Your first lip filler appointment, explained [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):
So walk me through a typical lip filler appointmen. if I've never had it before. First timer.

Thai (00:18):
Yeah. So I mean, I would come in, usually it says on the appointment that they're there for lip filler. So I'm like, are you in here for lip filler? And then, yeah, a lot of times they're like, yeah, my lips are thin, or My lips look like they're always dry and wrinkly. And then I assess their lips and I kind of let them know just to make sure, because sometimes with lip filler, that's all people really want and that's what their desires are. But the bigger picture, if you're doing a full face assessment, they might need a little bit more other places to balance everything out. So if they have a very small chin or their face isn't very wide or well, you want everything to be balanced, and then they already, they have the thin lips and then you make your lips really big so you have a small chin, then that's going to really stand out.

(01:11):
You want to make sure you're assessing the whole face, even if somebody's just in for lips and just point it out to them. Not saying that I'm not going to do it unless you do this, but just let them know, this is my suggestion. We need to do A, B, and C. And then your lips are going to look, it's going to make everything look well-rounded. And some people take that and they're like, okay, yeah, let's run with that. And some people were like, I just want to do the lips and that's fine too. I'll say, let's start with the lips and then see how you feel. Then you might think differently. When we're all done, I like to go through, of course, all the side effects of lip filler, just to be upfront with people and then let them know how it's going to feel. I do think that that filler is more painful when it comes to other places where you can get filler. We do use topical numbing and I think that's very helpful and I like to let them know that as well. We do have other options too. It's not very common, but we do offer pronox if somebody was very anxious about it.

Eva Sheie (02:12):
So what's pronox and how often do you use that?

Thai (02:16):
So pronox, it's nitrous. If you've ever been to the dentist, you get laughing gas. That's what it is, and it has some oxygen in with it, but it just helps calm your nerves, relax you for the appointment. The nice thing about having pronox is you don't have to have a driver. It leaves your system very quickly. So typically I tell people after you're done with the pronox, we kind of have you sit for a little bit, see how you're feeling, like a few minutes, and then have them stand up. They're feeling good by the time they check out and then go down to their cart. It's totally by their system.

Eva Sheie (02:49):
Does it cost extra to have it?

Thai (02:51):
It does, yeah,

Eva Sheie (02:53):
But it's worth it.

Thai (02:54):
I think for some people it definitely is worth it. I haven't had anybody yet tap out in the middle of lip filler, but I'm sure there are some people that are like, I would like to, but I'm going to brave through it. And it's like, why put yourself through that when we have something extra for you that will help make this smoother easier for you? And we have our distraction vibration tool. I think most people with the distraction vibration tool and the topical numbing, they're great with that. And then also with the filler, there's lidocaine within, so as we're going, their lips are feeling numb, but sometimes people just need a little extra and that's okay.

Eva Sheie (03:36):
Does it hurt to get lip filler?

Thai (03:38):
Yes, I would say yes. I mean, I've had it done myself, and I think it's a painful area to have any injection in. Or even if you think about it, you get hit in the lip, your eyes water, more so than if you got hit anywhere else in your face. So it does hurt, but I think it's worth it.

Eva Sheie (03:59):
How long does it take to do a treatment from beginning to end?

Thai (04:03):
Typically, because I like to do photos, I like to make sure we're addressing any concerns of the patient, like asymmetry or ratio from upper lip to bottom lip and just making sure that's exactly what they want, the type of filler that they're looking for. And then taking photos, I would say an hour.

Eva Sheie (04:23):
But the actual injections, how long does that take?

Thai (04:25):
Oh, like 15, less than 15 minutes. The numbing takes a while too. I mean, when we do the topical numbing, it sits on your lips for like 15 minutes.

Eva Sheie (04:34):
Does it taste bad?

Thai (04:35):
Yes. It's kind of bitter and a lot of times it gets in your mouth and so then your tongue is numb. The inside of your mouth is numb. But better that than feeling the injections in your lips. I think it's a fair trade off. And drooling is also part of it as well.

Eva Sheie (04:55):
Drooling?

Thai (04:55):
Yes. Everything's numb. It can happen. I always tell people, people are like, oh my gosh, I think I'm drooling. I'm like, it's totally fine. It happens to pretty much everyone, so don't even worry about it.

Eva Sheie (05:08):
If I'm interested in coming for a consult with you, where should I go online? How should I reach out?

Thai (05:14):
Yeah, you 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 (05:32):
Where are you on Instagram?

Thai (05:33):
My Instagram handle is ThaiAestheticsPDX.

Eva Sheie (05:38):
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.