Just five years ago, lip injections seemed like a huge deal. When talking about it, people used references like Kylie Jenner and Lisa Rinna because they had some of the most obviously enhanced lips in pop culture. But now, the subject of lip fillers seems a lot simpler — especially on TikTok.
We can thank influencers like Alex Earle for normalizing transparency when it comes to once-taboo topics like cosmetic treatments. Erl recently linked in vlog her lip filler appointment, sharing exactly what she’s getting (a syringe of Restylane Kysse). In the comments, she added a disclaimer that she’s not encouraging any of her 5.9 million followers to need lip filler but just wants to share her own personal experience.
Similarly, 26-year-old Jenna Palek, another TikTok creator, recently treated herself upper lip filler for her birthday. Supporters chimed in in the comments, writing, “You’ll never regret lip filler” and “It’s addictive.”
@jennapalek Happy birthday to me, I have a top lip 🥳
Lip filler transparency
It’s clear to anyone on TikTok (or on these streets): Lip filler is tempting to a lot of people. “Lips are the new gateway. it’s not Botox anymore,” he says Corey Hartman, MD, FAADdermatologist and injectable specialist based in Birmingham, Alabama, who says some of his youngest lip filler patients are in their 20s. New York plastic surgeon Melissa Doft, MD, agrees that patients are coming in younger and younger, and there is a definite change in atmosphere. “I think young people now think of filler as ‘let’s try it.”
The occasional “come with me” slide around web filler content is useful in some respects. “Instagram and TikTok influencers do these ‘drops’ of information — I think it’s great that we’re talking about.I had that experience, that’s how it was“, explains Dr. Doft. “A lot of people want to hear about this experience because surgery is kind of scary. even these non-invasive procedures like fillers are intimidating.” What is missing, however, is the medical framework. Dr. Doft believes that if these influencers sat down with their doctors to share their experiences, it would be more helpful and informative for their followers.
Filler is ultimately a medical cosmetic procedure. There are risks, and for some people, a lot of sadness. From a safety perspective, the biggest risk is inadvertent injection into a blood vessel, which can lead to necrosis or death of the skin. In addition to pain, swelling and bruising, there is also the risk of filler migration, which although generally uncommon, is more likely to occur with lip injections than any other. “In areas like the mouth, where you move a lot, it’s possible for your filler to move or migrate,” says the facial plastic surgeon Jennifer Levine, MD, told R29. “If the person is over-injected or the injection is not perfectly at the right level, which is not super easy [to pinpoint]afterward [migration] it might happen.”
Many celebrities are open about their regrets about getting dermal fillers. For example, Ariana Grande recently filmed her routine getting ready for one Vogue beauty secrets video. Before applying the lip liner, she says, in full transparency, “I’ve gotten a ton of lip fillers over the years — and Botox. I stopped in 2018 because it just felt so… too much.” Also, Courteney Cox had all the filler dissolved in 2017. Blac Chyna had the filler removed from her cheeks, jaw and lips and documented the process on Instagram. From a PR perspective, this seems like a clearer story to tell the world. It can be admirable if a celebrity finally admits to having some kind of work done, like fillers, and then decides to stop and “let her face be natural.” Of course, we never really know if this is true.
Shifting perception
We don’t talk enough aboutperception shift,” a term coined by dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Sabrina Fabi, MD. Perceptual shift is when a person’s perception of their face is altered by cosmetic procedures. This can happen to people who get fillers in their faces — enhancing their lips, elongating their jawline — causing them to want more and more filler until it seems, in Grande’s words, “too much.” It’s a slippery slope for celebrities and influencers, for whom cost and access are often limitless.
It’s not a problem that only affects celebrities (although those cases are more public), but those who are affected by them. “It’s dangerous, and it does happen, even putting in small amounts of filler,” explains Dr. Doft. He sees the regret played out first-hand, from people complaining about “gritty” or uneven filler, or just too much. “Every week, we see someone who wants to [filler] it disintegrated when it entered elsewhere,” says Dr. Doft. “People find that there is too much filler, or that over the years, not all of the filler has dissolved evenly — sometimes it dissolves in uneven ways. there is an interest in removing it.”
The problem with dissolving the filler
Unfortunately, dissolving the filler, which is done by injecting an enzyme called hyaluronidase, can also cause problems. “You dissolve hyaluronic acid filler, but you also have natural hyaluronic acid,” explains Dr. Doft. “So when you break up [filler], tends to dissolve your natural hyaluronic acid too much, making you look a little looser or a little more hollow. Then it is difficult for the patient because they can look worse than their original value. Your body will make up for it, but it takes a while.”
People are also disappointed by the cadaver studies that show the filler can never fully leave the body once the injection. ONE Ultrasound study 2020 They looked at the “bio-incorporation” of hyaluronic acid injections into the subcutaneous cellular tissue of the skin, finding that thirty days after the injection, the researchers found a “total incorporation” of HA into the tissue. This is not bad or alarming, but speaks to the fact that filler injections change the soft tissue of the skin at a cellular level and may be more difficult to fully reverse.
“I think there’s enough information out there for people to think, maybe fillers aren’t that good for you,” says Dr. Doft, explaining that there are alternatives. “Sometimes we use a filler as a cover,” explains Dr. Doft. “I keep saying that. Instead of injecting your lips, we could do a peel or a laser to lighten your skin or do something different with your skincare.”
Filling alternatives
An alternative is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, which injects a concentration of a person’s own platelets (taken from a blood sample) back into their skin via microneedling. The treatment stimulates collagen and elastin. New York-based blogger Roma Abdesselam (who says Stay At Home Daughter) recently posted about switching from fillers to PRP therapy. While PRP isn’t a filler alternative—it’s not going to change the contours of your face or plump up your lips—it can help improve the quality of the skin, which can be an effective treatment for some people. “Will I get fillers in the future? 100% yes,” Abdesselam explains in the caption. “But [right now] I really enjoy how natural my PRP looks.”
If you want to improve your upper lip without fillers, a lip flip may be an alternative. Instead of hyaluronic acid gel injected into the lips, Botox is placed just above the lip to weaken the muscle above the mouth and create a slight “push” in the upper lip, creating a fuller appearance. While most doctors still prefer filler over Botox when it comes to treating the lip area, it may be worth talking to your doctor to see if a lip flip might be the best option for you, especially if you’re wary with the filler.
But filler is nothing to fear. If anything, I have found through my referral that filler in the hands of a trained medical professional is safe and if it makes you feel more confident, go for it. My biggest recommendation is to do your research (which you’re already doing by reading this) and take the regret stories as seriously as the rave reviews.
Personally, as someone with access to filler — who has been offered various forms at times — I’ve found it very helpful to think of filler-related content as someone’s personal story rather than a generic aesthetic prescription. Filler isn’t like a Drunk Elephant moisturizer that you can try once and keep going after the last pump is gone. it stays with you and there is the risk of regret, which is a major disempowering factor. Of course you do, but I’m sticking with my puffy lip gloss.
Do you like what you see? How about something more R29, here?
Requests for reversal plastic surgery are increasing
Daxxify: The Botox Alternative That Lasts 6 Months
What you need to know about Upper Cheek Filler & Risk
