I’m Stephanie Mendoza, I am your very own surgical assistant here at Jazzi. I want to let you in on the beginning of my aesthetic journey and my subtle approach to to help myself have a more graceful aging process. I am currently 30 years old and look very much like my mother. Thankfully I resemble her so much that I know what to look forward to as each decade passes. As time goes I will fill you in on each procedure I have and why I have chosen that specific route.

Today I am letting you in on my very first filler injection. I was nervous about exaggerating my natural look but was open to see what results I would get and could share with someone else who would be interested in a slight adjustment. I chose to get filler in my lips and my chin. Dr. Ali and our nurse practitioner assessed my face to determine how many units I would need in each area. I used one full “Ultra XC” syringe, 1/2 injected into my lips and the other 1/2 into my chin. Ultra XC was chosen for me, because the shape of my lips and Cupid’s bow were actually very defined, however it appeared that I had a flat smile. Our decision was to give my smile a more full appearance with some depth. Prior to my procedure I applied a potent lidocaine topical to numb my lips for approximately 45 minutes. After the numbing process was complete the treatment areas were cleaned off with alcohol. While the nurse practitioner administered the Filler, an assistant held a pulse facial massager against surrounding areas of the locations of injections. This aided in decreasing the pain of initial needle pricks and did an amazing job at distracting me from the process. The procedure took approximately 15 minutes of injections and massaging the filler and smoothing it out.

I was so excited to see that the slight exaggeration to my appearance was exactly what I was hoping for. I did not experience any bruising, however it can be expected and I was not very swollen, which can also be expected.

If for any reason I did not like my results and no longer wanted the filler, the areas can be injected with Hyaluronidase (20u) to break down the hyaluronic acid (the filler) that will have an immediate effect. But I am happy with my results and am considering another syringe injected into my lips. I am taking baby steps, because I have nothing but time. Stay tuned for my next steps into our combination therapy to get me where I want to be.

What is the post procedure for after Fillers?

• Wear sunscreen
• No rigorous exercise for at least 24 hours
• Do not lay down on area
• Can remain swollen for approximately 3 days
• Bruising is not uncommon
• Lumps & bumps are common and may require the provider to smooth them out after swelling has subsided