For years, lip fillers have been one of the most popular non-surgical treatments for clients wanting to enhance their natural beauty. However, this year, after Kylie Jenner credited lip fillers with creating her perfect pout, interest in lip fillers has spiraled.
After a dangerous beauty craze developed with teens using shot glasses to attempt to recreate Kylie Jenner’s full pout by creating a suction effect (sometimes resulting in bruising or more serious injuries) the star came clean, admitting: “I have had temporary lip fillers. It’s just something that I wanted to do.”
Although thousands of people of all ages have now turned to lip fillers to emulate Kylie’s look, at just 17, the star is one of the younger users of lip fillers and at Tracey Bell we would have told her that she’d have to return to one of our clinics after her 18th birthday for the treatment, as we have a strict policy not to inject anyone under the age of 18. We believe that to be ethical, moral and appropriate for a caring, considerate aesthetic practitioner.
However, provided that you’re over 18, lip fillers can produce great results. If you’re born with naturally thin lips, or simply want to add volume, they can subtly add volume and definition, giving you the fuller smile you desire. Also, even if you’ve been blessed with naturally full lips, as we age, our lips gradually decrease in volume, meaning that vermilion border loses definition and the lower teeth begin to show. This is one of the classic signs of aging and if we can reverse it with lip fillers, we can subtly create a more youthful look with this simple procedure.
The pros of lip fillers is that if they’re administered by a talented professional, they will gently and subtly make your lips look fuller, your smile look more balanced and beautiful and will make you look younger.
The cons are that the results will vary depending not just on the product used but on the level of qualifications and skill of the person administering your lip fillers and on how your lips look to begin with. At Tracey Bell, we have a highly trained team who know all about the latest products and procedures on the market. We invest in the best in terms of products and our team!
Consultation is key for any procedure, including lip fillers. However, some companies and individuals are making a lot of money by offering budget lip fillers using just the ½ ml syringe. We sometimes treat patients who have gone to a back-street beauty clinic for cut-price fillers, which can leave patients with lumpy lips, over filled lips, an uneven profile, swelling, discomfort or results that fade fast or were barely noticeable to begin with.
Of course we all like a bargain, but to get the best out of lip fillers, you must be willing to pay for the right products to be used, and, of course, for the right volume of the product to be used for optimum results. Otherwise you have no guarantee that you’ll leave the treatment room with the look you want.
Also, although celebrities like Kylie Jenner have created a huge amount of demand for lip fillers, they’ve also created unrealistic expectations for many patients. When we look at younger people like Kylie, we may want to exactly replicate her look. However, Kylie Jennar has youth, Photoshop, great lighting and some of the world’s best make-up artists on her side. It’s worth bearing this in mind when considering the results you want to achieve. It is often the case that what you seen on celebrities has been Photoshopped and artificially enhanced.
If you decide to go ahead with lip fillers, the number of syringes placed will often be 1ml. To create Kylie Jenner’s look, 2ml was probably used and, of course, the effect was then enhanced with great make-up. Some younger patients tend to ask for the cheapest possible product. However, we’ll always recommend the product that will give the best results for the client. Sometimes the old adage that you get what you pay for really does apply!
Essentially, the choice of lip fillers is down to the cost, the result wanted, and, of course, the experience of the practitioner
Common lip fillers are Juvederm, Restylane, Teosyal and Beletero to name but a few. These dermal fillers are all hylourolic acid based products, which require no allergy test and dissolve over time. However, it’s worth considering that not all lip fillers are of the same viscosity and also longevity. Thicker particle dermal fillers tend to last longer than those with small particles. So when seeking a dermal lip filler, always ask for the name of the product being used, the grade and, of course, how much you’re going to get.
We’ve seen a worrying increase in the number of clinics that offer ½ ml syringes, which simply doesn’t exist among legitimate suppliers, or clinics which share syringes, which breaks every rule in terms of cross-infection in medicine or dentistry, so patients beware!
However, as long as you shop around to find a reputable clinic, overall, we feel that lip fillers have a great place in the market and can enhance your looks and produce fantastic and natural looking results. It’s important to be realistic in your expectations, though. Some of the celebrity looks which are currently being credited to lip fillers also owe a lot to lighting, great photography, make-up and digital retouching (if only we all had access to all of that!) However, you will see a noticeable difference to your pout, which can be a real confidence boost if you have noticed your lips thinning over the years or have simply always craved fuller lips. Plus smoker’s lines can be filled and lip definition and volume can all be produced with great fillers.
Of course the key to getting the best possible results for you is to be clear about your expectations from the outset and to spend some time discussing the different treatment options available and how your lips will look after the treatment. Here at Tracey Bell were big believers in the importance of an initial consultation. If this is a treatment you’re considering, please feel free to make an appointment or to call into one of our clinics for some friendly advice and information on the best options for you. There’s absolutely no obligation to go ahead with a treatment. We just happen to believe that an important part of our role is to constantly educate ourselves and our patients about the very best new treatments available and to offer the best advice we can to everyone who walks through the door. Whatever you decide after an initial consultation, we’re confident that you’ll leave the Tracey Bell clinic with a smile!
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