end up looking like one of those over-the-top Instagram influencers with lips that look like sausages. Achieving that natural look isn’t easy, though. You want to look better, but you also don’t want anyone to notice, right? It’s like a mission impossible…

On the day of the treatment

we started by taking some photos. Dr. Bela showed me on a big screen exactly where and what he would be injecting. We customised the treatment together until the numbing cream was applied to my lips.

He gave me two stress balls to hold onto during the procedure, which was a good distraction. First, he worked on my upper lip, then the lower. Some areas were painless, while others were a bit uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t call it painful. Dr. Bela was very precise and took his time, not rushing through the treatment at all. When I finally looked in the mirror, I had that “wow” reaction. It was exactly what I wanted—not a drastic change, just fuller, nicer lips. I was really happy with the result!

The downtime

I knew there would be some downtime. My lips started to swell a bit on the same day, and it got even worse the next day. I used an ice pack and Arnica cream to help with the swelling and the little needle prick spots. By the third day, the swelling had gone down, and I could cover up the tiny dots with makeup. It took about 4-5 days for my lips to calm down fully, but that was the only side effect. I didn’t experience any pain or bruise afterwards, and now when I look in the mirror, it feels natural to me.

Honestly, the people close to me didn’t notice much of a difference. They said I looked good, but it wasn’t an “OMG, what did you do?” kind of reaction. In fact, I proudly told them about the treatment, and now everyone wants it! The change is subtle, not a dramatic alteration to my appearance, and I’m really grateful for that.

Brigi,

Dr Bela’s other half
Beauty Therapist