c/cosmetic-procedures

Appreciation post: the day my lip filler dissolved and I looked like a deflated balloon for 48 hours

Went in for a touch up at a new place in Austin and the nurse accidentally hit a blood vessel, so she had to put in hyaluronidase to undo everything. My lips went from plump to wrinkly prune status within an hour and my husband wouldn't stop laughing. Has anyone else had a dissolve day that made them look like a dried up raisin?

Found out the hard way laser hair removal takes way more sessions than they tell you

Rant: That $5,000 rhinoplasty I got 3 years ago

Everyone raves about nose jobs but mine left me with a crooked bridge and breathing issues that cost me $800 in CT scans to diagnose. Has anyone else had a revision that actually helped fix a botched result?

My mom's comment about my lip filler made me delete my appointment

I had a consult last week for tear trough filler, I was all set to book it. Then I was talking to my mom on the phone and she said something like "your face is fine, you just need to sleep more." It hit me different because she wasn't saying it to be mean, she was genuinely confused why I'd do it. I realized I've been chasing this idea of looking "refreshed" when really I'm just tired from working freelance til 2am every night. Has anyone else canceled a procedure after a random comment from a family member?

PSA: Stop letting your injector use the same needle for both cheeks

I was at a medspa in Denver last month and watched a girl get her cheeks done with the same needle the injector used on her chin. She ended up with a massive infection and I heard the injector say it was 'just to save time'. Why is nobody talking about how dangerous this practice is in real clinics?

My lip filler looked amazing for 3 weeks then turned into a lumpy mess

Got 1ml of Juvederm done 2 months ago at a place in Portland. First 3 weeks it looked perfect, natural, just what I wanted. Then around week 4 a hard lump showed up on my upper lip. Massaged it like they said, went back for a checkup, they said it's just scar tissue forming and to wait it out. It's been 8 weeks now and the lump is still there. The rest of the filler dissolved but this one spot stayed. Has anyone else had filler leave a permanent bump? Did yours ever go away or am I stuck with it?

Hit 3 months post-lip flip and finally seeing the subtle change I wanted

I got a lip flip done at a med spa in Austin back in October and honestly the first 6 weeks I was panicking that nothing happened lol. Then around week 10 the corner of my mouth just started lifting naturally when I smile and now I actually like my resting face in photos. Has anyone else had a lip flip take forever to really show results?

My aunt swore I'd regret lip filler and she was dead on

Back in 2019 my aunt June who had her lips done in the 80s told me to start with half a syringe max. I thought I knew better and got a full syringe at a place in Portland. The swelling was brutal for about 10 days and now 5 years later I can still feel little lumps when I press on them. Has anyone else gotten advice from an older relative that you wish you had listened to?

Spent $600 on laser hair removal and barely saw any difference

Honestly I went to this med spa in Denver called Glow Away and they sold me on a package of 6 sessions for full legs. After session 3 I was like okay nothing is happening but they said trust the process. Ngl by session 6 I still had the same amount of hair growing back and they refused to give me a refund. Has anyone else dealt with a place that overpromised results like that?

I finally saw real results from microneedling after 4 sessions, not the 1-2 the dermatologist promised

When I started microneedling for some acne scars on my cheeks, my dermatologist at a clinic in Portland said I'd notice a big difference after just one or two treatments. I went in expecting that. After the first session, I saw maybe a 5 percent improvement. Second session, maybe 10 percent. I was feeling pretty let down. But I stuck with it because I already paid for a package of 6. After the fourth session, about 12 weeks in, the change was dramatic. My scars are maybe 60 percent smoother now. I think the popular opinion online is that you should see results quickly or it's not working. For me, the real change came later. Has anyone else had a similar experience where results took longer than expected?

Compared traditional lip filler vs fat grafting on my own face and the difference was huge

I had lip filler for about 2 years (like 1ml per session) and it always looked a bit puffy and migrated after a few months. Then my derm at SkinSpirit in Austin suggested trying fat grafting instead since I had enough donor fat from my thighs. The results after 6 months look way more natural and it actually stayed put without that weird duck lip look. Has anyone else tried fat grafting for lips and noticed a big difference over filler?

That dermatologist at the mall clinic talked me out of Botox for $0

Walked into a med spa in Phoenix and saw 4 different people getting the exact same lip filler

They all had that same overdone duck look and I couldn't tell if it was just the trend or the injector pushing one style. Has anyone else noticed clinics pushing a specific look instead of customizing for each face?

