Bring up Lip Fillers at your next family BBQ and more likely than not your Dad, your Aunty, and even that one cousin that doesn't speak and just came for the wings will all have something to say. Lip Fillers are just one of those things everyone seems to have an opinion on - without actually knowing much about them.

Between Kylie Jenner's now-infamous lips (more on that in a moment) and the Super Glue Lip Challenge that took over TikTok, lip fillers have been all over social media like never before. With all that information out there its like a minefield full of misinformation and confusion. Here I'm going to go through and clarify the top 6 myths my clients ask me about. So next time Aunt Karen pipes up with her two cents - you can hit her with some facts.

1) Lip Fillers will give you rubbery, duck lips.

The number one concern I hear from anyone considering lip fillers is this - "I'm scared I'll look like a duck" and if I'm being honest - then well yes, you can. There's more than enough fake, over-filled lips around to prove this can be true. However, it's not the case for all and can definitely

be avoided!

How to keep clear

- Go for a soft, flexible filler. - This will naturally move with your facial expressions, and prevent them from looking rubbery.

- Don't just fill one lip! Even if your top lip is thin and you're happy with the bottom, only filling the top may look great from the front... but from the side, the added projection just to the top will lead to full-on duck pout. For most people, this is a big no-no! (as with all things there are a few exceptions to this rule)

-Go to an experienced practitioner that can help you choose the correct filler for you, and who will also place it well. And most importantly one that will tell you no. When it comes to our lips we often go a little bit too far and always want that little bit more. Your practitioner should be able to tell you when to stop - before you get to the overfilled stage.

2) Getting Lip Fillers is very painful.

Lets just keep it real for a minute - your lips have thousands upon thousands of nerve endings and your planning to let someone come at them with a needle...it doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to say it's going to hurt.

Topical anaesthetic (a cream placed on your lips before treatment) can take the edge off. Now I've been there, I've had my lips done with the numbing cream and I'm going to be honest and admit a fair few tears were shed in the process. It will still hurt.

There is a solution

Some of you may be blessed with a high pain threshold, but if your like me and the thought of that needle makes your toes curl luckily there is a pain-free option. I mean really, honestly, pain-free. This little bit of magic is called local anaesthetic, or a dental block.

It's a smaller version of what we do as Dentists every day. It's a small injection that goes on the inside of your gum. Another injection you might think? The inside of your gums is nowhere near as sensitive as your lips and most clients report there's only a slight stinging sensation ( that's if they feel it at all). Then TADA - your lips are numb! You won't feel a single thing!

I can poke, prod, and squeeze them to my heart's content and you won't feel any bit of discomfort. At the Dentist, after anaesthetic half my patients end up falling asleep and snoring (and biting my fingers off in the process- but that's a story for another day)

Why doesn't everyone offer this?

Only registered medical professionals have access to local anaesthetic (sadly your waxing lady/hairdresser/etc won't be able to provide this). Secondly, it's a technique many non-dentists aren't familiar with (whereas we do it numerous times a day in our dental clinics).

3) Lip Fillers will leave my lips stretched / wrinkly when they're gone

Building your lips up in increments, and using a Hyaluronic Acid based filler should not cause any damage to your lips. Your body simply breaks the Hyaluronic Acid down slowly over time (normally 6-9 months) and your lips return to normal. There shouldn't be loose tissue or wrinkles. Often we get so used to the look of our plump filled lips that when we get our original lips back they can look quite dehydrated.

What can cause issues with our lips is adding too much filler at once - we will only place a maximum of 1ml at a time, as overfilling your lips in one session can cause the tissues to stretch. Or by using permanent fillers/lip implants - as this can cause scarring and damage.

Stick to Hyaluronic Acid based fillers, and build up your lips slowly 1ml at a time and you shouldn't have any issues.

4) Lip Filler comes from an animal

This is another common misconception. The filler is made out of Hyaluronic Acid which our body naturally produces. This is formed synthetically in the laboratories

There is no animal product found Lip Fillers.

5) Lip fillers are only for young people

Did you know your lips reach their peak fullness at 16? After this, they start to reduce in thickness? Thinning lips are a sign of aging and along with it comes the fine lines and wrinkles across the mouth area.

For our younger clients, the goal is normally to add volume and enhance the shape. For our older clients were trying to build back lip support in the face, and by doing this we can help reduce the fine lines around the mouth area, and add hydrating back to the lips.

6) I can get Kylie Jenner lips with 1ml

Building up lips takes time. Its good to have photos of the ideal lip shape you would like, to give your practitioner and idea of the look you would like to go. Trust me everyone's version of "natural" is very different! But when you show me a picture of the plumpest lips you could find on Instagram, but we're starting with lips that are so thin they are non-existent when you smile - its time to take a step back and explain what we can achieve realistically, and how long it may take to build up to your desired goal.

If you've never had lip filler before think of your 1st ml as the foundation, and your future appointments as the building blocks. To get a really plump "Kylie Jenner-esque" pout you are likely to need 3+ sittings of 1ml. Depending on your starting point it's highly unrealistic you will achieve it from your first appointment.

To get bigger lips that still look natural and don't spill out of your natural lip line, aim for sessions of 1ml spaced 3/4 weeks apart until you reach a size you are happy with.

There we have it 6 Lip Filler myths debunked!

I hope your enjoyed my first blog post! Feel free to send any feedback, or any topics you would like to be featured next!

Relevant Links: Lip Fillers FAQ