Anna's Advanta Lip Implant Story

The idea of plastic surgery has always been a bit of controversy for women and men. I had one woman tell me, "I'm proud of every gray hair and wrinkle on my face. They're like badges of everything I've gone through in life" Well, that's wonderful if that's how you REALLY feel. Personally, I prefer NOT to wear my badges on my face or body. I take great pride in all my life's trials and tribulations. I think my successes show in my family, my personal and professional life. I take pride of my body physically and emotionally both inside and out. Consequently, I choose to exercise, eat right and use plastic surgery to "maintain" my body. I am not trying to change my look. On the contrary, I've always liked my look just improve on it.

I like that my face was very feminine, but when I noticed over the years that my lips had been thinning, I looked for options to correct it.

June 1

When I first started my research I had no idea what my options were. I thought the only thing available was Collagen. So, I went to my computer typed in "lip augmentation". Bing!!, I hit Marianne's site....the motherload of information on lip procedures. Every possible option and more was on this site. At first it was very overwhelming and confusing. Luckily, the women I met through the site were more than helpful. One particular patient happened to live in my state. She had had a lip lift and along with Advanta implants. Advanta was supposed to be the newest generation in lip implants. Much softer than Gore-Tex with less potential for infection. Please keep in mind, with any type of implant, infection is a major possibility. With proper care and a good PS, the possibility is greatly reduced.

I decided to go with Advanta and I made my appointment. There were several reasons I chose Advanta. These might not be the right reasons for other women, but they were right for me. One, I wanted something permanent. I could not imagine the COST of going back and forth for collagen or other temporary injectables. Second, I wanted something big enough so if I had problems with it...or didn't like it. I would have the option of pulling it out. There are other injectables available that I would have loved to try like Perlane or Reviderm. Unfortunately, they are not available in this area as of yet. Maybe, after the procedure, if I should need an extra "poof" and these are available, I will look into trying it out. So, I'm really excited . My appointment is in two weeks. I've started taking all my pre op pictures. I'm scheduled for June 10, 2002

June 5

Postponed my Advanta!! I decided I was long overdue for teeth cleaning. I've decided since I do not want anyone manipulating my mouth/lips...or having all that loose bacteria around new incisions, I will have to postpone my surgery. I talked to my PS, she said it would be best to wait at least two weeks after my dental cleaning. I'm really bummed, but I know this is the best route to take. I don't want to risk any type of post op infections! I'm rescheduled for June 28th, 11am.

June 26

I've stocked up on all my necessities. I have my SinEcch, pain meds, soft foods . Spaghetti o's, pudding, Jell-O, frozen prepared meals, I even stocked up on Soymilk and fruit. I figured a few fruit smoothies with Soy would help to up my protein while I was healing. I bought frozen bags of fruit for my swelling, if I get hungry, I bite into the bag!!

I've got all my ducks in a row. My hair has been cut and colored. Had my nails done. House will be cleaned tomorrow. I've arranged for my mother in law to take my youngest and a friend will pick up my six year old.

By the way, I've only told ONE person. Not sure if I'll tell anyone else.

June 28

Morning of procedure. I'm really nervous, having doubts. I dressed in something I thought would be comfortable and practical. A button up blouse. This way, I won't have to pull anything over my face. Loose comfortable shorts. Kids are dropped off. I didn't ask for anyone to drive me, I figured since there is no sedation, I should be able to drive myself. Still, my heart is racing, I'm nervous, anxious, maybe I should have arranged for someone to help drive me.

June 28, 4pm Post Op

Ok, I should have had someone drive me. I am pumped up with epinephrine from the local anesthetic and nerves! My heart is racing a mile an hour.

I get to my PS's office and she's running late. Not really a problem, I'm just very anxious. I'm asked to apply EMLA cream to my lips and surrounding area. EMLA is a cream that numbs the skin. Luckily, I had EMLA at home and I applied the first dose there.

Her office manager comes in to socialize a bit with me while we wait. She is so pleasant. It helps alleviate my anxiety. We talk about the different procedures we'd like in the future. I told her I accepted getting old, but I was going kicking and screaming.

Ok, procedure time. My PS, who by the way is Maurine Waterhouse in Louisville KY, explains the whole procedure step by step. By the way, I really like my PS. I chose her because of all the PS I had talked to prior, I never felt rushed or that I was wasting her time. She sat and answered all my question, never making me feel silly for asking. She gave me all my options and explained why she did not like certain procedures. Needless to say, I felt the most comfortable with her. So..........back to surgery day.

She starts by injecting a local anesthetic via a HUGE needle. These shots were the most painful of the entire procedure. But they were over quick! Four injections total, two top, inside of both and two in the bottom. From my nose to the bottom of my chin, I am completely numb! There was so much lidocaine injected that I can see by looking down how much my upper lip area has swollen. She applies a sterile drape over my face exposing only my nose and mouth. She starts. Being covered up like that helps calm me down. I don't feel any pain at all...none. Just some pulling and tugging. I decide I'm just going to close my eyes and relax, I'm in her hands now. Do you believe it????? I actually dozed off during the procedure!!

