Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Restylane® Silk. However, the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Getting Gorgeous event in New York City. First of all, NYC makes my heart skip a beat; I just love that place. But then you combine that with an event specifically made to pamper women- yeah I was in heaven.
I think a party like this would be any woman’s dream! We tasted fantastic food, made some jewelry, had our nails painted, make up professionally done, and so much more. I never wanted to leave, in fact I may have tried to just sleep there that night, ha!
While I was at the event I learned about Restylane® Silk. Let me just be honest with you for a second, I never thought I would consider having a lip enhancement done like Restylane® Silk. Something like that seemed a little frivolous and just not practical for me. But when the opportunity presented itself, I HAD to see for myself and I’m so thankful I did! Secretly I’ve always wanted to try it- aren’t we all like that?! I never thought I had small lips, but I HAVE been known to color a little outside of the lines while applying lipstick. Hey, a girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do!
So let me share with you really quick what they taught me. Like other areas of the face, the lips and area surrounding the mouth also show signs of aging as an individual gets older. This often results in lip thinning, lost shape, and/or an increase in vertical lines above the lip. Restylane® Silk is 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. It’s unique particle gel formulation and ultrafine needle are designed to smooth the folds and wrinkles around the mouth and provide subtle fullness and definition to create a more natural-looking smile. (That’s exactly what I was looking for!) My favorite part though, in a U.S. clinical trial involving 221 mostly female patients, 98 percent of patients reported a visible improvement in lip fullness 14 days after injection and 76 percent still had lip improvement at six months following injection.
Sign me up! I was able to sit down with their doctor (Dr. Whitney Bowe) and have a consultation to determine what I’d like to see and what they’d suggest. She was so sweet and professional I almost forgot that I was about to allow her to stick a needle in my lips, ha! After looking at my lips and deciding on a game plan (like making the right side of my upper lip even to match the left side) we began. She applied a cream to my lips and the area around it; this helped numb them so I could be as comfortable as possible. 
Okay, so the first injection stung- like a bee had set up camp on my upper lip, ha! But all of the injections after that I really couldn’t feel which surprised me. As she finished each focus area the doctor then grabbed my lip and massaged the area to mold the Restylane® Silk. Then once she was completely finished she handed me a mirror so I could see the results. And let me just tell you ladies and gentlemen, I was in love!! 
She did exactly what I had hoped for, nice and subtle improvements. I was ready to strut my stuff all around the city with this new kissable pout. Now before I signed the paperwork I read up on all the side effects like the most common such as swelling, tenderness, bruising, pain and redness at the injection site. But I didn’t think about was how I treated my lips after my injections would determine how “bad” my reactions would be. Thankfully there wasn’t any bruising, but I did have some swelling. I spent the rest of the day after the event at a conference chatting with brands and other bloggers. This gave my lips quite the work out and by the end of the night they were so sore and extremely swollen. (i.e. See Will Smith in the movie Hitch.)
Because the doctor told me about these side effects I wasn’t worried at all and I had already seen what the end result would be before the swelling began! So I applied cold, wet wash cloths that night, took some tylenol, and even a Benedryl to help with the swelling. Those babies did the trick! So just a quick tip to those who decide to use Restylane® Silk (and for the record, I am totally a fan), after your treatment head home and rest those sweet lips. Trust me, you’ll thank me for this!
We are a little over a month out now and I still love how my lips look. Even the hubby thinks they look cute too, ha! In fact if the opportunity presented itself again, I’d definitely jump to have it done again!
What’s one thing you’d like to change/enhance about your lips?
Before you take the leap here’s some 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
