I equate having fuller lips to having more real estate for lipstick. I didn't need to fill my thin lips with Juvéderm Volbella XC. I just wanted that extra amount of volume to try out all the new and exciting lipstick formulas out there. To do so, I visited Patricia Wexler, a New York City–based dermatologist. She used three syringes of Juvéderm Volbella XC, a filler made up of a stabilized form of hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar molecule that's naturally occurring in your skin. The needle she used was longer than a typical injecting needle, allowing her to thread the filler through a quarter of my lip at a time. This meant less poking and prodding — ultimately less pain — and a more even distribution of the solution.
Wexler and I decided to use Juvéderm Volbella XC because it has serious staying power. As one of the longest-lasting injectables on the market, it can leave lips plump for up to 12 whole months. (Other lip fillers last about four to six months.) Juvéderm Vollbella XC also uses a special cross-link technology known as Vycross to hold a combination of both high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid together in a cohesive gel, which remains intact after it's injected into the skin. In non-plastic-surgeon speak, the mixture of high- and low-weight hyaluronic acid in the Vycross technology means it creates a more connected gel that can be molded, effectively lifting sunken skin sitting above it. Because it's more connected, you also get the most natural-looking results and less swelling. These benefits make Juvéderm Volbella XC a great fit for filling laugh lines, too.
On a pain scale of 1 to 10, the injections were about a 5. My lips were numbed 15 minutes before the injections happened, so that definitely took the edge off. The closest comparison I have to the Juvéderm Volbella XC injections is a bee's sting. With that in mind, the pain is irritating but manageable. I didn't need a stress ball or anything to help ease it.
Each syringe holds about 0.5 cc. Three was enough to give my thin lips a natural-looking plumpness. I like to think of the lip injections as high heels for my lips. I'm 5'1", so when I wear heels, people often don't even notice that I have them on because they make me average height. The same goes for lip injections. My lips now look average size and incredible, at that. They're not too big, but they are just plumped enough that I know I didn't get my pout poked for nothing.