At the end of the procedure she kept saying how beautiful it looks...her nurse just gave an occasional , "uh huh" I sat up and she gave me a mirror. The lips did look good, except the entire area around my mouth, chin and lower cheeks were so swollen!! I looked like the love child of Daisy Duck and Magila Gorilla!!

Anyway, she instructed to me to keep ice on it, keep it clean, wash with soap and water and after I eat, clean the suture sites with hydrogen peroxide. I get my prescription for antibiotics (geez, I have to stop at the pharmacy). The staff can sense I feel self conscious of my appearance. They let me go down the back stairs...I love that staff.

I drive to my local drive through pharmacy and drop off my prescription. I head home. I'm starting to feel the injections wearing off. Some of the swelling from the injections has gone down, still I have HUGE lips. I've been icing them since I left the office. I packed an ice cooler in my minivan that morning. I can't talk very well, so when I return to the pharmacy window, I've written on a sheet of paper my name and that I was there for a pick up. I also wrote down I needed hydrogen peroxide. The woman would NOT get my hydrogen peroxide. She said I'd have to go into the store. Does she have no mercy??!?! Can't she see I'm no condition to go into any store!! Anyway, I'll send some one later.

As I type I notice that if I keep the ice off for a period of time, I feel the swelling start. My PS said it would get worse before it gets better. To keep them well lubricated with Bacitracin or Aquaphor. Luckily, I have both. Marianne's check list was wonderful. I was so well prepared for my procedure.

Well, I'm off to rest. I was instructed to keep my head elevated. To try to sleep upright if possible. Going to try some of the wonderful pudding I made earlier.

June 29th, 1st Day Post Op

Eating. As far as eating post op, you might as well give it up! You can barely get your mouth wide open enough. I tried eating some small pasta. I couldn't chew and the food was getting lodged in between my gums and the inside of my mouth. It was a nightmare. The food gets into your fresh incisions....blah!! Unless you're dying of malnutrition, I suggest just skipping the idea of eating. In the middle of the night I tried pudding. Luckily, I had an old baby spoon. You know the kind, really small and this colored rubber over it. I HIGHLY suggest in investing in that type of spoon. You slide it in your mouth then turn it over. It was the only thing that fit. It was still somewhat of a mess. But with the pain meds and antibiotics, I really needed something in my stomach. After I ate I made sure to wash the outside of my mouth with soap (I used antibacterial dial, we used that in the hospital) and water. Then dried the incision and wiped with hydrogen peroxide. I'm really concerned about the possibility of infection.

Pain. Towards the late evening is when the pain was getting worse. I had a prescription of Percocet. I was instructed to take one pill every 4-6 hours. Well, one whole pill made me very dizzy and sick to my stomach. So instead I took 1/2 pill every 3 hours. That worked great. Took the edge off the pain and let me sleep. I did get up once at 3am for another half pill then slept till eight am.

Swelling. When the PS told me it would get worse before it got better, she was not lying. Last night was the worst!! Sorry, wasn't up for taking pics. But if you look at my one day post op pics...it was worse. They were so swollen from inside and outside, that tissue was bulging over my teeth. Remember seeing those pictures in National Geographic about women who put plates in their lips to stretch the lips out?? Well, that was me....plus add swelling, except it looks like I lost my plate! It was very sad to look at. As of now, 10am the next day, the swelling has somewhat diminished. They are no longer bulging over my teeth, but they are still HUGE!

Eating is somewhat easier. But I do notice that the more talking I do, the more aggravated the lips become. Its almost as if I can feel them swelling the more talking I do. Consequently, I've stopped using the phone.

I must admit the pre op and post op checklist Marianne has on her site was life saver!! If you do nothing else, print that sheet up!! I picked almost everything on that list from meds to spaghetti O's. It mentions getting those facial cleaning cloths. I thought will I really need them?? I bought them anyway. Boy, did they come in handy. My face was getting so oily. I'm not sure if was because of the swelling or all the Bacitracin or both! It was wonderful to clean up my face every few hours without getting up.

I'm off to take picture and then rest.

June 30th Day Two Post Op

I must admit I'm getting a little depressed and worried. My lips are very large. The area between my top lip and nose is still protruding outwards giving a very unattractive appearance. In one of my day two post ops pics I intentionally left my cheeks in. I'm not sure you can notice, but the left side of my face is still swollen.

This morning I was finally able to use my Braun to clean my teeth. Eating seems to have gotten easier, but I'm still very concerned about keep the incision sites clean. I clean each site with hydrogen peroxide after I eat.

