There’s always a misconception when it comes to injecting your face with Botox or fillers  – your face will end up frozen, and you’ll be incapable of having any facial expression. That’s really far from the truth as I found out from Dr Heng of IDS Clinic during my first experience with filler injections.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BImeLBEAyq-/

Let’s back it up to why I chose to have filler injections. I’m in my mid-30s and I’ve begun to see signs of ageing creeping up on me. I’ve been told that I look younger than I really am (very kind words from these people, but you know how hard we can be on ourselves), but it’s hard to ignore the lines and dryness. This got me wondering when I’d hit the point where no amount of expensive creams or commitment towards a rigid skincare routine would work anymore.

That’s when the idea of injecting fillers popped into my head. Popular fillers from brands like Juvederm and Restylane are made of hyaluronic acid – a naturally-occurring substance in the human body. It’s also present in many skincare products which boast of exceptional moisture retention to hydrate skin and keep it looking supple. So far so good, right? It didn’t hurt that the results weren’t permanent; the fillers will be absorbed into the body over time in case I decided that it wasn’t for me.

So, I took the plunge and made an appointment for filler injections…

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic -

The consultation

I’ve always thought that aesthetic doctors would sit you down, tell you everything that’s wrong with your face and then offer solutions to fix it. I got some parts of it right though, Dr Heng enquired about the areas of my face which bothered me, and what my concerns were before explaining to me what can be done to alleviate them.

I have problems with my smile lines and thinning lips. It didn’t help that I’ve been pressured one way or another by the popularity of liquid lipsticks (Thanks for nothing, Kylie) and I want in on this bandwagon as well. I thought the solution was going to be simple: when there’s a smile line, fill it up. Obviously, there’s more to it than I thought (which is why I am not a doctor).

Dr Heng explained that it’s not the only way to go about fixing deep expression lines. In my case, injecting fillers into my cheeks would lift them and make the smile lines less pronounced. It’s like using a finger to lift your cheek, except it’s happening internally. Lifted cheeks and less obvious marionette lines all at once? Consider me sold.

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic

The preparation

After my consultation, I was ushered into a treatment room to have my face sterilised before the application of the numbing cream on my cheeks and lip area. ‘Can’t Feel my Face’ by The Weeknd starts playing in my head.

I was then brought out of the room for the numbing cream to work its magic. At this point, questions like “How long will it last?” and “What if I start feeling pain midway through the injections?” are pretty common, trust me. Resist the urge to freak out.

It didn’t take long before my face lost its sensation. It’s odd to be poking at your face with your nails and not feel anything, but this also means that it wouldn’t hurt during the injection.

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic

The procedure

I have to admit that despite my high tolerance for pain, I just couldn’t bring myself to watch someone poke a needle into my skin. In terms of discomfort during the injection on my cheeks, I barely felt anything except for some tugging here and there. Pain level? Probably only two out of ten.

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic

We quickly moved on to the lips. Dr Heng made four injections on the top lip to make it fuller and then another two at the bottom as well. I definitely felt more pain compared to the cheek injection, but it wasn’t enough to make me flinch or clutch tightly on the armrest. If i had to give it a scale, it’s probably only four out of ten.

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic - 5

Filler Injection Experience at IDS Clinic - 6

The results

Thankfully, I didn’t experience bruising like some people do. The before/after shots of my frontal view showed lifted cheeks and plumper lips, but it was really the side view which showed off the less pronounced marionette lines.

The difference was minute, and probably only obvious to the untrained eye but good filler procedures should be just that – enough to show an improvement but not so much that people start questioning what you’ve done to your face.

The areas that were injected had some slight swelling which went away within a couple of hours. At this point, the fillers were still malleable and will continue to stay that way for 48 hours. I was advised to stay away from exercise and sleep on my back for two days to prevent the fillers from migrating. Amazing enough, the toughest part about this whole thing was sleeping on my back, but my overall experience has been pretty positive and you can be sure that I’ll be breaking out more lipsticks now that my lips are plumper.

READ:
10 Anti-ageing Treaments That Will Help You Look Younger
12 Anti-Ageing Wonder Foods