Why some lip filler looks terrible [Thai Becker, RN, Portland]

Eva Sheie (00:00):
You're listening to Where Before Meets After.

Thai (00:03):
Hi, my name's Thai. I work at MD Beauty Lab with Portland Plastic Surgery Group, and I am a aesthetic nurse here.

Eva Sheie (00:11):
Okay. Let's talk about lip filler. I would love to give the audience a very good overview of what can be done, how it's done, and maybe even what could go wrong when you put filler in the lips. So here's my first question. We've all seen bad results online. I think less so. I think it's actually gotten better. But what causes that? Duck lips look where somebody's lips are projected out too far. And how do you avoid doing that when you're doing lip injections?

Thai (00:46):
When there's too much projection? I think a lot of times it could be the type of filler somebody is using. There's so many different types of fillers out there, and some attract a lot of water, some attract less water, some have larger molecules, some have smaller, some are firmer and some are a lot softer, a lot more stretchy. And I think all of that plays into it. So when you see a lot of projection, I think that's when somebody's using a firmer, bigger molecule and one that attracts a lot of water and some people want that look, but I think most people would like to not have that projection, especially from the side where your lips are sticking out way further than let's say your nose and your chin, whereas facial balancing, that's what we want to do and help people with.

Eva Sheie (01:45):
What kinds of complaints do people have when they come in wanting lip filler?

Thai (01:51):
I think most people are there because their lips are thin or that their lips have aged them. They've lost a lot of volume, which does happen with aging and that their lips have looked smaller than what they used to, and that there's a lot of texture and wrinkling in their lips and surrounding your lips too. People come in and they talk about the smoker lines, the vertical lines above your lips. That all plays a part in lip filler as well. But also I have people that come in and they have the smoker lines and they're deep and there's many of 'em, and they're like, I have not smoked a day in my life. It's really the act of ing your lips all the time. And people could do that by the way they talk, just facial expressions. Some people kind of just hold a lot of tension in their lips. The great debate of people drinking out of a straw is one of the things. It is hard because the layman's term is smoker lines, but anybody can get them. But I think it does play a big role.

Eva Sheie (02:59):
When you get lines around your mouth, not necessarily in your lips, but just around them. Can you just do filler in the borders or in those smoker lines?

Thai (03:10):
Yeah, I mean that's all patient dependent, right? I mean, some people where all they do need is just filling in their lips and it can stretch 'em out where they're less visible and some people need both. They need filler in their lips and then directly in their lip lines as well.

Eva Sheie (03:26):
Is there anything trending in lip injections right now? Are people coming in or are you seeing anything on Instagram in that sort of lip filler space?

Thai (03:37):
In the lip filler world? I think more natural is definitely a lot more desirable now. I mean, the bigger juicier, plump lip was very in for a while, but I think people are getting away from that. They want to look more natural and they want it to be subtle. You don't even really know that it's there. Unfortunately. I always have to tell people when they tell me that. It's like with lip filler, you are going to have some immediate swelling and that sticks around for a week. And when I hand them the mirror, I'm just like, I'm just warning you. There's probably 30% swelling right now, so this is not your final result. But then it's funny because then I'll have people come back and be like, actually, I like the way it looked when it was swollen.

Eva Sheie (04:21):
Give me more.

Thai (04:21):
Yeah, yeah. They'll come back and be like, remember how it was when it was swollen? I want that.

Eva Sheie (04:27):
How long can you expect lip filler treatment to last?

Thai (04:30):
I would say what depends on what filler we're using and everybody metabolizes filler differently. Also, when we say, how long do you want it to last, does somebody want their filler to go away completely and then start over? Or are they wanting as they're seeing their filler go down a little bit coming in prior to that? So I always tell people it's up to them. You're the one looking at yourself and how you feel about the way your lips are looking. But typically anywhere from six to 12 months is when people come in for a repeat and say they do a full one milliliter syringe the first time. They might come in at six months or at nine months and just do a half. And it's nice because you customize.

Eva Sheie (05:12):
If someone's gone somewhere else for lip filler and then comes to you, do you have a way of knowing how much is already in there? Can you see it?

Thai (05:21):
Sometimes you can see it. I'll definitely feel their lips. I think with feeling their lips, I can tell what's filler and what's your natural tissue? I kind of give a guess. It also helps if somebody comes in, they're like, oh yeah, I had one milliliter syringe done 12 months ago somewhere else. And it also helps if they know what type of filler they use. But if they don't, I mean, it's not end of the world. We kind of just work around it that, and I just take it as we're doing a full assessment, I want to see where the patient goals are, what we have to offer, and then we come up with a plan together.

Eva Sheie (06:00):
If I'm interested in coming for a consult with you, where should I go online? How should I reach out?

Thai (06:06):
Yeah, just look up MD Beauty Lab. Our website will pop up. You can click on that. There should be our phone number listed. Give us a call. You can also, there is a section to fill out, a contact us, and then when you fill that out, somebody from our office will receive that and then give you a call.

Eva Sheie (06:24):
Where are you on Instagram?

Thai (06:26):
My Instagram handle is ThaiAestheticsPDX.

Eva Sheie (06:30):
Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Eva Sheie. Follow the show and submit questions for our experts at wherebeforemeetsafter.com. Where Before Meets After is a production of The Axis.