Source: Instagram
I’ve never been 100% happy with my lip shape. My lips are naturally full and pretty nice if I may say so myself – but I’ve always HATED my top lip. See, I have a fairly full bottom lip naturally, but in comparison my top lip has always seemed a little flat. Almost deflated, and definitely uneven. I also have a little scar on it that I’ve always been self-conscious about because it seemed to enhance the unevenness.
I’d heard lip fillers could be used not just to plump up lips, but to reshape them. But I had never committed to actually giving it a try, because my belief about lip fillers was they ALWAYS look unnatural and I’d been told lip technicians will put filler in your bottom lip no matter what, which I wasn’t interested in. In short, I never wanted BIGGER lips. I just wanted them to be an even shape.
So when I got the opportunity to visit Dr. Jack Zoumaras at Artiste Plastic Surgery, I was hesitant. Even though I’d been on his site and seen that he has a really natural style to his cosmetic and plastic surgery, I just couldn’t get my head around getting lip fillers and not winding up with giant lips. But I figured if I’m going to give it a shot, he would be the best person to see.
Right off the bat I was put at ease. Dr. Zoumaras was so thorough in his consultation process – I was honestly surprised since I’d had friends who had gotten fillers and had almost zero consultation beforehand. Dr. Zoumaras took me into his office and I had photos taken from the front and side, which Dr. Zoumaras then uploaded into the computer so we could zoom in and I could really pinpoint the specific areas of my lip that I was concerned with.
I definitely stressed that I wanted a really natural reshaping without adding too much fullness. Dr. Zoumaras said he would only add filler to my top lip, as to get the shape my bottom lip didn’t need it. He said it should be around a 1:3 ratio, and my top lip was slightly under for this – hence the unevenness I was noticing. He said he would only use about 0.5ml of Juvederm, a filler, in the top. He decided to put a little on each side and none in the middle, as he informed me the middle part of my top lip hung down very slightly, so this would create the evenness without adding fullness I didn’t want.
My lips before the reshaping.
he gave me a dental block and anesthesia in my lip, so the process wouldn’t hurt too much. The filler also had anesthetic in it, but he explained that takes a while to work so it doesn’t help enough when injected at the same time – hence the preliminary anaesthetic. He injected around 4 times, and then used his fingers to manipulate the filler to sit how he wanted it to, which was a weird experience!
It did hurt a bit. But I’ve had a lot of dental work done in the past, and I would say it’s on par with that. Like uncomfortable, but not unbearable. When the dental block wore off later that night, I had a bit of a headache. They also felt tender for a few days afterward, like if I accidentally pressed them together.
A week later and they had settled quite a bit. They swelled up the day after they got done, and remained pretty swollen for a few days which was a bit confronting. They weren’t so bad that I couldn’t go to work or even go out socially, but just not the shape or size I wanted for that period of time. They also felt lumpy during this time, like I had a little pea inside my lip! However, once they settled I was really happy. They look and feel fantastic, and people really close to me, like my family and best friends, have commented on how great my lips look – while other people haven’t even noticed, exactly like I wanted!
My lips now.
I’m re-finding my love of lipstick now that I love my lip shape. I think if I could give anyone advice who is considering a lip reshaping, it’s to find someone who specialises in natural looking cosmetic and plastic surgery if you want them to look realistic. I was so impressed with Dr. Zoumaras’ attention to detail and commitment to getting the shape exactly right.