Dr. Heidi Rootes ND

You’ve just had your first filler appointment, you were excited to see the results but woke up the next day and looked in the mirror to surprise. ⁠
⁠
Your lips are bigger than anticipated and maybe a little uneven. ⁠
⁠
Before you panic, take a breathe and know this is normal and acceptable. ⁠
⁠
Your lips just underwent some trauma through being poked in multiple areas for the treatment, and were filled with a foreign body. ⁠
⁠
A swelling response is to be expected. Depending on what you did after the appointment, if you were active, worked out, iced your lips, stayed hydrated, applied arnica gel, slept on your side, can all factor into the immediate response from your body. ⁠
⁠
As for asymmetry you're typically hyper-focused on that area and noticing things you never saw before. ⁠
⁠
The other thing is that because of the preexisting asymmetries, that may mean that more filler is needed on one side in order to create better balance. ⁠
⁠
More filler or pokes on one side = more swelling. ⁠
⁠
So this can often exaggerate the asymmetry temporarily until swelling subsides and the filler settles. ⁠
⁠
Once your lips have had time to settle in and calm, you’ll have a better idea of what they look like.

We’ve talked plenty about Sculptra for restoring volume as an alternative to filler. ⁠
⁠
It’s great for targeting the areas most noticeable for collagen loss like the cheeks, mouth and cheeks (mid-lower face region).⁠
⁠
But the use case for Sculptra expands beyond this region. Another great target area is north into the temples. ⁠
⁠
As we lose volume in our temples, the surrounding structures are affected as well and we lose the “full” appearance in our face. Much like in your lower face, Sculptra presents a natural approach to sustainable volume restoration. ⁠
⁠
Another area that might surprise you is the back of your hands. You’ve probably noticed with age comes thinner skin and increased vascularity in hands. With volume down, everything beneath the skin becomes more defined. ⁠
⁠
With Sculptra we can boost collagen and elastin production to smooth out hand wrinkles and regain a more youthful appearance.