I did notice the pain had almost all gone away. I can only feel this tingling and discomfort in my lips. Any contact with my lips, like with the toothbrush, is painful. So, I've switched from my half Percocet to three 200mg of Motrin.

I'm going to try to get as much rest as possible today. No talking, very little eating. Going to just try to get fluids. I'm hoping if I really give my face a rest, most of the swelling will subside. I do notice, though, that the more active I am (walking) the more I feel my lips are aggravated.

I start summer school car pool for the kids tomorrow. I'm hoping and praying I'll look decent by then . The scary thing is I don't even look like myself anymore!! I don't like that....I liked my face. It better come back!

July 1st Day Three Post Op

Still swollen (not as much), lips are tight and peeling. Went out in public today. Got a few stares, but I had to get out.

Will this swelling every go down???

July 3rd, Day Five Post Op

Today I had my sutures removed, thank goodness!! My top lip is still huge. The bottom one looks very nice. But they are both still tender to touch. I tried going out to dinner yesterday, big mistake!! Whatever you do, do not order anything that is too saucy. Funny, how dependent we are on our lips. Since my top lip was still very swollen, its hard to have complete control when you're eating. There was Alfredo sauce all over my mouth. I finished all my medications, been taking care of the incisions...doing all the right things, yet they still look weird. I feel everyone in the world is staring at my mouth. I went out today and bought a hat. The heat index here is over 100 degrees. The sun is not the best thing for healing. Although, the hat is really cute :)

One Week Post Op!!

My lips are finally looking oh so very nice. There is still some swelling on the top lip. You can see almost like a little "ledge" where the outline of the top lip is swollen. I guess that is what they mean by the "duck" look. But overall, I'm happy with look, in a ducky sort of way :)

Today I was able to fit the entire toothbrush between my top lip and my front teeth. I was able to drink out of straw with out making a mess out of myself. Lastly, I was able to take a decent size bite out of a sandwich.

They are still still slightly tight and still peeling. I am assuming they will continue to peel until all the swelling has gone down. I have been using Aquaphor on my lips like mad. They get so dry and tight, it feels wonderful as soon as I rub that stuff on :)

I can palpate the implant with my finger. I'm wondering how they will feel (geez, I'm a little embarrassed to say this) to the other person when I/we kiss. I can now pucker, though I can't whistle. When I talk, my upper lip doesn't move. Looks a little weird.

The incisions seem to have healed up nicely. I'm very glad of that. I was very concerned about potential infections. I guess all that diligence with keeping the area cleaned has paid off.

In fact, I was so tickled with how my lips looked to today, I actually went out and bought three (ok, four) new little sundresses. Because we all know, the bigger your lips look, the smaller your body looks. At least in my own mind I believe that...lol!

My next entry will be at two weeks post op. I'm hoping there will be no major changes and I get to keep all the volume I have now. Wish me luck, will be back in a week.

Monday, July 15, 2002

I am a little over two weeks post op and boy have I been on a roller coaster. Both emotionally and physically.

Friday, August 02, 2002

Over a month post op and I love my lips. They're not Angelina size, but just right for me. I'll be 40 yrs old next year and a small person so I really believe anything much bigger would not look right on my small face.

My continued to change in shape and a little in size over these past few weeks. At my last post op visit my PS said the size should not change at all at this point. I still can not get over the amount of swelling my lips had even at three weeks post op.

At this point my lips have come back to the original shape. Which is a good thing because I liked the shape of my lips, I just wanted them BIGGER. The one thing I truly love about my new look is how my PS put in an extra piece of Advanta in the center of my top lip. It gave it a pleasant lift.

I haven't had any problems or complications with the implants as of yet. There was one time where I could almost see the tip of the implant in the bottom lip. I was worried it was trying to work its way out!

I could palpate it with my tongue. I noticed it on a Thursday but by Monday, it was gone.

I'm not sure how to end this journal except to say that if you are interested in this type, or any type of plastic surgery, do your homework. Do the research. Weigh all the pros and cons of all the available options. Go to several consults, see pictures, and talk to women who have had similar procedures. Once you've made your decision, sleep on it and give it some time. Many times we get caught up in the excitement of the idea of plastic surgery, we want results right then and there.

Lastly I'd like to thank Marianne for her site, "LipAugmentation.com". It was there that I was able to get a wealth of information regarding all the possible options. Not only was I able to find all the good and bad information on a product, but it helped teach me how to search for more information. Finally, it was there that I found all my "lip buddies". Women who were on a similar quest for lips! LOL! I was able to ask all types of questions like, "Is it painful?", "Expensive?". And very personal questions like, "Can a guy feel it when he kisses you?"

People have asked me whether I was going to get a filler. At this point I can say no. I like the size and I do not want to get caught up in a Melanie Griffith sort of way, 40s with big lips. I'm a mom and nurse, and right now I think I look just right. :)