Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Restylane® Silk. However, the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Last month I attended the Getting Gorgeous event in New York City. One of the sponsors was Restylane® Silk, the first and only FDA-approved product specifically designed for lip enhancement and the smoothing of wrinkles around the mouth in patients 21 years of age and older.
I’ve never had any injectables before, but I was certainly curious about them. I decide to take the opportunity to see what the experience is like. I read the legal document I had to sign ahead of time. It was pretty thorough about the risks. I was nervous, but decided to go ahead with the experience.
I took the train to the city and went straight to the venue, rolling my suitcase along with me. Getting caught in a summer downpour didn’t dampen my enthusiasm, but it did ruin my hair! I see in pictures now a slight drowned rat effect.
I was the first person at the Restylane® Silk event space, so even though I thought I’d have half an hour to settle my nerves, they popped me right into the exam chair. I had a consultation with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe. Yes, that’s her in the center of the picture above. She is a poreless and ethereal angel.
She is also a total professional. Talking with Dr. Bowe helped put me at ease. She answered all my questions while I discreetly examined her skin. I think you should always check out your dermatologist and her staff to see examples of her work. I thought Dr. Bowe looked as amazing as a human woman can look. It’s not scientific, but it made me feel better about her working on me!
Dr. Bowe told me Restylane® Silk is a smooth, transparent hyaluronic acid gel that can be injected into the lips or into the area around the mouth to restore natural-looking youthful definition, symmetry, and smooth wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar that is naturally found in the skin that helps provide hydration, fullness, and elasticity. I already use a topical Hyaluronic acid treatment on my face a night, so I was somewhat familiar with its benefits.
I think my biggest concerns about getting Restylane® Silk were that the injections would hurt, that I would have an allergic reaction, that I would bruise, that I would have enormous clown lips before I had a week’s worth of events in NYC, or that I would not look like myself anymore.
The doctor had me numbed around my mouth with a topical cream. It worked fast, and I was soon numb. Pro tip: don’t lick your lips.
I had half a syringe injected into my top lip only. I wanted to be conservative with my first treatment. There were six short, sharp stings. I was surprised at how little it hurt me. The needle is tiny—part of the benefit of the smaller particles in Restylane® Silk. I’ve had less painful flu shots.
The doctor said she usually doesn’t start people on lip injectables because it’s the most sensitive area, but I really thought it was fine.
These are my before and after pictures. I took them all with my iPhone. They are not filtered or retouched in any way.
I immediately noticed the corners of my lips flipped from curving down to turning up. I’d recently noticed in photos of me that I looked mad or sad when I was neither. Now I see it’s because of the downward slant to the corners of my mouth.
My lips did puff up, but an ice pack applied for a few minutes off and on throughout the day helped. I had lipstick applied almost right away by one of the makeup artist at the event. Now I see that cherry red was probably not the best choice right then, but whatever, it was a cheerful color.
That night my lip was puffy and throbbed slightly. I don’t remember taking an OTC pain reliever. It wasn’t that bad.
The next morning I woke up to a more-normal sized lip and absolutely no swelling, bruising, or other problems. I was very pleased with my results! Now three weeks after, I can see the main difference is the corners of my mouth still tipping up. I think now my expression matches my mood more than before.
I wasn’t going for volume, and I didn’t want to touch my fuller lower lip. That’s why you won’t notice much difference in the before and after size of my lips.
The doctor told me Restylane® Silk lasts about six months. It’s gradually metabolized by the body. I’m almost a month into my treatment. I’m still pleased with it, and would do it again. If you are curious about Restylane Silk ®, learn more on their website.
Important Safety Information
Indications: The Restylane family of products includes Restylane®, Restylane-L®, Restylane® Silk, Restylane® Lyft with Lidocaine, and Perlane®. Restylane, Restylane-L, Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine, and Perlane are indicated for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. Restylane and Restylane–L are indicated for mid-to-deep dermal implantation. Perlane and Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine are indicated for implantation into the deep dermis to superficial subcutis. Restylane Silk is indicated for submucosal implantation for lip augmentation and dermal implantation for correction of perioral rhytids in patients over the age of 21. Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine is also indicated for cheek augmentation and for the correction of age-related midface contour deficiencies in patients over the age of 21. Restylane and Restylane-L are also indicated for submucosal implantation for lip augmentation in patients over the age of 21.
Products in the Restylane family contain traces of gram-positive bacterial protein and are contraindicated for patients with allergies to such material or in patients with severe allergies that have required in-hospital treatment. These products should not be used by patients with bleeding disorders or by pregnant or breastfeeding women. Restylane and Restylane-L for lip enhancement and Restylane Silk should not be used by people under 22 years. Restylane-L, Restylane Silk and Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine should not be used by anyone with a known allergy to lidocaine. Products should not be injected anywhere except the dermis, superficial subcutis (Perlane and Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine only), or lip submucosa (Restylane, Restylane-L, and Restylane Silk only).
Use of products in the Restylane family at the site of skin sores, pimples, rashes, hives, cysts, or infection should be postponed until healing is complete. The most commonly observed side effects are swelling, redness, pain, bruising, headache, tenderness, and itching at the injection site. These are typically mild in severity and typically resolve in less than 7 days. Serious but rare side effects include delayed onset infections, recurrence of herpetic eruptions, and superficial necrosis at the injection site. Do not implant into blood vessels. Use with caution in patients recently treated with anticoagulant or platelet inhibitors to avoid bleeding and bruising.
The Restylane family of products is available only through a licensed practitioner. Complete Instructions for Use for Restylane, Restylane-L, Restylane Silk, and Perlane are available at www.RestylaneUSA.com. Complete Instructions for Use for Restylane® Lyft with Lidocaine is available at www.RestylaneLyft.com
I really want to do this. I have pretty bad lip lines from years of smoking (years and years ago) and sun exposure. Honestly though, in your pictures, I don’t see much difference. Or am I just not seeing it?
Anita, normally people have 1 or 2 mL injected. My first time I wanted to be very conservative, and only had 0.5 mL.
The outer edges of my upper lip are fuller, but the biggest difference I still see is that the corners of my lips turn up.
The doctor told me that Restylane Silk is good for those vertical “smokers lines”. I saw some before and after photos on some women who did, and I thought it was a big change for the better. This is all my opinion, of course.
Thanks for the extra info!
Interesting article, Anne. This is something I’ve looked at, but been too chicken to do. I’m especially interested in the fact that it turned up the corners of your mouth. Like you, my ‘resting’ face looks less than happy, so that would be a plus for me. I am going to have to investigate some more.