Review: Juvéderm® Lip Filler from Dr. Stephanie Teotia

Plump lips are all the rage these days, but the slew of crazy #KylieJennerLipChallenge hashtag pictures beg the question– how far are people willing to go to perfect their pout? While the DIY lip plumping trend and subsequent risks terrify me, I have to admit that I was intrigued by the concept.

I’ve always been a fan of full lips. Struggling to perfect the eye makeup technique for my monolids, I tend to concentrate my beauty efforts (and budget) on my lips. Red lipstick is my weakness. While I was always fairly happy with the size of my lips, I liked trying all the new-fangled lip plumping products. (Does anyone remember Lip Venom?)

Way before “duckface” was a thing, my best friend Sarah and I embraced the phrase “power pout” after reading it in a book called The Bad Girl’s Guide to Getting What You Want. It became our go-to expression for every picture, such as this one taken circa 2003.

Needless to say, I’ve been a long time fan of a voluminous pucker. When I was contacted by RealSelf to work with Dallas Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Stephanie Teotia, I jumped at the chance to try lip fillers for the first time. Although I was a little nervous for the procedure and frightened of the results, I couldn’t be more happy with my decision or the experience with Dr. Teotia.

From the moment I arrived at their office, located conveniently in Uptown, Dallas, I was struck by how warm and welcoming it was. In addition to the comforting setting, what impressed me most was their state-of-the-art technology and modern sensibilities. From the iPad-managed intake forms (they’re totally paperless!) to the cool thermometer the Physician’s assistant used which took my temperature when she ran it across my forehead, I was geeking out!

After a brief tour of the office, I got to meet Dr. Teotia and discuss my options with her. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but when I saw her I was taken aback. She’s gorgeous, of course, but did not fit with the stereotypical image of a plastic surgeon I guess I had in mind. Completely natural-looking beauty! She was so great about talking me through the process. She let me know that since my lips had a natural shape, she would just add some volume to the top lip and the inner corners of the lower lip. I felt immediately at ease.

… Until I saw the needle! LOL. The filler actually contained a numbing agent, and they put numbing gel over my lips beforehand so the pain wasn’t excruciating. It definitely stung– a little more than I think I had prepared myself for, but I just kept reminding myself that I survived my rib cage tattoo. This was a cake walk.

The thing that really sold me on Dr. Teotia’s work was that she stopped while there was still quite a bit of filler left in the syringe and let me look at the results thus far. She explained that she could add a little more on the top and bottom, or put some maybe in my cupid’s bow area, but that she would let me decide. When I asked for her honest opinion, she said that it looked good as it was, and that’s why she had stopped. I agreed and appreciated that she didn’t try to overdo it, especially given that it was my first time. We ended up stopping there, and she gave me my aftercare instructions. I went home with my little personal ice pack and Dr. Teotia’s warning that the swelling would be worse for the next few days, and then after around 10 days, they should be at their new “normal” size.

I went home feeling pretty good, but realized later that it was because the numbing gel hadn’t worn off yet haha. The swelling was a bit painful. I likened it to getting punched in the lips— but a week or so later when there’s just a hint of the pain left. For the next few days, I felt like I was walking around with two big balloons on my face, but my husband insisted that it wasn’t as noticeable as I felt. About two weeks later, I started forgetting that I even had filler in my lips except when I would look in the mirror or see a picture.

I love waking up and just being able to throw on some lip conditioner (like the Jouer Tinted Lip Enhancer I was wearing in these pictures) and feel ready to take on the world. I’m terribly sorry in advance for the overabandunce of pouty duckface selfies you will probably be seeing if you follow me on snapchat or instagram, but I’m just so pleased with the results!

To learn more about lip fillers like Juvederm and other treatments offered by Dr. Teotia, visit her website, follow her on Facebook, or read other patient reviews.

Disclosure: This treatment was offered to you by RealSelf.com, through a collaboration with Dr. Stephanie Teotia