I naturally have fairly thin lips, and my upper lip in particular looks a little thinner in photos than it does in real life, because it’s slightly downturned. I’ve never liked my lips, but they also weren’t my priority to improve (my nose and my skin texture were much bigger concerns).
Background
I’d gone back and forth on getting lip fillers for years. I wasn’t sure they were going to look good on me, and I thought it might take a lot of filler to make a visible difference.
But one of the places I’d gone to before for botox sent out a deal for fillers, so I wanted to try it, knowing it wouldn’t be permanent if it looked terrible.
Process
Like with any dermal filler, they numb the area first with a topical cream and then come back about thirty minutes later to do the injections. Even with the lidocaine, the injections hurt more than my nose or cheek filler did (maybe a 2-3 out of 10, but you only have to endure it for a few minutes), which probably isn’t surprising because your lips have more nerve endings.
I got 1ml of Revanesse Versa. That wasn’t a deliberate choice on my part; Versa was just the only filler in the deal that was appropriate for lips.
At one of the injection sites on my lower lip I immediately bruised, and I had to cover it up with lipstick so it wouldn’t be noticeable to others. It healed within a few days, though.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the difference a single syringe made. I guess that’s one perk of having thin lips: the percentage increase in your lip size from fillers is way more dramatic than in people with who are starting with fuller lips.
I would say that my lips are still smaller than the current beauty standard of really full lips, but I think they now balance my face well. If I do much more than this I’m worried I’ll go overboard and regret it. My lips are never going to be my best feature, but I’m really satisfied with how they look now.
Price: I got a good deal for one syringe of Versa for $399 (in 2020).
Worth it? Yes! The injections were painful and I had a little bruising, but aside from that there were no downsides.
Update 1.5 years later: Versa is only supposed to last six months, but there’s still about 20% of the original filler in my lips, eighteen months later. I’m happy about that, but it’s also a reminder that filler doesn’t always get reabsorbed as quickly as it’s advertised to.