Dropped $3,800 on CoolSculpting last year and I swear I look exactly the same.

My friend raved about her results and the clinic said I was a perfect candidate but nine sessions later my love handles are still right there and I wish I'd just used that money for a vacation instead because at least I'd have memories from Hawaii, has anyone else had this experience where a procedure just flat out didn't work for them?

Had to choose between a nose job and filler for my bump... I went the weird route

So I've got this little bump on my nose that's bugged me for like 5 years. My doctor in Austin said I could either get a full rhinoplasty for $8,000 or just do $600 worth of filler to smooth it out. I picked the filler because I'm scared of surgery and recovery time. But here's the thing... the filler actually made my nose look wider and now I'm regretting it a little. Has anyone else tried filler for a bump and ended up hating it?

My mom's offhand comment about my lip filler made me actually rethink things

She just said 'you looked fine before' while we were watching TV last week and it hit me different because she never comments on my face stuff, but now I'm wondering if I've been chasing a look nobody else even noticed.

Why does nobody talk about the downtime after a face lift

I was at a coffee shop last Thursday and overheard a woman talking about her aunt's face lift recovery. She said her aunt was still swollen and bruised a full 4 weeks after the surgery, not the 10 days her surgeon promised. That got me thinking about how many people focus on the results without really asking about the healing process. I did my own research and found that most surgeons say full recovery takes 6 to 8 weeks for the swelling to go down completely. Has anyone else heard stories or gone through this where the recovery was way longer than you expected?

Hit 45 and suddenly my nose looked completely different

I never really thought about aging until I turned 45 two months ago. I looked at a photo from a friend's party and my nose seemed wider and droopier than I remembered. It wasn't just bad lighting either, I checked multiple pictures. My doctor said it's normal because collagen loss and gravity change the cartilage over time. That number 45 made me actually consider a rhinoplasty for the first time in my life. Has anyone else noticed a specific age where their face shifted in a way that caught them off guard?

That moment I realized I'd been putting eye cream on in the wrong direction for 2 years straight

My aesthetician watched me swipe from inner to outer corner and literally grabbed my hand mid-motion to show me I was basically tugging my under-eye skin toward my temples every night, and now I'm wondering how many fine lines I could have dodged if anyone had ever told me that before.

Aesthetic nurse told me my lip filler was 'too perfect' - made me rethink everything

So I went in for a touch-up last month at a clinic in Austin, and the nurse straight up said my lips looked 'too perfect.' I was actually kind of offended at first because isn't that the whole point? But she explained that when filler looks completely symmetrical and sculpted, it can come off fake and artificial. She convinced me to leave a little asymmetry and not fill the vermillion border so sharply on one side. Honestly after three weeks healing I can't believe the difference. It looks way more natural and I get compliments on it constantly now. Has anyone else had a professional give you criticism that forced you to totally change your approach to a procedure?

My botox wore off way different than I expected after 5 months

I went to a place in Chicago for my first round of botox in my forehead and between my brows. The doctor said it would last 3-4 months but I got a solid 5 months out of it before things started moving again. The weird part was that one eyebrow started drooping a little on the left side before the right side even budged. Has anyone else had their results fade unevenly like that?

My dentist told me chin filler would balance my profile, said I'd look 10 years younger

Spent $600 on a single syringe of Juvederm in Chicago and all it did was make my chin look like a bruised potato for two weeks, has anyone else had a practitioner oversell something that flopped?

My $250 nose job consultation turned into a screaming match with a receptionist

Honestly, I went in for a simple rhinoplasty chat and the lady at the front desk kept pushing their $600 'consultation package' with extra photos. I told her no thanks three times, and she literally yelled 'then why waste my time?' in front of five people. Has anyone else had a consultation go this sideways?

Sat in a med spa waiting room for 45 minutes and counted 5 people walk out with matching swollen lip faces

The receptionist just smiled and said 'everyone wants the Kylie look' while three women with identical puffy mouths glared at each other from across the room - has anyone else noticed this weird group effect at certain clinics?

My lip filler migration story... not cute

So I got lip filler done about 3 months ago at a place in Austin and everything seemed fine at first. Then last week I noticed this weird little bump above my lip line on the left side. I thought it was a cold sore at first but it wouldn't go away. Went back to the injector and she said it was filler migration. She dissolved it with that enzyme stuff and now my lip looks all wonky and uneven. Has anyone else had migration happen even with an experienced injector? I'm scared to try again.