REAL-LIFE STORY
Experiencing Lip Fillers What’s it like to have lip fillers as a 40 year old for the first time? Beyond Beauty speaks to a patient and her practitioner to find out!
Jennifer is a woman who, at 43, had started noticing the signs of ageing. She was bothered by some of these changes and wanted to make subtle improvements to her appearance. “I know I am getting older with every birthday, but over the past couple of years, I have really started noticing changes to my face that I wasn’t expecting!” Jennifer shares. Specifically, she’s referring to her skin quality as well as the region around her mouth – known as the perioral area. “You see youthful celebrities who always just say their ageing secret is to drink loads of water, or perhaps give up dairy or sugar, or take supplements. I tried all of that and the changes continued! I was bothered by some of the small signs of ageing around my mouth such as my smile lines (clearly I smile too much!) and my skin had an uneven tone with discolouration. My main concern was that I felt my top lip was starting to disappear.” So what could be done about it? Jennifer and her aesthetic practitioner Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, founder and medical director of the award-winning Adonia Medical Clinic, tell all…
Finding the perfect practitioner Jennifer knew she wanted to do something about her ‘disappearing’ top lip but had no idea if anything could be done to help, or even where to start. She explains, “When I had more time due to the pandemic lockdowns I was able to do some research and, from what I gather, everyone is having treatments like fillers and pretending that they aren’t!” Jennifer’s research started online and on social media, where she discovered that an aesthetic practitioner might be able to help. One of her concerns about going to see a practitioner was that they wouldn’t have the expertise to treat her black skin and lips, so finding someone with experience in treating her darker skin type was a top priority. “After researching aesthetics online, I came across a website called The Black Skin Directory and found Dr Ejikeme. After
seeing her social media posts about the types of treatments she offers, looking at her website and learning about her medical qualifications, I knew she was the one!” Although in the UK virtually anyone is legally allowed to inject dermal fillers, Jennifer thought it was best to go to a medical professional. “This medical qualification was really important to me and added a layer of reassurance that they would be able to help if anything did go wrong,” she says.
An aesthetic consultation Jennifer contacted Adonia Medical Clinic and arranged a virtual consultation – these are becoming increasingly common due to the coronavirus pandemic. “This was about 30 minutes in total and involved me detailing what my issues were and an explanation of the types of treatments that might be able to help me,” she explains, adding, “I sent lots of pictures of myself, which the clinic reviewed to help Dr Ejikeme create a treatment plan, and then I had another consultation to discuss this together.”
“From what I gather, everyone is having treatments like fillers and are all pretending that they aren’t!”
The first step was a skincare regime, which Jennifer received by mail, alongside another consultation on how to use the products. The Obagi New-Derm system was recommended to Jennifer to help her hyperpigmentation, enlarged pores and to strengthen her skin. Jennifer said it was more expensive than other skincare ranges she had tried before but found it After Before to be a good investment because she did see improvements in her skin quality. “There was a lot of work involved and my skin had a bit of flaking around my mouth for a little while, but it was all fine once I got into a routine. After using this and seeing results I thought all of the high street brands I had been using previously were pretty useless,” she says. Before and after lip filler treatment. Results show improved lip projection and rejuvenation.
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