My Lip Filler Experience with DLK on Avenue

A few months ago I had my first experience with dermal fillers. I had my under eyes done by the incredibly talented team over at DLK on Avenue in Toronto and wrote a whole blog post about it. Since then I’ve had a bunch of people message me about my experience – asking for pricing, reviews, and specific questions about my recovery.

I knew right after getting my under eyes done that I would be going back to DLK for more – but for what, I wasn’t 100% sure. That was until I heard about Kati, their in-house lip filler specialist.

I had always wanted lip fillers, even before I got my under eyes done. In fact I have a whole folder on my Instagram with bookmarked photos of lips that I love.

Because I had already had fillers in the past, I knew more or less what to expect. I had a pre-treatment appointment with Dr. Kellett to answer any questions that I had, and booked the appointment to meet with Kati.

This time was a little bit different because there was a small audience in the room – I volunteered to participate in a treatment where their front of house staff could see exactly what patients can expect from the procedure. Let me just say that I think that was a brilliant idea. I can’t imagine the number of people who simply call in with questions about lip filler, and watching the treatment first hand gave them all the knowledge to be able to help inquiring minds decide if it’s something they want to do!

Before the treatment Kati had met with Diana, the RN who did my under eye filler, so she already knew about my vasovagal reaction to needles. When the staff entered the room I also let them know so they would be prepared in case anything happened (and of course, it did).

Kati numbed my lips with a topical numbing cream at my request (I was worried more about the pain than with my under eye fillers), and after about 5 minutes we were ready to start.

I showed Kati some of the photos of lips that I liked – she commented that a lot of the photos were more ‘pouty’ – definitely more of a millennial trend, whereas older clients tend to just want to restore their youthful lips.

Kati told me that she was going to use a hyaluronic acid filler with a medium sized molecule, since I wanted fuller lips, but nothing too big because it was my first time getting filler. She began on my top lip, working from the side to the middle, injecting small amounts closely together. She stopped about half way through the procedure to let me breathe – that’s when I had my vasovagal reaction – and when I was ready she continued on.

Even with the topical numbing cream, I would say that getting lip filler was more painful than my under eyes – but in reality, not that painful at all. One weird thing I noticed was that my eyes did water a lot with each poke – it felt almost like getting a nose hair plucked, but it was a sensation I quickly got used to.

After about 30 minutes (give or take) we were all done. Kati gave me the mirror and I was able to see my fresh new pout. I won’t lie, at first I was a bit shocked. Unlike my under eyes, which was a subtle change, my lips were much more noticeable. It’s strange to see yourself with a new feature that you didn’t have before.

For the first couple of days my lips were pretty swollen. Luckily I didn’t experience any bruising, although apparently because lip fillers use a needle instead of a cannula, you’re more likely to bruise. Initially my lips looked almost double their normal size, but as the days passed and the swelling went down they started to look and feel like a natural part of my face.

As the swelling was going down I did notice some strange bumps and lumps which made me a bit nervous at first – but since then my lips have evened out and honestly feel and look completely natural. I would say that if you notice any lumps, give it some time and don’t panic – but definitely mention something to your doctor if they don’t go away after a couple of weeks.

It’s been about 3 weeks since I had my procedure and I’m absolutely LOVING the results. My top lip is about 3/4 the size of my bottom, and I finally have my dream pout. It’s still more of a noticeable treatment than my under eyes – friends and coworkers have commented on the change – but it’s a change I’m happy to embrace!

If you want to watch a quick timelapse of my procedure – click here *warning there is needles* – and if you have any questions about the treatment, my experience, the results or DLK on Avenue, don’t hesitate to reach out! Thanks again to the amazing team at DLK and Kati for being so kind and attentive and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon!

For more from Empire Season please click here.