Top tips: Lip filler

As with all tweakments – especially injectables – it’s really important that you do lots of research and feel comfortable with the practitioner and treatment that you choose. We asked three expert injectors for their top tips for anyone thinking about getting lip filler – use this as a cut-out-and-keep checklist to go through before you go under the needle.

1. Ask for before and afters

‘Look at the practitioner’s portfolio and decide if their results align with your desires. And see if they have treated people with similar features to yourself,’ says Dr Tara Francis. Everyone’s results will be different but seeing what the practitioner has previously achieved on someone with natural lips or a facial structure similar to yours will help you get a clearer picture of what your result might look like. ‘Understand that each lip and patient is different and discuss with your practitioner if what you’re expecting can actually be achieved,’ she adds.

2.Technique is crucial

For the most natural results, Dr Uma Jeyanathan advises asking practitioners during the consultation about the specific injection technique they’d use on you.  ‘There are specific techniques which allow for the natural lip anatomy to be subtly enhanced,’ she says. ‘The type of injecting technique can also limit migration of filler which can make the lips look very unnatural. Using just 0.2ml-0.4ml of filler in the correct tissue placement and position can make a huge difference.’

3.Go slow

‘Everyone is different, so will require different amounts of filler,’ says Dr Manav Bawa. ‘If you do require a larger amount, do it over a number of sessions and not all in one go. Firstly, everyone swells, and having a lot of product injected at once may cause problems with this. Secondly, you may decide you actually didn’t need that much or like the look of it, so doing it in stages and taking baby steps is always the right way to go.’

Understand that each lip and patient is different and discuss with your practitioner if what you’re expecting can actually be achieved

Bonus tip: Check their credentials

If you’re a regular TTG reader you’ll know this is our favourite message to roll out, but it’s always worth repeating. Dr Bawa says, ‘Check the credentials of your practitioner – are they a healthcare provider (HCP), are they insured, have they completed all the courses they are required to, have they had any complications with lips in the past, and how did they deal with them? Complications arise with even the best injectors, but the difference is that a good practitioner will spot a problem early on and be able to deal with it appropriately. Lastly, it seems obvious, but have they performed this treatment before?’